Adrian Gutierrez, 31Shot 3/19/07 9:30 pm (died 3/23/07)
2200 block of Foothill
Gun
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Adrian Gutierrez, #22
Adrian Gutierrez, 31Shot 3/19/07 9:30 pm (died 3/23/07)
2200 block of Foothill
Gun
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Quelacy Hubbard, #20
Quelacy Hubbard, 29Shot 3/15/07 7:46 pm (died 3/20/07)
6800 block of Halliday Ave
Gun
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Julian Loughlin, #15
Julian Loughlin, 3 monthsBeaten 3/3/07 10:00 am (died 3/8/07)
3000 block of Kempton Ave
Assault
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Monday, February 5, 2007
"Tragedy"
I hate that word. Not just because it's inherently bad news. It has completely lost its meaning.
As I compile the information on these "tragedies", I find myself looking for patterns & similarities. For example, the last 2 homicide victims were both Black 21 year-olds killed on Feb 3rd by a gun. But such exercises are silly. I'm sure these 2 individuals were completely different and, well, individuals (one was killed by police, the other by a friend). I think the brain tries to look for things to distract it from the reality at hand.
I remember being at a meeting to discuss funding for violence prevention initiatives. There was a high-ranked public official present who said something to the effect of: "When a homicide happens, it shouldn't be a story buried in the paper somewhere. We should respond according to the tragedy that it is".
I remember thinking it sounded nice, but was essentially bullshit. If we really thought these homicides were the tragedies that they are, our grief would lead us to outrage, solidarity, and mobilization. These tragedies have happened too much and for too long. By and large, we've gotten used to them. I'd even say they've become acceptable. Is it because the lives lost are expendable, or is it because mainstream society can afford to continue without doing more about it?
Probably both.
How did it come to this?
The only appropriate social response to this "plague of killing" (as the SF Chronicle calls it), and to the fact that we've all but abandoned our inner cities nationwide, would be a response and investment of Marshall Plan proportions. Nothing short of this will result in any meaningful, significant and sustainable change, nor convey to our underclass the message that Yes, we do care. Until then, poverty and neglect will continue to reap and sow themselves.
As I compile the information on these "tragedies", I find myself looking for patterns & similarities. For example, the last 2 homicide victims were both Black 21 year-olds killed on Feb 3rd by a gun. But such exercises are silly. I'm sure these 2 individuals were completely different and, well, individuals (one was killed by police, the other by a friend). I think the brain tries to look for things to distract it from the reality at hand.
I remember being at a meeting to discuss funding for violence prevention initiatives. There was a high-ranked public official present who said something to the effect of: "When a homicide happens, it shouldn't be a story buried in the paper somewhere. We should respond according to the tragedy that it is".
I remember thinking it sounded nice, but was essentially bullshit. If we really thought these homicides were the tragedies that they are, our grief would lead us to outrage, solidarity, and mobilization. These tragedies have happened too much and for too long. By and large, we've gotten used to them. I'd even say they've become acceptable. Is it because the lives lost are expendable, or is it because mainstream society can afford to continue without doing more about it?
Probably both.
How did it come to this?
The only appropriate social response to this "plague of killing" (as the SF Chronicle calls it), and to the fact that we've all but abandoned our inner cities nationwide, would be a response and investment of Marshall Plan proportions. Nothing short of this will result in any meaningful, significant and sustainable change, nor convey to our underclass the message that Yes, we do care. Until then, poverty and neglect will continue to reap and sow themselves.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Friday, January 26, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Demetrio "Jim" Baltazar, #7
Demetrio "Jim" Baltazar, 59Shot 1/21/07 2:20 pm (died 1/24/07)
1100 block of 21st St
Gun
Monday, January 22, 2007
Jerry Lee Fairley, #6
Jerry Lee Fairley, 48Killed 1/19/07 9:00 pm
7900 block of MacArthur Blvd
Gun
"I stay in the house"
Once again, nothing found at the site of the sixth homicide. I asked a middle-aged woman who was waiting for the bus if she knew of a memorial, but she wasn't even aware of the murder, despite living on that block. "I just stay in the house, baby" she replied sweetly.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Yellow Tape & Holy Ground
Its looking like yellow caution tape is becoming a theme in these photos.
I've been struggling with the ultimate purpose of this blog. I don't want it to be another hand-wringing commentary on the insanity of Oakland's homicides. I was hoping to post these photos without any commentary, an attempt at artistic objectivity (probably an oxymoron). But when visiting each of the first five homicide sites, whether a piece of dirt or sidewalk concrete, I've felt a sense that I'm on holy ground, a sacred place where life passed into death. I don't think photos can express that, ergo this post.
I've been struggling with the ultimate purpose of this blog. I don't want it to be another hand-wringing commentary on the insanity of Oakland's homicides. I was hoping to post these photos without any commentary, an attempt at artistic objectivity (probably an oxymoron). But when visiting each of the first five homicide sites, whether a piece of dirt or sidewalk concrete, I've felt a sense that I'm on holy ground, a sacred place where life passed into death. I don't think photos can express that, ergo this post.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Tammy Lynn Anderson, #4
Tammy Lynn Anderson, 44Killed 1/10/07
5800 block of International Blvd
Assault
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Monday, January 8, 2007
Thursday, January 4, 2007
Verdair Laroy Mosley, #1
Verdair Laroy Mosley, 24Killed 1/3/07 11:30 pm
900 block of 89th Ave
Gun
Nothing there...
Went to the site of the first homicide, but found nothing but a wad of Police tape.
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