In Memory of Christopher David Jones
when i search google news for "Chris Jones", the first article is about him.
23 more articles about his death are related in the Baltimore area, 41 in the DC.
i thought it was a big deal when my next door neighbor said helicopters were flying all around near my house.
i thought it was a big deal when everyone was talking about it online.
i thought it was a big deal when facebook groups were created in memory, when over 1,500 people joined one of them.
i knew it was a big deal when his death murder was talked about as the headline story on the news. before the plane accident, before GM going bankrupt.
i knew it was a big deal when The Baltimore Sun had his story on the front page.
i knew it was a big deal when The Washington Post had it on the front page.
For those who may not know, on Saturday, May 30, 2009, a 14-year old boy was riding his bike to his house. i've heard several stories about where he was coming from/what he was doing, but the majority of the people say he was coming home from the pool. At around 4:15pm, a group of 5-7 boys approached him on Nantucket Drive. apparently, they beat him twice, and as he started to bike away, he fell and hit his head. [i don't really believe this story though, but i suppose that's what the suspects are saying]. someone from the area found him, and called the police, thinking that he got hit by a car. Christopher David Jones was pronounced dead at the age of 14.
he was a freshman at Arundel. this happened on Nantucket Drive, which is right off the street that i live on. a whole bunch of stuff has come out about this incident, that it's hard to tell what's right and what's rumored. he transferred right before May began to South River High School, because gang activities had sprun up in Arundel [The New Threat [also known as TNT and East Side Diamonds...i think there's another one, but i've forgotten it]. his mom transferred him OUT of Arundel to get away from these types of people [even though Chris himself was not in any gang], yet it ultimately cost him his life.
i feel like this is affecting me a lot...i didn't know him, but it's one of those things when a death happens close to you. for me, its not someone i was close to, but the proximity. about half a mile from my house. it makes you think. things like this CAN happen anywhere, and it's dumb when people say that something "can't happen here". Crofton is supposedly the 72nd best place to live in The United States, and when a 14-year old can be slayed for being completely innocent, you know that something about the world is fucked up.
There was a vigil for Chris the other day. i attended it to show my respect. there were so many people there to show support for the family, and to be there for the community. over 500 people. i've never seen so many people at anything in the crofton area, from parades to events.
at that moment, i wished that i believed in heaven. Chris was murdered, yet i wish he was looking down at all of the love and support that everyone in the community had for him.
at this moment, they only have two suspects in custody for the case. one is being tried as an adult for manslaughter, the other as a juvenile. i think it's utter bullshit that it's manslaughter, but that's my personal opinion, and i don't want to write a convoluted entry about the legal system and affirmative action. i don't want to make an emotional-driven entry about how he was only 14 and these people should be locked up. or about how this could happen in broad daylight, on a weekend, on a road where cars commonly drive past, and where houses surround the area. even though they are personal beliefs, i feel like people probably know my opinion of the situation.
23 more articles about his death are related in the Baltimore area, 41 in the DC.
i thought it was a big deal when my next door neighbor said helicopters were flying all around near my house.
i thought it was a big deal when everyone was talking about it online.
i thought it was a big deal when facebook groups were created in memory, when over 1,500 people joined one of them.
i knew it was a big deal when his death murder was talked about as the headline story on the news. before the plane accident, before GM going bankrupt.
i knew it was a big deal when The Baltimore Sun had his story on the front page.
i knew it was a big deal when The Washington Post had it on the front page.
For those who may not know, on Saturday, May 30, 2009, a 14-year old boy was riding his bike to his house. i've heard several stories about where he was coming from/what he was doing, but the majority of the people say he was coming home from the pool. At around 4:15pm, a group of 5-7 boys approached him on Nantucket Drive. apparently, they beat him twice, and as he started to bike away, he fell and hit his head. [i don't really believe this story though, but i suppose that's what the suspects are saying]. someone from the area found him, and called the police, thinking that he got hit by a car. Christopher David Jones was pronounced dead at the age of 14.
he was a freshman at Arundel. this happened on Nantucket Drive, which is right off the street that i live on. a whole bunch of stuff has come out about this incident, that it's hard to tell what's right and what's rumored. he transferred right before May began to South River High School, because gang activities had sprun up in Arundel [The New Threat [also known as TNT and East Side Diamonds...i think there's another one, but i've forgotten it]. his mom transferred him OUT of Arundel to get away from these types of people [even though Chris himself was not in any gang], yet it ultimately cost him his life.
i feel like this is affecting me a lot...i didn't know him, but it's one of those things when a death happens close to you. for me, its not someone i was close to, but the proximity. about half a mile from my house. it makes you think. things like this CAN happen anywhere, and it's dumb when people say that something "can't happen here". Crofton is supposedly the 72nd best place to live in The United States, and when a 14-year old can be slayed for being completely innocent, you know that something about the world is fucked up.
There was a vigil for Chris the other day. i attended it to show my respect. there were so many people there to show support for the family, and to be there for the community. over 500 people. i've never seen so many people at anything in the crofton area, from parades to events.
at that moment, i wished that i believed in heaven. Chris was murdered, yet i wish he was looking down at all of the love and support that everyone in the community had for him.
at this moment, they only have two suspects in custody for the case. one is being tried as an adult for manslaughter, the other as a juvenile. i think it's utter bullshit that it's manslaughter, but that's my personal opinion, and i don't want to write a convoluted entry about the legal system and affirmative action. i don't want to make an emotional-driven entry about how he was only 14 and these people should be locked up. or about how this could happen in broad daylight, on a weekend, on a road where cars commonly drive past, and where houses surround the area. even though they are personal beliefs, i feel like people probably know my opinion of the situation.