Wednesday, September 26, 2007

The second murder victim of the year has a name: Dean Josie

On Saturday here in Prince Albert, an 18 year old young man was killed in a very gruesome manner. His name was Dean Josie. Five youths have been charged with his murder, and they are about 15 years of age.

I haven't mentioned it yet, mostly because I don't know what to say.

Sometimes the darkness is overwhelming and dispiriting. It runs just beneath the surface here. The clear divide between the have and the have nots is as easy to see as driving from one end of the city to the other.

It's not as simple a classification to make as the rich and the poor, or the healthy and the broken. That would be too easy a separation to make. It would also be untrue.

It's the human condition at the end of it's rope.
It's about addiction, lovelessness, and people going where their hearts push them to go.

It's been said by people way smarter than I, that the only way to overcome evil is with good. Which is an interesting response, given that my inner gut reaction is anything but good. If I go with my inner gut reaction, I will become as those teens are, and I will propagate the evil, in me and my community.

But overcoming evil with good is the only chance a community or an individual has to stop that kind of violence. It's the only way out of the depths of loss and pain for a city reeling from the violence.

Otherwise, the violence eats you alive, and you become like that you despise.

So I need to ask myself the question today, in the world in which I live, how will I overcome evil with good?

And because we are community, I need to ask you the same thing.

Today, in the world in which we live, how will we overcome evil with good?

13 comments:

  1. Well, it likely won't stop a murder, but instead of getting mad this morning I prayed that my tailgater would be calm, safe and not hurt anyone in her careless choice of driving style.

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  2. No clear answers here, but I hope the justice system will manage to find a reasonable balance between justice and mercy, and that the perpetrators will show genuine remorse, with the possibility of forgiveness and restoration, rather than being excused as being victims of the system so not really responsible.

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  3. There is no simple answer when you take into consideration all the evils in the post. Addiction, lovelessness, people taking life into their own hands. And these issues are not confined to Price Albert.

    We defeat the evil with education, awareness and responsibility. And most importantly we teach love, that can be passed person to person, because it all begins with each one of us. And that spark of divinity and respect for life in all its dimensions from the God who created us.

    We start with one person and we pay it forward. And we go into our community and take stock of the evils and we face them head on with determination. The evils of humanity are many, but the love of one man can change the world, don't you agree? You mention addiction so I will close with a reading from the Big Book ...

    Our book is meant to be suggestive only. We realize we know only a little. God will constantly disclose more to you and to us. Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick. The answers will come, if your own house is in order. But obviously you cannot transmit something you haven’t got. See to it that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come to pass for you and countless others. This is the Great Fact for us.

    Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to Him and to your fellows. Clear away the wreckage of your past. Give freely of what you find and join us. We shall be with you in the Fellowship of the Spirit, and you will surely meet some of us as you trudge the Road of Happy Destiny.

    May God bless you and keep you—until then.

    Jeremy
    A vision for you

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  4. My Cousin

    People never knew just how much he meant to me and you
    They knew him by name, but it's still not the same

    His eyes so bright, his smile so wide
    We always let him know we were right there by his side

    Now he's gone from me and you
    Now we have no reason to be blue

    We loved him, he loved us
    And we have to try not to fuss

    He said goodbye and gave you a kiss
    Now all we can do is reminis

    Why does God take the best to love
    Up to that great big world up above?

    His memory will never leave
    His kind and gentle smile will always be seen

    Never forget him, never let him leave your mind
    Tell him you love him, just one more time.

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  5. I know that the kids charged with the crime will never know the pain they have caused so senslessly. The punishement should include listening to the anguished cries of Dean's mother as she was forced into saying goodbye to her baby. It is something I will never forget and something I pray no mother has to go through again. Please include her in your prayers for peace!

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  6. I will always miss him...he will always be in our hearts...life happens will i am really sad since the 22nd...

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  7. Dean is in a better place. I will see him one day. I will miss u dean:(..we will meet one day :')

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  8. One more thing...-this is a poemi wrote_
    A night of sorrow.
    Memmories of tomorrow.
    Tears of memrmories...
    We will remember you cousin.
    We will lay upon you roses of dozen.
    One day we will meet again in our true home.
    Where no one is ever alone.
    People may weep for you, But I know you wouldn't want them to be sad forever.
    Cause i know that God took you in his hands and gave you peridise.
    Rest In Peace.
    By darian age 12

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  9. I'm glad some of you have found this space and been able to express a bit of your pain and loss.

    May God be present to you these days of great grief, and may he shelter you beneath his caring arms.

    Peace be with you.

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  10. It has really bothered me what was done to this boy. I think of it every day since and my heart goes out to Dean and his family. What those other boys did was evil and I pray justice is done but with our current system of youth justice I have my doubts. God Bless Dean Josie and his family.

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  11. RIP,. i never knew him personally,. but after reading all there comments,. i feel bad,. and yeah,. justice needs to be served,. especially a 15 yr old,, i wonder how that makes him feel,, he doesn know how many people he hurt,, RIP DJ

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  12. It has been over a year since Dean's senseless death and there are many disturbing factors that have been presented. Some of these youth received sentences, under two years for those sentenced. For two of the youth charged, their charges were reduced. There is no sense of any real justice for Dean, his family and our community. I am not impressed in any way with the lack of coverage by the Prince Albert Daily Herald in covering this story. It is pathetic to say the least. Racism has raised its ugly head and has a result our community and news paper has ignored the tragic death of this young man. His mom left some items in memory/honour of her son at the site of his muder and they were promply removed. It is a kind and very considerate thing that the city does not remove any of the items at the two crash sites in town where those two young girls died. These memorial sites are still in place. It would have been a just and considerate thing to have allowed The Dean Josie family and friends the same opportunity to remember/honour Dean. Racism is a evil in our world and should never be allowed to interfer in justice and fairness in all matters. Dean Josie's life was not any less in value than any other citizen in Prince Albert. This youth did not know his attackers and was in grade 12 at Carlton and had told his mom at the beginning of Sept that he planned to graduate and join the police force. Dean Josie deserved in all ways to live a full life. His parents deserved to have their son become a man. Dean did not deserve to have a short and senceless death. Unlike many others that choose to not acknowledge this loss of life, this boys death will remain with me all the rest of mine.

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  13. Thank you Trish for that update. I was unaware of some of those details, and I appreciate your posting them.

    I think the easier we "forget" such incidents, the easier it is to go on as though they never happened, and that is not just nor merciful.

    You have communicated well your heart about the matter, perhaps you should consider a similar letter to the Daily Herald and see what they would do with it. The community needs people to help them remember the victims caught in such senseless violence. Yours is a good voice to help to remember, in good ways.

    Consider it anyway, and again thanks for the update.

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