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The Hope For Derrion Albert
Posted in News on 28. Sep, 2009
WRITTEN BY MICHAEL SKOLNIK FOR GLOBALGRIND.COM
In the same city, the same windy city, where young Barry Obama walked through the streets to organize a community…the same city where Walter needed a Refrigerator to win a Super Bowl…the same city that in ‘68 made students run for their lives…the same city that needed Common Sense to understand the Twisted rhymes of a rapper…a city whose doors were opened up by Mr. West…a windy, cold city that we call “The Chi.” In this same city, Chi-Town, The Windy, The Chi, Chicago — this same city…has been brought to her knees…and we fall right there with her.
My body shakes. My skin tightens. My head aches. My eyes tear. My heart hurts. Because on the streets of the Chi, we witnessed hope lost. We witnessed the result of a heavyweight championship match. Ali vs. Frazier. This was no “Thrilla In Manila” or “Rumble In The Jungle” – this was a defeat that pains every bone in the body. A defeat of humanity. A defeat of our people. A defeat of our nation. A defeat of our hope.
I remember sitting on the steps of an abandoned house in Little Rock, Arkansas in 2002, having a conversation with Leifel Jackson, better known on the streets as “OG” aka Original Gangster. I was there to produce a film for HBO about the 10-year street war between the Bloods and Crips in Little Rock, which at one point at a higher murder rate (per capita) than LA and New York. Leifel, the leader of the Crips and who had a federal number for 10 years, was back in the hood, trying to uplift his people in a positive way. And during that conversation, he said to me (and I will never forget it), “a hopeless kid in America is the most dangerous kid in the world.”
I couldn't bring myself to watch the video, but I'm glad there was footage so the police could make speedy arrests. Hopefully the three teens who murdered this unarmed boy accept responsibility and plead guilty up front.
My emotions are all over the place with this story. I don't even know where to begin making sense of it.
Letters need to be drafted, and actions need to be made. The government needs to FEEL the publics awarness, and need for something to happen NOW. The time has come and gone to simply talk about what's going on…Who? Besides Barack Obama will step up and take charge. He's layed the blueprint for anyone who wants to walk in his path to follow. The question is who will step up to the task?
Personally, I'm done just sitting back and watching. The youth of today, black, white, asian, albino etc need to know that there is HOPE. An entire world out there they have yet to experience, but one that they will quickly eliminate themselves from ever seeing, by continuing to make this types of choices.
I can't stand aside anything longer, thank you for this post/blog. It was an inspiration.
God bless Derrion Alberts family.
As parents theses are fears we face everyday…even though we are trying to raise our lkids to be productive citizens (which his parent were honor student involed in the church) we have other out here who dont teach their kids the value of life self or education, my heart truly bleeds for all the kids involved..they have all lost thier lives its really sad that our kids dont have anyone teaching them hold to deal with the their emotions other than to atttack each other….
I watched this earlier and cried my eyes out. The urgent need to do SOMETHING still lingers in me….
The truth is this happens everywhere, too often. When I went to high school, kids got jumped, with and without weapons but students lived to see the next day….(and this was not even 7 or 8 years ago!)
To LITERALLY watch someone get KILLED is such a horrible inexplainable experience. Part of me wishes I didn't watch it but the other part had to see what's happening in our communities to our children.
I'm so motivated to do something… ANYTHING ….
My heart goes out to the families, not only of Derrion but of those 4 kids that were arrested for the crime….
I am in TEARS! My ppl this has got to stop!
He deserved more than being brutally beaten to death in front of his peers!
People watching and no one calling the police?!? r u serious? What is going on w/ ppl today? The barbaric behavior that was displayed was unacceptable and says a LOT about the upbringing of those CHILDREN! Many people should be held responsible for this! What ever happened to a Village raising a Child?!?
R.I.P Derrion! I send my condolences out to his family!