January 30, 2012
-
Where is the Common Decency
There is a trail along an old train bed that runs along the Schuylkill river
called The Schuylkill River Trail System ,
it is managed by different organizations and municipalities
as it goes through different areas.
It is a multi-use trail in Southeastern Pennsylvania
with a projected length of almost 130 miles when totally completed.
The trail runs a few miles from my home and I ride my bike on this trail.On Friday three 15 yr old boys attacked a 65 yr old man
riding his bike on the trail in the Reading PA.
It could have been me.
They knocked him off his bike and were going to mug him.
He shot them, killed one and wounded another.
News Story HERE
A Memorial Page was set up on Facebook for the young man that was killed.
HERE
Many of the comments were in the line of
"You got what you deserve",
"I guess Julius won't be thuggin' anymore!"
and
"I love a happy ending. You got exactly what you deserved Julius!!
Too bad your two friends aren't with you right now."I do not blame the man for shooting the kids, they meant to harm him,
they knocked him off of his moving bike.
But I am sad that it came to that
and I feel bad for the ones left grieving.
I think that a memorial page is a time to show sorrow for loss of a life
or at least respect to the family.
A death of a young man is sad to me, even if he was in the wrong.Let me know what you think.
Comments (33)
It occurs to me that if my young man attacked someone and tried to mug him and got killed in the process, I wouldn't set up a memorial on Facebook. If I did and people left negative comments, I guess I'd conclude that *I* got exactly what I deserved.
The whole incident is tragic.
The whole thing is sad...It is sad that people even need to have a gun or something for self defense... I live in a small town and I know many ladies that keep a gun with them all the time because they are afraid when they go out of their house...it is just sad
Just wear a sweatshirt with "You Feel Lucky, Punk?" in big letters on it when you ride.
A memorial isn't the time to be petty and throw jabs.. the dead can't hear them.. but he intended to harm another.. the man had every right to defend himself.. what a scary position to be in
Unfortunately many people aren't mature enough to be able to separate their gut reactions from respect for the young man's family. I think putting up a memorial page is not a good idea for that reason. It's a tragic situation all around.
@Roadkill_Spatula - yes, this is exactly what I mean. And I'd go a step further and say it isn't respectful to victims in general to put up a Facebook memorial in this situation. Share your grief with your friends and family and community, absolutely. But don't expect the wider world to respond with kindness and respect, whether it's the right thing to do or not.
I agree that the Facebook page was not a good idea -- but I also can't help but wonder where the monitoring police were -- the kid was not where he was supposed to be, and had been away for long enough that he had mugged two others. It would seem to me that the whole incident could/should have been stopped earlier. How very sad that such a beautiful trail will be used less now, out of fear that such things could happen again!
A memorial page is no place to trash talk, though someone who lives such a life of desperate choices may expect such treatment. This is a world where those who dish it out can expect to take it.
The man who defended himself did the right thing. I have read about that trail system, and hope it continues to be used regularly. Nobody should be "thuggin'", anywhere.
Stay safe, Beth.
Sad situation to all involved.
If I felt embitterness due to some violence done to me or mine,I would keep it private for the relatives' of the culprit's sake.
This is sad on quite a few levels.
The fact that two 15 year old boys got to the point where they saw nothing wrong with attacking someone they probably thought was unable to defend himself is sad.
That fact that one of them died is sad.
The fact that someone thought this should be a public spectacle is sad.
The fact that some people are quick to attack someone unable to defend himself is sad.
Common decency died of shame quite a while back. :C
Not sure what I should say, other than I'm grateful it wasn't you who was getting mugged! Has this incident changed how, or if you'll be riding on this path in the future?
What Janet slmret said.
The whole thing is just sad.
Sad situation all around. I guess it's hard to feel sorry for the kid who was shot because he was trying to harm someone else. However, a loss of life, especially a kid, is tragic.
Talking like that on a page to remember someone who died no matter how they died needs to be supportive and encouraging to others, reminding them of the good things about the person. Sending prayers to the gentleman who had to shoot them to save his life and to the families of the boys. So sad that the world has turned into a place where a peaceful place to walk and ride a bike can become a place of criminal activity and violence.
((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((hugs))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
The whole situation is sad. There are times when I feel like the whole world is going to hell in a handcart. Things of this nature totally floor me. I think the man that was attacked did the right thing. He was simply protecting himself. I do question the thoughts of the family putting the memorial on FB for all to see. *sigh... Life can be so complicated at times.
yes, the mugging attempt was wrong. yes, he defended himself from possible injury or death. it was understandable. and, yes, the boy's death is regrettable. a life was taken. it's all sad. death should be mourned, not celebrated.
It is all very sad... But the people who show true courage, are those who decide to turn from the cycle of vengeance and violence, in the face of their own pain and sorrow... decide to turn about... embrace forgiveness and love instead...
It shakes the soul to see such courage and love... Such actions are rare - but I have seen it before... Right around your part of the country...
So personally, I hope for that! Hope!
