I remember Bernhard Goetz. I was living on Long Island that day, April 8, 1985. I remember I was in the midst of wedding plans for my marriage to Rich in October.
Goetz, a white man, got onto a subway car in the City (that’s what we called NYC then, the City). He wanted to be left alone but was approached by four Black teenagers. One asked for money. Goetz felt threatened. He pulled out the gun he was carrying and shot the four teenagers. One was permanently paralyzed.
It was confusing. He acted without being threatened with words or a weapon. Did he do the right thing? Some hailed him a hero before they knew all the facts of the case. It turns out the four teenagers didn’t mean any harm to Goetz. From hero to villain in a short matter of time. Goetz was charged with attempted murder (and was acquitted) and a weapons charge for which he was fined $5000 and sent to jail for six months. He got off easy.
My ongoing weltschmerz has to do with what happened on yet another City subway on May 1. A homeless busker named Justin Neely got onto a subway car, and he was in an agitated state. He screamed he was homeless and hungry and didn’t care if he lived or died. A witness said he began throwing stuff at other passengers. So, a young former serviceman got up and, with the help of a couple of other passengers, put a chokehold on Neely.
Ok, so I know from previous experience that when a person is out of control, there are safe ways to subdue them. I was an interpreter for a Deaf client living in a sheltered home. Sometimes clients would lose control of themselves, and the staff went through training to subdue these clients safely. None of the techniques involved choke holds.
With other passengers already restraining Neely, why did Daniel Penny feel he needed to keep a tight chokehold? Penny choked Neely to death. Uncalled for. Unnecessary.
Still, once again, Penny is hailed as a hero by many. Fortunately, some saner heads prevail. Although he was initially released, the District Attorney’s office is assessing what charges, if any, to bring against Penny. The coroner has already ruled that Neely’s death was a homicide.
The lack of compassion and care toward others is appalling.
But I can still reflect on the sprinklings of hope. Despite all the evil in our midst, there are still good people in the world.
Last Saturday, our oldest daughter got married. I live in a blended family that, over the years, has become one. When Ted and I met, we were both widowed with children. He had two adult daughters and my three were 14, 12, and 9. It was awkward and difficult at first.
Last Saturday, though, there was only love in abundance.
I felt especially hopeful watching my five-year-old great granddaughter race around in her cast. She’d broken her ankle falling off a trampoline and was in a boot cast, running around and dancing without a care in the world. I took videos of my 90-year-old mother-in-law boogeying with my 69-year-old husband. We were celebrating and we were all joyous.
I have a lot of hope for Gen Z (which includes my older grandchildren) and the Alpha Gen. I believe with their dedication they can bring about the kind of changes we need in this country. Their enthusiasm has reawakened Boomers, GenXers and Millennials.
I’m including a few shots of my daughter’s wedding.
Michele & Gary, so Bill is
the officiant
I am
participating in the American Cancer Society’s challenge to write for thirty
minutes each day in May. I do a lot of writing and I can meet this challenge.
What I plan to do is make a blog entry each day with what I’ve written.
I wanted to
participate in memory of loved ones who fought cancer bravely but succumbed:
My
brother-in-law Jeff
My
sister-in-law Ann
My dear
friend Kay
My Uncle Bob
My Uncle John
I also wanted
to help raise money to support research and a cure for all those who are
currently fighting this vicious disease.
My Facebook to the fundraiser is here.
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