 |
| By mid-day, Tyshawn had taken over |
That’s
literally what it felt like Friday as I read the latest accounts of how Laquan
McDonald and Tyshawn Lee were being mentioned as people tried to show how
violent they want us to believe Chicago has become.
YET
THE TRUTH is that the people touting McDonald and those touting Lee are not the
same individuals. In fact, I suspect there are those who view the opposing
child as some sort of enemy kid who threatens to steal attention away from
their pet cause.
McDonald
being the teenager who was shot to death by police officer, and whose backers
are trying to promote the idea that we have a whole department of “killer cops”
in the Second City. They’re the ones who have already convicted the officer in
their own minds, and aren’t going to settle for anything less than a natural
life prison term.
But
then, there’s Lee. He’s the 9-year-old who got shot to death by gang members,
with officials saying the boy’s father was a rival gang member. As in a child
who didn’t even make it to teenage-hood got caught up in the urban violence.
There
have been some reports that the rival gang killed off the boy because he was signaling
his father’s gang in some way, trying to warn them about an imposing threat.
THE
BOTTOM LINE is that both Laquan and Tyshawn got cheated out of life – they didn’t
make it to adulthood. Both of them are going to be nothing more than
speculation and tales of “What could have been?” and “If only they’d had the
chance” at a full life.
 |
| McDONALD: Blame the police! |
But
they are rival tales, and I couldn’t help but notice that for the Chicago
Sun-Times on their website on Friday, Tyshawn’s tale had overtaken Laquan’s as the “big story”
coming from Chicago.
Whereas
the Chicago Tribune stuck with Laquan – largely because his backers were trying
to force their way into the public’s eye by blocking off the big shopping
district on Michigan Avenue that day.
Although
it seems the public reaction to those people was largely bemusement. Some
people even feeling the need to take out their telephones with cameras to get
pictures of all those crazy people on the loose in Chicago. Just think of what
the folks back home will say!
 |
| LEE: Blame the street gangs! |
THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN the two is that with Laquan, we’re forced to confront the
degree to which our police officers and other public safety officials are not
trusted by certain segments of our society (particularly those with a darker
pigmentation hue) to offer up protection.
Whereas
with Tyshawn, the tale being told is how those crazy people are killing each
other off. It makes me wonder if some people will think it’s no wonder the
police take such a hard line and assume the worst of a Laquan McDonald.
Personally,
what I’m inclined to think of the whole McDonald affair is that of all the cops
who arrived at that scene, it was only one of them who allegedly fired all
those multiple shots. Others held their control.
Although
it only takes one person and one well-aimed shot to kill another human being.
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| What some would like to prioritize! |
WHILE
WITH TYSHAWN, it seems no one is truly safe if they happen to live in the
portions of Chicago that our society seems to think are worthy of such violent
behavior.
We
can say to ourselves what a tragedy his death is, but I doubt that people would
be getting so worked up if not for the fact they want to detract attention from
the story that truly makes them uncomfortable – the one that makes the police
look bad.
Because
that one brings into question many of the premises upon which we view our
society – particularly those who think the REAL story for the day is the
Chicago Bears victory Thursday night over Green Bay!
Although
the way in which our society ultimately is going to get its act together with
regards to such actions is when we’re forced to confront our beliefs and
realize that – just perhaps – some of the things we’ve been thinking have been
a bit too selfish and clueless to stand up to truth.
-30-
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