Growing up in Garden Grove– there are few places to grab a moment of solitude conveniently located next to one's home.
Huntington Beach is kinda far. La Habra heights too.
A park? Maybe.
This may sound odd but when life was getting me down, or hell, even out of sheer boredom – my friends and I found ourselves gathered on the Harbor pedestrian bridge, that arches over the 22 freeway.
My good friend Jeremy ( seen in above photo) was the person I'd frequent the bridge with the most – mostly within the wee hours of the morning. They were good times. Sometimes we'd sneak a beer or two into our pockets on a cold night, but more often, there were those heartfelt conversations and random photo shoots as we watched his dog, Mariel patrol the area.
Oddly enough, last night after a farewell dinner for our friend Kim, we contemplated making a trip to our beloved hangout spot. After some thought we both decided we were just too tired to kick it. Yeah, it may sound lame but there was something kind of intriguing about this spot. Maybe 'twas the drone of minimal traffic at 3 a.m. on a usually sardined 22 freeway, which produces a calming effect. Perhaps it was the last place on Earth someone in their right mind should be when darkness falls. Probably the latter.
Definitely the latter.
This morning two bodies were found, shot to death, along the pedestrian walk way. The victims are said to have been in their early twenties.
Garden Grove residents say that gang activity plagues both sides of this bridge. The answer as to whether or not these deaths were gang-related is pending further investigation.
Needless to say, we won't be visiting our bridge anytime soon…