I would NEVER post a public memorial on Facebook. People can be really mean when they don't know you and don't have to look you in the face. The man had every right to defend himself, but kicking a family when they are dealing with a loss is just low. What's done is done and it shouldn't be celebrated. I hope the remaining 2 kids learned a tough lesson.
Tragic. The family of the boy that was shot and lived wil have a terribly difficult future - just as the other accomplice. I feel for the man - I'm sure the death weighs heavy on him. Even protecting himself, I'm sure he would have rather wounded his attacker not kill him. Sounds like someone dropped the ball - the police should have been more closely monitoring the tether, the school I'm sure knew he was on a tether and should have notified authorities as soon as he was counted absent... and where are the parents? So sad for everyone.
I hope you can remain safe while youride.
This is sad and I agree with you. Although the boys were wrong, they were going to mug him, not kill him. If they were trying to kill him, then I could see him shooting at them. They deserved to get arrested. Not killed. As for the FB memorial.....that was set up for their friends and family to help grieve. Comments like that are totally uncalled for and beyond disrespectful to those left behind to deal with the loss. I'm from Schuylkill County and behavior like that is embarassing.
Actually, I think it's selfish of someone to set up a memorial in this case. When that man was punched in the face and pushed off his bike (or fell off his bike, however it happened) he had no idea if they just wanted to mug him, steal his bike, or beat the life out of him. The boy who died apparently had a record already and was on a monitoring bracelet. He already knew what wrong was. I have a teenage daughter and her and friends know better than this. My 8-year-old son knows better than to punch an old man (or anyone) in the face in an attempt to rob them. The man stuck around and cooperated with police, I'd even gather he did not intend for the boy to die. It's also equally possible he had no idea in such a commotion that he was shooting an underage teenager. Probably he needs a memorial for the loss of his mind right about now.
While I don't condone saying rude things on a memorial, I cannot fathom why someone would create a public memorial like this! He died because the victim of his crimes decided not to be victimized. If he were my son, I would grieve privately because I would be ashamed that my son was out committing crimes while I knew nothing of his whereabouts. It's truly sad. It's like the burglar who gets shot in the foot and he sues the home owner for pain and suffering. When do we go back to making people accountable for their actions? And shame on those who say such things on a memorial for anyone.
@ordinarybutloud - Yanno, this was my first thought with regard to the memorial page. While I do not think that it is ok to leave hatred on anyone's memorial page (the family left behind did not ask for this pain), I am sure that I would not have set up such a page...or at least not a public page where just anyone could comment.
The whole story is a sad one.
The whole story is a sad one.
I do not think that there should have been a memorial page set up where anyone in the general public could comment. I understand the family is grieving but the circumstances of how the boy died should lend weight in the decision to set up such a page.
That said, just because *I* would not set up a public page does not mean that I think it is ok to leave hateful comments there either. I have to imagine that the family is acting through their own pain and not seeing the all-around implications. One can never count on the ability of others to be tactful, I 'm afraid.
It's sad. That's all I'm gonna say.
Memorials and funerals are for the benefit of the ones left behind, the people grieving. I'm sure this boy's mother is struggling with grief, and probably grieved over the path he was taking before he died. He may be a criminal but he's still somebody's kid. The comments are tacky and uncalled for.
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The boy (hard to say boy in an instance like this), but he got what he deserved. Maybe this should be a lesson to all of the parents out there to teach their kids RIGHT from WRONG, and with wrong doings there WILL be consequences.
Two kids died in a car accident my senior year in high school, who were gang members and thugs. They were also all drunk. They crashed into a tree. We on the drill team wore white and blue ribbons on our uniforms at the suggestion of a few of the girls who had been friends with them. Those were their gang colors.
I felt, and I bet I'm not the only one, that that was inappropriate. To honor boys who died while committing a crime that could have killed other people- I didn't think that their deaths merited a show of universal regret. Standard respect for the dead, yes, but not grief. Because I think that people have to earn respect and affection, and those boys certainly didn't.
I would not have said cruel things about them on facebook. To say the least, that's not very graceful. But neither is setting up a memorial, as if they were some sort of martyr or innocent.
What I am most sorry for is the fact that he will never have the chance to change and be a decent human being.
I agree. The older man did what he had to do to save himself and I find no wrong in that. However, I do feel badly that a life was lost and am sadden by the fact that the three felt they had to resort to mugging. I don't think I would have set up a public memorial page though--I understand the need to grieve no matter what the circumstances, however, one can't expect the public to feel empathy or sympathy for the family of the one who meant to harm another.
Yes, those comments were in very bad taste. A memorial is a place to show respect to those who are grieving...this boy's mother, father....what must it feel like to them to see comments like that so flippantly thrown out there? I also feel bad for the man they attacked. Not only does he have the trauma of having been attacked but I would bet he has a lot of grief himself knowing he had to take a life. There is just no happy ending here. And common decency...could have kept the whole sad thing from ever happening in the first place. We desperately need more of it in our world today.
I agree with you, but I also agree with others who suggested perhaps a very public memorial page was not a good idea in this particular case. People can be mean, why open oneself up to that unnecessarily? Probably not the wisest decision, but I can't even blame that person. They are hurting too, and the one that died probably meant the world to them. It sucks all around.