I just thought I would share some of my thoughts about the vigil I attended tonight on my block for 12 year old Tyesha that was killed in her dining room doing her homework. The vigil was well attended at least 100 people. It was nice that families came with their children and not just individuals. I could not get out of my mind how about 15 years ago we picketed the same block with a police escort and our SAFE person Brian Herron. Our block was successful in shutting down the crack houses. In their place PRG built and rehabbed some of the houses and a wonderful COOP took the place of the drug houses. With the senseless act that happened yesterday I kept hoping that our neighborhood is not returning to what we fought so hard to get rid of. I learned tonight that the girl's family has lived there since the inception of the PRG Dovetail COOP.
I felt really sad that as a block leader for the block across the street that I had to meet this family under such tragic circumstances. I thought of one glitch in our system. That being that Chicago Avenue is the boundary between Powderhorn and Central Neighborhoods. I expressed my hope to the family as well as VJ(MAD DADS) at the vigil that I hope that this divide can be bridged. Our block had expressed concern with the property next door to where this girl was killed. From a SAFE perspective it is in another neighborhood. After the vigil I went in and met the family and offered my condolences and left a candle on the table that she was shot at. The table was filled with all these beautiful flowers and lots of pictures of Tyesha. I looked up and saw the bullet hole and just lost it. I hope that the love and caring that was at the vigil tonight continues towards finding the killers and also to bridge divides that we may have created because of our neighborhood boundaries. Supposedly the killers may have been standing in the alley that is in Central. Chicago Avenue was not a divide for them. These are just my thoughts. Thanks everyone for listening, as I am still quite raw and angry. Karen Forbes Central _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
