What comes to mind when you think of Savannah, Georgia? Perhaps images of Spanish moss lifting in the trees as breezes push in from the rivers and surrounding marshes? Maybe glimpses of dolphins as they break the surface of the water, showing off for children leaning against the railings of tour boats. Many visitors to the city enjoy seeing the filming locations for the Forrest Gump movie, and watching shrimp boats trolling slowly across the horizon.

Maybe your imagination takes you to where Sherman’s soldiers came ashore at Coffee Bluff, near the site where former slaves later purchased 200 acres of land and started their own community. A city-owned marina now stands overlooking the waters at the Bluff.

Savannah area wildlife, a bit different than what many of you are accustomed to, is a site to behold.

Sure, there’s plenty to do when visiting Savannah. Tourists often meander through historic cemeteries, pausing to reflect at grave sites of confederate soldiers.

Or the burial site of Little Gracie Watson.

The final resting place of Mr. Moon River himself, Johnny Mercer, is also a favorite.

There’s the cathedral.

And Fort Pulaski where southern soldiers fought a hard battle, but were eventually defeated and those remaining alive were captured and imprisoned

Yes, Savannah, Georgia is rich in history, with a story to tell like no other.

Today’s tales, though, are about a present day battle taking place in Savannah. A struggle that, like the conflicts of the 1800’s, involve gunfire and bloodshed. Here’s the tourists don’t see while they’re strolling along River Street while stuffing their pudgy faces with sweet praline candy and sweet iced tea.

– 20-year-old Gregory Eugene Griffin murdered 19-year-old Rasheem Alexander at a downtown intersection.

– Bank and convenience store robberies are practically weekly news. Convenience store robberies have occurred so often that police are frequently stationed inside walk-in beverage coolers throughout the city (the ones where customers open a door to reach in for the products they wish to purchase—beer, wine, soft drinks, milk, etc.

– Crazy Clown drug sends over a dozen teens to hospital ER’s.

– Antwan Hayward is accused in the recent shooting of 23-year-old Jamon Cody at the intersection of West 34th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. That’s just a few blocks from where tourists catch the site-seeing trolleys.

– 13 prostitutes were arrested just this week while operating out of local hotels in an area called Gateway Savannah. Perhaps you’ve been there since Gateway is located at the junction of I95 and Hwy 204. It’s a spot where tourists stop for dinner at the many restaurants located there. Many tourists also decide to stay in the big-chain motels in this heavily visited area that’s often (unknown to tourists) in the news for prostitution, shootings, drug busts, and for some reason, several wanted suspects from other states have been captured while hiding out in the motels. Usually, it’s the U.S. Marshals leading the manhunt, but they’re assisted by by local special ops police units.

– Ironically, city officials were meeting with members of the public a couple of days ago to discuss ways to combat Savannah’s growing murder rate and rise of other violent crimes, when shots rang out across the street. A man in his early 30’s was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries as a result of gunshot wounds. Again, the shooting happened directly across the street from a city-held meeting to calm the public’s unsteady nerves about the frequency and intensity of violent crime.

– Three days ago, the occupants of two cars began shooting at one another while traveling along a busy city street where many doctors’ offices are located. It was a scene reminiscent of Bonnie and Clyde days. The area is a fairly well-to-do location, where in addition to the many prominent physicians’ offices, other big businesses have office space there as well, such as a main headquarters of Bank of America. Not what you’d consider a dangerous area…until this week.

And, of course, I there’s the murder trial that’s taking place just down the road in Brunswick. I’m sure you’ve heard about this case, the one where two African American juveniles approached a white woman who was pushing a baby stroller on her way to the post office. The woman thought it was nice day out and wanted to take her baby so they both could enjoy the the time outdoors.

When the two youths approached, the older one, 17-year-old De’Marquise Elkins, demanded the woman’s purse. When she refused, the boy hit her and then shot the baby in the face from point blank range. Then he shot the mother in the leg. The two juvenile thugs then ran away. Later, the shooter’s mother and sister were charged for helping destroy/dispose of the weapon and lying to police.

Ten days earlier, Elkins shot Wilfredo Calix Flores in the arm. Flores is a pastor of a Hispanic church in Brunswick.

Witnesses have positively identified Elkins as the shooter in both cases. Even the boy who was with Elkins when he murdered the 13-month-old toddler identified him as the shooter. However, defense attorneys have accused the mother of murdering her own child to collect a $5,000 in life insurance money. Then, they say, she pointed the finger at Elkins, fabricating the attempted robbery/shooting story. They’ve also said the mother’s PTSD that stemmed from the incident has clouded her memory, causing her to confuse the events that occurred the day her innocent child/baby was gunned down in the street.

I guess the pistol that was positively identified as the murder weapon, the very gun Elkins’ mother hid/tossed in a lake to protect her son, was merely a remarkable coincidence that it had been in Elkins’ possession during two separate shootings.

Katrina Elkins, the shooter’s aunt, lied to police investigators, saying that her nephew was with her and her family at the time of the shooting. Therefore he could not have committed the murder.

A witness at the time of Elkins’ arrest testified to the the spontaneous comments made by the accused shooter. As he was walking out of his house in handcuffs, Elkins said to the police, ‘Y’all ain’t got **** on me. Y’all ain’t got no gun. Y’all ain’t got no fingerprints. All y’all got is a ******* acquittal.”  When Elkins saw another detective smile he said, “Oh, got the gun?”

