I heard an interesting story today of two men. One young and following a path of hard work and promise, the other older and choosing a troubled path of poor choices and heartbreak. Two men who were completely opposite in every way but bound together by a common thread…..
The younger of the two died when he was 21. Quietly, no newspaper coverage, no TV report. Not a ripple made on the town’s radar. Questionable circumstances but no questions asked, no arrests made. Another young adult gone. His name added to the ever growing list of young adults in the area that were taken from families untimely and with concerns of foul play.
The older of the two men struggled with life. His struggle was a daily one that sometimes he won and sometimes he lost. But he got up everyday hoping that that day would be the day that he won his struggle. It was one of those days when he was actually sitting with a close friend at a hospital who was critically ill. He had been at the hospital for several weeks every day staying by his friend’s side. He had limited resources and one night while at the hospital he went to the hospital cafeteria to get a sandwich. The cafeteria was closed but he went in anyway and got a sandwich and went back to the hospital room. When his friend recovered and was released from the hospital he decided to move to a larger city that might offer more social services and job opportunities. After several months he returned to his home and while out looking for work was arrested by police. When asked what he was being arrested for they indicated he had a felony charge of burglary of a commercial dwelling. The man told the police he had not broken in to a business and actually had just returned from living out of state. He was told he stole a $2.50 sandwich from a hospital cafeteria and had been indicted by a grand jury. He was held on $50,000 bond.
Two very different men with two very different outcomes. One losing his life with no tax dollar expenditures, no police arrests, no questions answered…. no justice served. The other man taking a $2.50 sandwich, and some would say, receiving the justice he deserved….. but did he??? If you asked any of the multiple parents in our community who at this very moment are waiting for word of any kind about what happened to their children they would probably feel as I do…angry, frustrated, distrustful of a system that ignored their questions and their grief.
So the question has to be asked, who decides the worth of a life? Who decides a $2.50 sandwich is more important and more worthy of police intervention and tax dollar expenditure than a life? Who determines the stealing of a sandwich is newsworthy but the loss of a life is not? Who decides that the person who takes a $2.50 sandwich is so dangerous that they must be held on $50,000 bond but the people who kill our children represent not enough of a danger to others to even be questioned?? To be arrested??
Two very different men with two very different outcomes…… but each have something in common… our justice system has failed them both.
The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is a duty of the living to do so for them.
We wonder why there are so many criminals today. It is very evident that the criminals know they can get away with murder without much of a glance these days. Never thought I would live in a world where life is so irrelevant.
Each time I read your posts, I get chills. You are an amazing writer and are able to get your messages out in such a creative way!
Megan thanks but obviously the subject matter is close to my heart. I would encourage you to share the post and to encourage your friends to share the post so that more people can become aware of the apparent lack of concern for people in your generation and the significant loss of life we have had in our community in this age group. 🙂