On August 18, 1987, Manatee County, Florida lost a friend, public servant, and Highway Patrol Trooper to a needless shooting. Trooper J.D. Young was a high school friend, fellow MHS graduate, and fellow public servant (he went the route of law enforcement, I went the route of being a paramedic). We worked countless motor vehicle crashes together over the years and would run into each other from time to time eating (on-duty) at Big Ls in Ellenton, Florida. On August 18th, Trooper Young pulled over a suspicious vehicle and was later beaten to the ground by the driver, shot and killed (with his own weapon), all while on his knees begging for his life. He was killed by a black man. White and black people responded to the call....white and black people awaited his arrival in the ER. White and black colleagues attended his funeral. White and black people cried over the loss! NEVER once did this shooting end up in riots because of race. Never once did this shooting separate us as first responders. NO ONE ever saw this as anything other than a thug who cared nothing about life take the life of our friend. It mattered not what color the perpetrator was or was not...what mattered was the condition of this mans heart. Evil exits in all colors. Good exists in all colors. Regardless of the outcry of one community (with a bunch of thugs in it), why do we get caught up into this as a race issue? Does anyone understand what its like to leave home never knowing whether you will ever come back or not? I was shot at twice while serving my community for 25 years...both times it was a white man. I was assaulted while serving my community...by a white man. I was attacked with a vehicle while on foot...by a white man! Its time we stopped allowing the media and people who call themselves pastors like Al Sharpton and Jesses Jackson to divide us. Who made them the spokespeople? They can call it what they want, a peaceful demonstration, but in reality all they are doing is inciting more hatred through their own limited and biased views. Perhaps they should be the ones held accountable for getting a community in such an uproar? As anyone who calls themselves, pastor or Rev. we should ALL be about reconciliation through love rather than rush to judgement because of feeling slighted by what you remember as a child or your ancestors told you. When will we ALL decide that God created ALL men and women equal. When will we decide to stop the non-sense and love everyone regardless of their race? I wonder if my friend, Jeffery Young, was here today what he would have to say? He served so well with only one intent...making our community safer for each of us, regardless of race. RIP my friend!
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 20:47:00 +0000
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