One evening a few days back I was in the area of 5th and Vine Streets, where Jeffrey Moss aka "man man" was gunned down. There was probably close to 100 people present, and I heard much more were there at sunset to hold a candlelight vigil for the shooting victim.
Nobody deserves to be killed over something so stupid as probably a verbal dispute gone bad.
What sort of annoyed me about the people present for the makeshift memorial (which I despise, place flowers at the cemetery!) was they brazenly blocked the road off to thru traffic without going through the proper channels, to memorialize a career criminal, yet if I don't get a $5 permit for a yard sale on my own property I am immediately taken to task over it. Something so trivial, yet a sign of the lack of respect so many share toward society in general.
I realize the police department had to act with diplomacy, because judging by the 28" rims parked for blocks around, and dominant color of red clothing with underwear showing above belt lines among the crowd, any effort to simply open the road to traffic would have been met with such a large backlash it probably would have attracted national media attention, even though authorities would have been acting according to law and ordinances.
If only this group of 100+ people paying honor to a man who lived his life robbing, stealing and hurting others could organize and hit the streets to supervise and parent the youth, imagine how fast the community would improve!
Instead, many more children will grow into a life of entitlements, lawlessness and hopelessness. Mr. Moss will be buried, the R.I.P. shoe polish on car windows and t-shirts with his mugshot on them will fade, and his legacy as nothing more than a criminal will be forgotten. Life will go on for countless other people down the same path toward crime, prison and unfortunately for some, an early death.
There is no worse death than to die in vein. Will this be the death that changes a society? Or will it be life as usual... R.I.P. "man man"
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)