EDITORIAL
BY STRAYCAT
IN MEMORY OF A FRIEND
On the afternoon of June 19, 2000, one of my friends and co-workers of the last two years was killed. He did not die from some accident, medical problem, or long term illness. No, he became a statistic that people in the media, politics, and law enforcement will use to further their agendas in the days and years ahead, he became a victim of gun violence.
By his own admission, John Edward McCardell had already beaten most odds. He was a young black man, grew up in an inner-city area, never went to college, hung out with all the wrong people, had made a lot of mistakes, yet he was at 25 years old already a survivor, already a sucess story. Many people of similar backgrounds he knew were either dead or in jail, but he had a family, and a steady job, with a lot to look foreward to.
John was always a charmer. He had wanted to be a stand-up comedian. He thought of himself as another Eddie Murphy. He was always laughing, and teasing, and no one was ever safe from John's barbs. You could hear his voice for blocks, always brightening the mood, with a big smile on his face, you couldn't help but smile too.
Though not college educated, John could discuss any issue in the news intelligently. He was always ready to stand up for what he believed in. John and I differed on most issues, but he was willing to listen even if he vehemently disagreed with me. He was a liberal and cared about the underpriviledged more than anything. He had come from the streets and that was where his heart was.
A sports fanatic, John was always ready to discuss any player on any team of any sport. It did not matter whether it was boxing, wrestling, basketball, football, hockey, or even golf, he knew more than anyone else I personally knew. Though they didn't always perform as he wanted, he always stood by his teams, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Detroit Red Wings among others. He even picked the Lakers to win this year just a day before he died.
He was passionate about his family. He loved his kids, and was proud to bring them to meet all of us at work. Not many of the friends he had valued fatherhood much. In a day when most young men would flee from the responsibilities of being a father, he always tried to make as much time for his family as he could, often watching his kids while their mother worked.
He was a loyal friend, and you never had to wonder where you stood with him. He would tell you just what he thought. You could trust him with anything. You always knew he had your back.
All that ended on a sunny day in his own backyard. He was home watching his kids, while their mom was at work. For some reason he was called into the alley at the back of his yard. He went to retrieve something from his vehicle. What happened next is for a court to decide. What we do know is that a man he had met in a bar, where John worked part-time as a bouncer, was there in that alley with a gun. John was shot several times in the chest and died shortly thereafter.
The reasons why he was killed are still not clear. Only one thing is certain, he died needlessly. There is never a good reason to kill, but especially a person that most would say didn't have an enemy on earth. It was a senseless act, committed in broad daylight, in a place with people constantly around. A ruthless cold-hearted betrayal of a person with so much to live for.
Worst of all, is what is left behind. His kids no longer have their father and all the guidance, dicipline, and love that comes with having him there for them. His wife lost the love of her life, and his whole large family lost their beloved brother, cousin, and son. We lost a good friend. No longer will we have his sarcasm, wit, and wisdom to brighten our day.
To help ease some of the financial burden now facing his family, a memorial fund has been established by our boss at a local bank. Anyone interrested in helping out can get additional information at a website I've set up in John's honor at http://www.geocities.com/marcospizza04/index.html, or you can e-mail me and I'll get right back to you with any additional information. If there is anything you can do please try. They need all the help they can get right now.
You may wonder, given my obvious political leanings how this incident may have changed my oppinions about guns? Well, the simple answer is that it hasn't. Though John wouln't have agreed with me on this issue either, I can't say I feel any different about the second amendment. I don't think the founding fathers meant it to be open for interpretation. That is why it ranked number two on their list. Our right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental cornerstone of democracy. A free society must have the right to defend itself. Perhaps if John had had a gun that day the outcome might have been different. The shooter might have thought twice. Nevertheless, as the old saying goes if you remove the guns from all the honest citizens then only the criminals will have them. I'm sure that the gun used to kill my friend was probably not registered, not bought legally, and could just as easily have been brought into this country from Mexico or Canada even if we in the U.S. did outlaw guns.
No new laws could have stopped what happened to John. Perhaps better enforcement of existing ones could have. An unsubstantiated rumor has it that the man suspected in John's murder had killed previously. We need to make sure that those found guilty of such crimes are punished to the fullest extent possible. The only sure way to prevent what happened to John from happening to one of your friends is to change peoples way of thinking. Only when people's hearts are changed, will we be safe from violence. GOD is the ultimate judge, and he will judge John's killer. Bring back accountability to a higher authority.
BRING BACK GOD !!!!!