Sunday 10:12AM...In front of our church.

“In the parable of the sower and the seed what did the ... “, began the Sunday School teacher when suddenly we heard a crash on the street outside. A second crash of shattering glass soon followed, and, as we turned to look at the street in front of the church, another and another. A bus had been attacked by a gang. It had tried to back away, but stopped in front of our church.

The gang continues to attack the bus, with logs and heavy sticks they shattered all but one window. Bottles filled with kerosene and fire were tossed inside and smoke billowed forth, but they failed to ignite the bus. The church people watched from the windows. After the second crash, the children who had been outside on the side of the church were quickly hurried behind it, away from danger.

Meanwhile, shaking as he hid behind the pulpit, the teacher called the police. He would not want the gang to know he was the one who made the call. We were shocked when a short time later a police car and a fire truck actually showed up. ( It is not the norm for a quick ,or even at times any response to be had) Passersby stopped to gawk, joined by some of those who had attacked the bus. No one would rat. Fear of retaliation was too great.

Broken glass lay all over the road as a few cars and trucks passed by, driving over it as they passed. The driver, who had been hiding came out and tried to start the bus; it failed to start. Slowly most of the spectators left.

No one, though it seemed, really knew why the bus had been attacked. I asked several people and received almost as many answers as those I asked. Maybe it killed someone....they changed a bus route and the people are upset....the fares just increased ...the bus owners are upset at the violence on the bus routes here and substituted old busses for new ones... its an Icoraci bus.

Attacking busses as a form of protest has been common enough the last few weeks as people protested a fare increase of 5 cents. This was not the first bus we have seen attacked. But usually just he rear and front windows are shattered. This one was well planned and more violent.

I happened to have my camera and quickly snapped a few pictures through a open window.