Sean Taylor, a star safety for the Washington Redskins, died on Tuesday morning from injuries resulting from a gunshot to his leg on late Sunday night/early Monday morning. He was airlifted to a local Miami hospital after the police responded to a phone call from his girlfriend early Monday morning. He was shot in the upper leg, rupturing an artery causing very significant blood loss. The attack is being investigated by Miami-Dade Police, which came only eight days after an intruder was reported seen at Taylor's house. He died in the very early morning on Tuesday. I found in an article that "gun violence is the No. 1 killer of black men like Taylor." Taylor was raised in a good area, attending a prep school for high school, and then going to a private college in Miami. "He was a multi-million dollar athelte and even his dalliance with lawbreaking and gun brandishing was said to be something of his recent past. He was a father now too. He had someone to live for forever besides himself. " In the article, it mentions another killing of a young black man, who was a simple cook at a famous Washington D.C. eatery. This isn't real significant with sports of course, but it was just to prove a point that young black men die all the time, and by gunshot at that. But anyways, back to Taylor. Keyshawn Johnson, a former wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, had something to say on the death and Taylor in general. "Sometimes we assume that because one is raised in a certain way one is going to come out a certain way. Look at Andy Reid's kids. He's the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and they're sons are selling drugs out of the house. You can't assume that because Sean's dad was a police chief that his life...would be different. It depends on how you approach it." Johnson knows all of this too well, being raised in the toughest section of South Los Angeles. He survived being shot twice after being stuck up outside of his favorite barbershop with friends behind him. "You just become an easy target," Johnson says.
Last year Darrent Williams, a former defensive back for the Denver Broncos, "was doing a responsible thing while out last New Year's Eve enjoying the night. He was in a limousine. A wrong word or misunderstanding in a club turned into bullets fired into his ride. He was killed. He was Taylor's age and another statistic in the deadly demographic." I agree and disagree about what Johnson said on the topic of young black men being killed by gunshot more. I mean yeah, most of the time it isn't where you grow up per se, but just the way you can be in the wrong place at the wrong time. For example, the shots that were fired at Johnson himself. He was just outside a favorite hangout, and somebody came up and attempted to rob them. A key example of the "wrong place, wrong time" statistic. Then there's Williams, he was out partying it up for the new year, and there was an argument of some sort, and he was shot. An example of the "be careful what you say" problem. Taylor doesn't really fall under any category. It was just some guy breaking into his house, then shooting Taylor. It's sad. It always is. To help remember him, people are holding candle light vigils outside his home, and people are painting his number in their yards and places people will see it. Rest in peace, Sean Taylor.
No comments:
Post a Comment