Today

This afternoon was very emotionally charged. We are preparing our lesson plan for the next four weeks and its on how to build community within the school and our classroom. The group that I am in is following the events that happened when a five year old boy was dropped from a 14 story window back in 1995. That was so horrible. Two teenagers from there did a voice documentary that was on NPR and we listened to the whole thing today. Oh My God!!! The boys spoke to one of the boys father who was in prison at the time, the mother and brother of the boy who was dropped. He was only five years old. He was dropped because he refused to steal from Jewel Food Store and this was his punishment. I cried when I heard them tell how his older brother, 8, was with him and tried to stop them. When they hung him out of the window for the second time, the 10 year old bit his hand and it made him let go. He ran down the stairs from the 14th floor thinking he could catch him. He thought he could catch him, he could make it in time to catch him. I cried. We forget about that incident but the pain is still there for many of the children and people who are around who still remember that incident.  I just found it so appropriate that we are also call for "Stop The Violence" this summer. God is reminding us to care for the children. There is such a need for strong men in their lives. The men have to step up and do thier part. It was said that the young man who was the leader of it, his father was in prison, and before he went to prison the young man was doing good, when he left the young man fell by the wayside. These boys should be getting out about now, or have already gotten out of juvenile detention. They were the first to be tried as an adult in Illinois. Look how many lives are lost over this act? Tomorrow we all get the book My America, they two teenagers who did the documentary wrote it with help of course. You probably have it so get it out and read it again. Let's not forget Eric Morris. The important thing to remember is that many of our children experience horrible things daily and they have noway to diffuse the bad feelings but to fight. They need social and emotional counseling to make this work. Counseling is so important. When ever we have any kind of mass killing occurs we have counselors come in, flags lowered and a national day of mourning. What about the children in our community that have been killed. Where is our national day of mourning, flags at halfmast, and a grand outpouring of counseling? Help our children to cope. Help them to become productive citizens of these United States. I had one student tell me if he didnt get this summer job he might have to snatch old ladies purses. He was sincere. I told him I was glad he got the job because I didnt want to be the lady who's purse he snatched. I try not to carry a purse anyway. These are desperate time for young people of color and they have been for quite some time. Ten years ago boys talked of desperate times and they are still here. Still here. I have a full week of this, then I have to try and teach it to students who probably have not heard of it because they were born in 93 and 94 and this happened in 95. We still are asking for a stop to the violence.