Today I shed tears for the first time in 2009. These tears were for the tragic and senseless death of 6-month-old Ania Duncan. I never had the pleasure of meeting Ania, but from the bright, brown eyes that stared out at me I’m sure I would have loved to have known her. Today the world is a little darker and my heart aches for a better tomorrow and help for her troubled parents.~Hug a child today!
Showing posts with label Violence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Violence. Show all posts
Thursday, January 15, 2009
One Minute Writer
Irony abounds in life and today is not different. The one-minute writer prompt for today is "What is the last thing that made you cry?" Below is my response, which carries over to my first post of the day.
WHY!!! The Only Question is why?
Just two days ago I wrote a very brief post on the need for patience in our world, and today I am so angry I could just scream!!!!!!!
I have just learned of the death of beautiful 6-month-old Ania Duncan, presumably at the hands of her own parents. I didn't know this precious child or her family, but just the senseless, callous way in which she died has my blood boiling.
Children, as cliche' as it may sound, are truly a blessing from God and to hear that this young life has ended in such tragedy is appalling. We live in a world where life is no longer precious. Where brutality and violence have become the norm for so many, and many others have become numb to the unspeakable crimes we read and hear about on a daily basis.
Ania is in a much better place, but oh what joy I'm sure she could have brought to a family that loved her. All you have to do is look at her beautiful, bright eyes and see that she was a joy the short time she spent on this earth.
If you have a child take an extra moment and tell them you love them, better yet give them a big hug!
If you're in the northeast spread some joy and stay warm, everyone else just spread a little joy today!
For more on this story check out wkyc.com, source of photo and details.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
The Rise in Urban Violence
Hailing from the land of Cleve has never been a problem for me, and even today it's not but recent media reports have me wondering if I have been transplanted to the Wild, Wild, West. About ten days ago there was a tragic traffic fatality in downtown Cleveland. A suburban couple ventured into the city to see The Lion King in celebration of the wife's birthday, but tragically she was run down by a stolen vehicle driven by a 13-year-old before the curtain even had a chance to rise.
Adding to the tragedy is the emotional outcry from the community and the underlying theme of race. You see Mrs. DiGiorgio, the victim, was white and the four suspects are all black males. Yet when writing about this story everyone has tap danced around the implications of race only stressing the need for an increased police presence, a louder voice from the Mayor and an end to lawlessness.
When I first heard about the crash I, too, was outraged because another human being had died senselessly. I, too, called for tough punishment for the 13-year-old driver. During a conversation shortly after the crash I implored "he was grown enough to steal a car, and run from police so he's grown enough to do adult time in jail."
This young man's actions and those of countless others like him leave a bad taste in my mouth because when all the dirt is done somebody, usually a mother, sister, aunt or grandmother with a tear streaked face laments "He's not a bad child. I never had any problems out of him, he just got mixed up with the wrong crowd," or something along those lines.
My question becomes "how did he get with that crowd? Where were you?" Over the years I have learned to give some slack to some parents who really have attempted to steer their children on the right path but for whatever reason "ManMan" was just destined for criminal activity. But many others have left their children to raise themselves while they either struggle to survive or live their lives as though they are childless.
Much attention has been given to the violent crimes that are taking over our streets, but all in all I still don't feel unsafe in my home. I still freely travel the streets of Cleveland - some worse than others without tensing up and fearing I am going to be the next victim, but I am real concerned about the lack of values being taught behind the closed doors of the homes I pass.
When we as a society return to what I call "Basic Home Training" we should begin to see a decrease in some of the lawlessness that is permeating our communities. Beginning as toddlers we set boundaries and rules that we carry on through elementary, middle and high school and just maybe we would have a different culture of young teens walking the street.
Adding to the tragedy is the emotional outcry from the community and the underlying theme of race. You see Mrs. DiGiorgio, the victim, was white and the four suspects are all black males. Yet when writing about this story everyone has tap danced around the implications of race only stressing the need for an increased police presence, a louder voice from the Mayor and an end to lawlessness.
When I first heard about the crash I, too, was outraged because another human being had died senselessly. I, too, called for tough punishment for the 13-year-old driver. During a conversation shortly after the crash I implored "he was grown enough to steal a car, and run from police so he's grown enough to do adult time in jail."
This young man's actions and those of countless others like him leave a bad taste in my mouth because when all the dirt is done somebody, usually a mother, sister, aunt or grandmother with a tear streaked face laments "He's not a bad child. I never had any problems out of him, he just got mixed up with the wrong crowd," or something along those lines.
My question becomes "how did he get with that crowd? Where were you?" Over the years I have learned to give some slack to some parents who really have attempted to steer their children on the right path but for whatever reason "ManMan" was just destined for criminal activity. But many others have left their children to raise themselves while they either struggle to survive or live their lives as though they are childless.
Much attention has been given to the violent crimes that are taking over our streets, but all in all I still don't feel unsafe in my home. I still freely travel the streets of Cleveland - some worse than others without tensing up and fearing I am going to be the next victim, but I am real concerned about the lack of values being taught behind the closed doors of the homes I pass.
When we as a society return to what I call "Basic Home Training" we should begin to see a decrease in some of the lawlessness that is permeating our communities. Beginning as toddlers we set boundaries and rules that we carry on through elementary, middle and high school and just maybe we would have a different culture of young teens walking the street.
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