Interestingly, a city commissioner was also arrested after he approached the shooter and his family, telling them not to/they didn’t have to talk to the police regarding the murder case. The 59-year-old politician, a representative of the area where the accused baby-killer and his family reside, was charged with influencing a witness and obstructing law enforcement.

Sherry West is now in court facing her baby’s killer. I imagine jurors will have a difficult time remaining impartial after hearing West describe pleading with Elkins, begging him to not shoot her baby.

The grieving mother told the court, “I tried to stop him. I put my arms over my baby but he still shot him,” cried West.

Many area residents say they’re still waiting for Al Sharpton to lead a vigil for justice for the murdered baby, another victim of senseless violence. So far, though, he’s a no show. I’m sure most of the comments are sarcastic since the murdered baby was the child of a Hispanic father and white mother, and the good reverend usually devotes his time to the African American community and fighting for their civil rights. But I think, since there doesn’t seem to be an end to the bloodshed, anything’s worth a try.

So, Reverend Al, if you have the answer or the means to stop the young people of our country from dying, then I’m begging you to head our way and make it happen. People of all races need help from somebody. Anybody…

Update – It took a jury only two hours to find Elkins guilty of all charges. His mother was also found guilty of tampering with evidence.

I’ve seen more than my fair share of horror. I’ve been to crime scenes and car crashes. I’ve seen spilled blood and viscera. But never have I witnessed anything as ghastly, unpleasant, or as sickening as the train wreck that Miley Cyrus dished out on the VMA awards show.

You may wonder why I, the cops and robbers guy, am addressing an MTV performance by Cyrus, but the answer is simple…I was assaulted, and assault is a still a crime, right? Yes, Miley Cyrus’s over-emphasized gyrations and tongue waggings and wigglings are something I can never un-see. I’ve been harmed by another person and I may never recover.

The overdose of Cyrus’s near skin and bones and somewhat freakish and boyish look, and her appalling gestures were so bad that my brain is threatening to pack its bags and leave home, and it assures me that it’s taking my eyes with it. They’ve each indicated the desire for a transfer to a safer location.

I try to remain current with today’s trends. Well, I at least like to know what’s going on in the world around me, even if I don’t like what I see and hear. But there isn’t enough water in the entire Atlantic Ocean to wash and scrub away the sense of “ick” I felt after seeing this garbage. In fact, I didn’t watch the entire performance. I couldn’t. I opted out just after Cyrus’s X-rated solo session with a foam finger.

More important than the irreparable damage to my psyche, is to warn readers of The Graveyard Shift of things that could be harmful to them and to their children. Well, believe me when I say that there should be a huge warning label tattooed on Miley Cyrus’s forehead that reads…“Warning, the surgeon general of the U.S. has deemed Miley Cyrus to be extremely harmful to all teens of that impressionable age.” And, Ms. Cyrus’s CD’s, posters, and videos should be kept out of the reach of young minds.

Of course, I’m still up in the air about which was the worst, the foam finger solo session, or when Cyrus, practically in nothing but her unmentionables, went through the motions of several sexual acts with singer Robin Thicke.

Thicke bothered me too. He showed up to the Cyrus hoochie-mama show dressed in his best Beetlejuice-go-to-preachin’ outfit, joining little Miley onstage where he participated in the assault on my poor brain. My eyes, bless their little hearts, didn’t have the smarts to turn away from the video.

Well on his way to 40-years-old, Thicke is married with children. I can’t imagine that his wife appreciated seeing her husband like this, with any female, much less a 20-year-old bizarre woman-child (I wonder if Cyrus is what Bradley “Chelsea” Manning sees in his mind as what he’ll look like after his transfer to the female gender).

How could Robin Thicke possibly explain his actions to his young children? “It’s okay, kids, Daddy was just playing horsy with Hannah Montana’s trashy big sister.”

Speaking of kids and their siblings, I’m pretty sure the ghosts of the entire cast and crew of the Captain Kangaroo show are more than likely already on their way to Cyrus’s house to begin some serious haunting. Dancing Bear is most likely the first in line to grab the chains and bedsheets, and has been practicing his best “BOO’s,” since it was his reputation that was most harmed.

Cast of the Captain Kangaroo Show. Dancing Bear is pictured on the far left. Then there’s Bunny Rabbit, the Captain, Mr. Moose, and Mr. Green Jeans.

In fact, there’s a rumor floating around that a few of Dancing Bear’s grandchildren were on stage with Cyrus as backup dancers, and he’s not happy about it. I don’t blame him.

There was so much packed into the Cyrus and Thicke mess, that it’s difficult to pinpoint the most troubling parts.  Now, you tell me, was this something young kids should be watching? Oh, and I haven’t talked about the lyrics and the references to doing drugs at parties.

MTV bleeped the reference to using ecstasy, but not the image of Hannah Montana with her face buried between the buttocks of a seven-foot-tall black woman, an act that many are calling extremely racist. Well, I’m not sure if there was racial intent, but I do know that it was scene that’s not meant for children, or for my poor pitiful eyes and brain.

I think I’ll watch a bit of the real Dancing Bear to help cleanse my mind of the filth. No “twerking,” no foam fingers, and no gold, rubber underwear. Ah, the good old days…