From the Portland police radio, New Years eve edition:

In the first hour of 2018 I was stoked to turn on the police scanner and have an entertaining few hours evesdropping on Portland.
It's one of my favorite pastimes listening to the emergency radio scanners. New Years eve is a great time to tune in. 
At first the calls were very much a downer.
Lots of violence, people with guns shooting at each other, mugging, suicide, domestic disturbances, a toddler wandering around alone and lots of people on hard drugs crashing into things.
Then it happened. A detail in the account of a bar brawl "One of them has a crossbow." interesting. It kept coming "a group of people downtown just destroyed a bar and are headed north vandalizing things and accosting people." "Description? is it a gang?" (momentary silence)"No it's gonna be bridesmaids, they are all dressed identically. They are on the war path leaving a trail of disturbances."
In another part of town a man screamed at the door of a house for a couple hours before breaking the door down. That's when the neighbors called on him. 
Maybe it was his house. Our neighborhood was quiet and I hear the ER was pretty quiet as well. Then they got the second call in two hours involving a medieval weapon. 
A man was going berserk in his apartment shooting steel tipped arrows at the glass and eventually through and out his window. The neighbors were understandably freaking out. They had to surround the place, call him out with the PA with non lethal weapons at the ready. 
New Years eve 2018 had a cross bow, a long bow, lots of clubs and even zombies.Every gun violence call reminds me of the NRA (and the politicians and policies they buy) and every situation when someone is out of their mind on meds I think of big pharma and the (politicians they buy.) Because of political corruption it wasn't as fun listening in this time. I can't say I didn't learn anything but it's also a story I know well. Still It's always good to eavesdrop on your town.