"The wake was at St Paul’s Church. As I opened the huge wooden doors, the first thing I saw was the three caskets, all in a line as if what it was a funeral for a squadron of men who had died in Iraq."
Senseless violence reached a new level when a road rage incident in San Francisco led to the shooting deaths of three members of the same family. Youth Radio’s Orlando Campbell tells A personal story of how the family friends least likely to be affected by violence ENDED UP FALLING VICTIM TO IT.
Unfortunately, there are some people in my life who I might expect to get shot on the streets of San Francisco, the urban war zone of my birth. My childhood friend Mike and his family are the opposite. Their mother Danielle successfully did everything in her power to keep her children away from the street and on a positive path. I grew up with all four of Danielle’s kids The news of the deaths took me and my own mom by complete surprise.
The wake was at St Paul’s Church. As I opened the huge wooden doors, the first thing I saw was the three caskets, all in a line as if what it was a funeral for a squadron of men who had died in Iraq. Michael was the first. Stiff, almost wax looking, but still with the adornments that were unmistakably him, the grape flavored swishers in his front pocket. Tony was in the middle; still looking strong like he was there to make sure everything was OK. Little Matthew …16 years old…was last. The happiest kid in the world, he was the only one who didn’t die on the scene. He clung to life for two days before god decided it was his time. I turned and Danielle was right there. We hugged for what could have been the longest hug I have ever been a part of, as she whispered some words in my ear. I had a flashback of her at our middle school basketball games: the loudest one in the stands, the best dressed mama. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how she was feeling, her husband of 20 years, her firstborn son, and her youngest son all gone in a matter of minutes.
The law has not been able to protect us…against us…and we are forced to live accordingly. Innocent, or “not part of the gang culture”, it makes no difference now; lives are worthless when they are supposed to be priceless. The people who commit these sins will eventually pay the price. Danielle wants justice for her sons, and her husband. I wouldn’t accept anything less.
