For the first time in the more than 15 years I've worked at this
newspaper I have had to consider taking down information soliciting donations for
a 4-year-old gang shooting victim because more people called to berate
those raising the funds than to help or offer condolences.
It's a sad day when people can't get past their own politics or prejudices and see the most important thing here is a 4-year-old boy, who was playing with other children his age, narrowly missed being murdered when a group of gangsters got into a fight in the middle of a public street and someone pulled out a gun and began blasting indiscriminately.
The victim, Josue Hercules, and his family had nothing to do with the crime yet they have paid dearly for it. His parents spent many sleepless days in the hospital not knowing if their son would live or die. When his condition improved they still had to struggle with the uncertainty of whether he would be permanently brain damaged by the bullet that ripped into his neck at the back of his skull and skirted his brain, lodging behind his forehead next to one eye.
Josue's father works hard at an auto body repair center and his mother is taking care of the couple's five children at home. They would like to move from the area, and so the company Josue's dad works for graciously stepped in and started raising money to help the family.
Certainly there are valid arguments for not helping in this situation, or with any fund-raiser or charity. What people should not do is call the business and berate its owner and staff for exercising their right to try and help.
Any valid argument some of these people might have had for not donating was completely negated by their hateful personal attacks, many of which focused on irrelevant issues such as race.
As a veteran crime reporter I know there are gang attacks where race is part of the motivation for the crime. This was not one of those situations. Josue may be Latino, but at the age of 4 it should be painfully clear to anyone with an ounce of sense that he was merely an innocent bystander.
There is a cliche that no good deed goes unpunished, and sadly I can say I see evidence of that everyday. This time, however, even I, a jaded cops reporter, am appalled at the behavior of some people.
There's another saying that my mother used to tell me when I was a little girl. I'm sure most of you know it and can recite it with me: If you don't have something nice to say then don't say anything at all.
As a strong advocate of freedom of speech I don't typically agree with the old fashioned notion, although in cases such as this I think it's one we can all consider. Especially before some of us might launch a vicious and unprovoked attack that serves no purpose other than to prove to the jaded that decency is no longer a virtue we possess in our community.
And consider this, if you will. Loss of basic decency and respect for others is what got little Josue into this situation in the first place. The gunman did not stop to think about him and the other children playing nearby, or the people who were in the street, or those riding in their cars or even the people sitting in their nearby homes. So for those of you who show no decency to an innocent child now I would say you are running the risk of being not much better than the shooter.
It's a sad day when people can't get past their own politics or prejudices and see the most important thing here is a 4-year-old boy, who was playing with other children his age, narrowly missed being murdered when a group of gangsters got into a fight in the middle of a public street and someone pulled out a gun and began blasting indiscriminately.
The victim, Josue Hercules, and his family had nothing to do with the crime yet they have paid dearly for it. His parents spent many sleepless days in the hospital not knowing if their son would live or die. When his condition improved they still had to struggle with the uncertainty of whether he would be permanently brain damaged by the bullet that ripped into his neck at the back of his skull and skirted his brain, lodging behind his forehead next to one eye.
Josue's father works hard at an auto body repair center and his mother is taking care of the couple's five children at home. They would like to move from the area, and so the company Josue's dad works for graciously stepped in and started raising money to help the family.
Certainly there are valid arguments for not helping in this situation, or with any fund-raiser or charity. What people should not do is call the business and berate its owner and staff for exercising their right to try and help.
Any valid argument some of these people might have had for not donating was completely negated by their hateful personal attacks, many of which focused on irrelevant issues such as race.
As a veteran crime reporter I know there are gang attacks where race is part of the motivation for the crime. This was not one of those situations. Josue may be Latino, but at the age of 4 it should be painfully clear to anyone with an ounce of sense that he was merely an innocent bystander.
There is a cliche that no good deed goes unpunished, and sadly I can say I see evidence of that everyday. This time, however, even I, a jaded cops reporter, am appalled at the behavior of some people.
There's another saying that my mother used to tell me when I was a little girl. I'm sure most of you know it and can recite it with me: If you don't have something nice to say then don't say anything at all.
As a strong advocate of freedom of speech I don't typically agree with the old fashioned notion, although in cases such as this I think it's one we can all consider. Especially before some of us might launch a vicious and unprovoked attack that serves no purpose other than to prove to the jaded that decency is no longer a virtue we possess in our community.
And consider this, if you will. Loss of basic decency and respect for others is what got little Josue into this situation in the first place. The gunman did not stop to think about him and the other children playing nearby, or the people who were in the street, or those riding in their cars or even the people sitting in their nearby homes. So for those of you who show no decency to an innocent child now I would say you are running the risk of being not much better than the shooter.
Well said Tracy !
So, so true.
Sometimes I hesitate to click and read the comments left on the PT website because of the hate spewed by some. Pretty cowardly to hide behind a phone or computer.
I hope this blog entry runs in the printed edition of the PT. Perhaps it will spur more donations for the little boy.
Thanks for writing this.
I'm sure I missed much of what has been going on regarding this story but I have read Sunday's article as well as your blog and I am still unsure of what the arguement is against helping this little boy and his family.
Is it because he is a Latino? Or because the family might be illegal aliens? Niether is a valid enough reason and I'm just guessing. I can't imagine people could hate that much.
I choose to believe that the people who made such hateful calls about the fund to move Josue Hercules' family represent a very tiny percentage of our population. No family should have to be fearful to let their children play outside, but the families that find themselves in such a position are exactly the families that can't afford to move to safer neighborhoods.
Tracy, you've managed to hold onto your humanity despite so many years of reporting on the darker side of life in Long Beach. I still remember your kindness when Gwanda Turner died and I wanted to send a sympathy note to her mother, and how you shared Manny Sauer-Chambers' story through his dad's words. Thank you for your heart and your passion.