DJ Henry vs. The Color of His Skin???? hmmm....

The highlights of my undergrad college career were always the events that took placed during the Homecoming season. The football games, the marching bands, the parties; were most memorable. Never once did it ever cross my mind that my friends would not live to see the next day. For Brandon Cox, that Homecoming evening is a night he will never forget.

On the evening of October 17, 2010, his best friend, Danroy “DJ” Henry was shot and killed by a Weschester County police officer. According to CNN, police responded to a brawl outside a restaurant in Thornwood, NY, when a car that Henry was driving struck an officer, who ended up on the hood of the car, and then proceeded in the direction of another officer. Both officers opened fire on the vehicle. Henry was killed and the passenger, his best friend Brandon Cox, was shot in the arm and chest.

I have heard so many different renditions of this one story. But in all the videos I have seen, the police were definitely out of control.



DJ’s family has filed many civil suits against the NY police department. As if their son’s death wasn’t bad enough, here comes another slap in the face. The Police Benevolent Association has honored Aaron Hess, the police officer that shot and killed their son, as Officer of the Year. The question that I raise to my audience is…are the police officers getting away with this brutality because they are white and DJ was black? I hate to pull the race card but sometimes it’s a necessity.

I just do not understand how something like this can happen and the officers were not even suspended. DJ was not a troublemaker. He was a phenomenal athlete who was well known by his peers and his teachers. I completely understand the officers feared for their lives, but they did not have to kill that young man.

According to CNN reporters, the police officers also arrested some of his friends who tried to administer CPR to him as his lifeless body laid on the curb. I hope and pray that DJ’s family gets some kind of closure. They lost their son; the least that should have happened was the dismissal of those officers.
For more information and a timeline of articles on DJ’s case please visit www.enterprisenews.com.

Lets Prevent Another Columbine

On Wednesday April 6, 2011, I witnessed the worst case of bullying. As I was leaving to go to work at 6:30 in the morning, I saw 4 male students approach another student and started cursing and swearing at him; a brutal beating was followed.  As I was about to get help, the young man stood up and walked towards the school bus like nothing happened, as if it was a daily routine.  It was still dark outside so the faces of these young men were not clear. According to the management of the apartment complex, nothing was reported.  

For the past few years, Bullying has been a very “touchy” topic amongst families. When I was growing up, no one ever reported bullying, we just dealt with it, and wished the days went by quicker.  According to Norwegian researcher Dan Olweus, bullying is defined as when a person is “exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons. “

Bullying can have long life effects on children.  Children who have been bullied suffer from depression, suicidal and homicidal thoughts, and even sometimes become the bully. Bullying occurs not only in elementary, but in middle school and high schools as well.

Both student shooters at the Columbine High School Massacre were bullied for years.  There is a great possibility that if their parents paid more attention, or if their teachers didn’t turn their cheeks, or if another student stood up for them, that horrible tragedy would have never happened. With the inclination of the technology world, bullying can now be done on the Internet.

Parents, lets not ignore our children when they say their being bullied. And teachers lets not be afraid to stand up for a child you know is being bullied. You may be the person that saves that child or another child’s life.

 

For other information on how to stop/report bullying in your neighborhood or school please visit www.how-to-stop-bullying.com.

Brown, Brooks; Rob Merritt (2002). No Easy Answers: The Truth Behind Death at Columbine. New York, NY: Lantern Books.

Boodman, Sandra G. (May 16, 2006). "Gifted and Tormented". The Washington Post.

http://lisarussell.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/bullying-300x284.gif

http://www.techbanyan.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/columbine-shooting.jpg

http://www.childsafetyaustralia.com.au/children/bullying/images/bully.gif

Pain Vs. Pleasure

Contracting a sexually transmitted disease can cause someone a lifetime of pain, especially if its an STD that has no cure, like HIV, AIDS, and Herpes. All it takes is one night of unprotected pleasure to cause this horrible lifetime of pain.

According to statistics, the number of STD cases in American males have declined since 1984. But in American females, it has increased phenomenally. Now the question is, "Why is that?"



What can be done to lower these numbers? I had my first sex education class in the 7th grade. Looking back on that I thought that was a bit young. Then when I saw my classmates having babies in the 8th grade I thought maybe that wasn't young enough.

When I was in high school no one wanted to admit that they were sexually active. Then the Department of Health did a survey on all students. More that 75% of the students were having sex, and more than 50% had admitted to having an STD. That blew my mind!

Now lets look at the statistics. Females have a tendency of going to the doctor more than males, especially because females show more symptoms than males when they are infected with an STD. So is the numbers for males inaccurate because of ignorance, or is it just the blatant truth? Things that make you go hmmmm..... What do you think?