Crazy Sunday.

Sunday was quite the exciting day.

H. and I were going to go shopping, then head to the Ex to see a concert. Sounded like a good time. We left my house and started walking to the LRT station.

So there I was, walking along, pushing H's wheelchair as we embarked on a mission of shopping and concert-going, when I saw the jack russell terrier from the junkyard on the corner running loose. I mentioned that it had gotten out and then described the two other dogs in the junkyard. Obligingly, the other two appeared at the fence and started barking at us. (We were on the other side of the street and about to turn the corner in the opposite direction of the junkyard). We turned the corner and I thought that the barking suddenly seemed closer, but before I could turn to look, the frickin jack russell bit the back of my leg! WTF!!!

Good thing I'm not a small person, or he would have had a much better grip and possibly ripped out my achilles tendon. As it is, I now have a small fang-gash and some bad bruising.

Why can't my life just be normal for once?

We went up to Clairview, had lunch, found new gloves for H, new clothes for me, then hopped back on the trian and went to Northlands, wound our way through the crazy crowds of people in the midway, and got to the concert venue.

All the wheelchair people were let into the concert venue first and given places up front where the crowd wouldn't block their view of the stage. We had a blast listening to the first opening act (Murder City Sparrows rock, and thier bass player is yummy), were tortured by the second one (I think my ears were bleeding by the end), and then all the wheelchair users were dragged out to the back before the main act started.

Why? "Because if the crowd rushes, they'll get hurt" or "because we can't get over the barrier if they're up against it"

At least, I think that was what was said. The security guards didn't talk to myself or H. about it at all. We got this information from what little we could hear of the conversations with the other four wheelchair users and their companions.

Then all of the sudden this security guard comes out of nowhere and says to me "We're moving you out now." I stare blankly, not knowing what she's talking about. "Please don't look at me like that!" she snaps. I make some vague noise of incomprehension and she points at H. "Are you with her?" I nod. She gives me some vague explaination that "we're moving them" to a different area on the other side and in the back. I ask if H. will be able to see, and the security lady says yes impatiently. We are being a nuisance by not cooperating like good cattle and following orders without question. I grab my bag and step back so that H. can go ahead of me and wheel out through the aisle they had opened in the crowd. The security guard at the other end was waiting for us and talked quite pleasantly to me. H. at this point was extremely angry. We had to wait for the others to wheel out of the crowd before they told us where we were going. They herded us like cattle to our assigned area, about 20 feet behind the crowd on the other side of the venue. Then the rude security lady came and snapped something to H. about moving closer if she wanted. When H. expressed her extreme displeasure at the situation and stated she wanted to get her money refunded and to leave, the security lady said "You'll have to talk to ticketmaster for that" and walked away. This was the only time that anyone bothered to even talk to H. directly. She was so furious and mortified she was in tears. And to top it all off, she couldn't see the stage. Then as a consolation prize, we were told we would be first in line to meet the band and have stuff signed. We were there to watch the band perform, not listen to them and then get their autographs.

So many things are wrong with the way this went.

1: Why did they seat the wheelchair users in that location if they were going to move them? It's cruel to let them see the opening acts and drag them away for the main act. These people came for the main act, just like everyone else.
2: What gives a bunch of able-bodied teenagers more right to be able to see the concert than people in wheelchairs? Since when did people with disabilities become second-class citizens in this country?
3: The fact that H. is sitting in a wheelchair does not automatically make her deaf or stupid. Why did no one do her the courtesy of speaking directly to her?
4: People in wheelchairs do not all belong to the same party or group. Just because you talked to one person does not mean that all know what is going on.
5: The 8-year-old girl that was standing by us was in far greater danger of being crushed by the crowd than the five people in wheelchairs were.

I think that the security guards were more concerned with liability issues than with the safety of concert attendees. I was apalled and disgusted at the treatment that all five of the people in wheelchairs received. What an awful state the world is in. I'm not saying they should get special treatment, I just think they should have the same rights as everyone else.

We stuck around and enjoyed most of the rest of the concert, ate some greasy carnival food, won a few stuffed animals, and got some cotton candy to bring home to Shane, ignored most of the fireworks, and then went home and crawled into bed.

What a day.

Monday, I went to the doctor and showed her the dog bite. She gave me a tetanus shot (which still hurts worse than the dog bite) and some antibiotic cream. Then I called animal control and they sent a couple of officers over to take a statement. Looks like I get to go to court and hopefully get the dog owner a tasty fine for dog attack causing injury. Yesterday morning the doc called me to ask if she could give her report on the dog bite to the bylaw officers. I said yes, of course. The health inspector called me this morning but I missed it, and he wasn't answering his phone when I called him back. The dog is under a 10-day quarantine to make sure it doesn't have rabies. I hope that's not the reason the health inspector is calling me :S