December 11th 1990…

What can I say about today?  I actually started tearing up at the thought of it all, naturally this turned to anger. Not this time of year, these kids were too young. All these young parents putting the final touches on their holiday plans only to get a very impersonal call from a reverse 911 system that something terrible had happened. Then it hit me even harder….

22 years ago on December 11th 1990, I too experienced this type of violence.  He was a fellow Dot Rat and a few years older. A handsome kid that stood out because of his ways with the ladies, one of those people who’s smile could light up a room. That morning I remember hearing a scuffle in the hallway that seemed to drag on for a bit. Once we heard screaming the entire class ignored the teacher and dumped into the hallway. I remember some of the students coming back in with their hands covering their mouths in shock….a few with tears in their eyes. My curiosity got the best of me I guess….young and stupid. Kingsley Allen was stabbed to death outside my home room. The image of him taking his last breath lying in a pool of blood has never left me. This was the only time in my life where I witnessed someone die. I wouldn’t say it haunts me but it is still very vivid. Kingsley was the first student to die within a Boston Public School due to violence in it’s 343 year history up to that point.

Here I am 22 years and 4 days removed from that horrible morning. There’s a weight on my chest and a sick feeling in my stomach as the images fly across the TV.  Watching our President wipe some tears away this afternoon seemed to convey the sentiments of the entire country. But what is next?

Are we about to get into another battle of 2nd Amendment rights? Are we seriously going to start this process again? It goes nowhere every single time something tragic like this takes place.  Does anyone know why? Because both sides have equally valid points. I think the people of Newtown deserve better than the status quo….they deserve results.

Let me ask you readers a simple question? What is the most valuable resource in this country? Any good person will tell you it’s children. I see invest in children license plates, politicians screaming up and down that our children are the future of the country….YADDA YADDA f*cking YADDA. As cliche as it may sound, I too believe in this rationale. For our Constitution to truly survive the next 100 years we should invest in our children.

But, if this is the case, then it begs my next question. Why do we as a country provide better protection to our material assets? We have armed guards at museums, inside banks and armored cars, we even have our military protecting our gold at Fort Knox.

Our Courts, Best Divorce Johnson County Lawyers, Statehouse and City Hall have better protection than the Murphy Elementary School. 22 years ago, these were the questions the students were asking. This is what we felt strongest about. It’s why Kingsely’s mother sued the City of Boston. There’s so many things to discuss when a tragedy like this occurs. There’s so many ways to waste time and energy as well. You can beat up the NRA, counsel children till you’re blue in the face, create evacuation plans or buy metal detectors. It’s all been done before and we have wasted millions if not billions doing it.

You want results? Protect your kids like you protect your cash and politicians. Put a police officer in EVERY school across the country….make it federal law.

My thoughts and prayers are with you Newtown.