2 Shooting Victims Buried 2 Blocks, 1 Hour Apart

by Melinda Tuhus | September 22, 2006 4:16 PM | | Comments (4)

Here’s what some young people spent Friday morning in New Haven doing: attending funerals, one hour and two blocks apart, for two more young men killed in the city’s recent spree of gun violence. Barbara Fair (pictured) and her children knew both boys; she had this to say.

The two men were killed hours apart in apparently retaliatory shootings after midnight earlier this week by the Church Street South housing complex.

The first funeral took place at 10 a.m. on Dwight Street. Family and friends gathered inside and outside the Curvin Council funeral home to mourn Carlos Ortiz, 23, known as Carlitos. A loved one cried over his body, laid out in an open casket. Then she collapsed, and was helped to a seat by two other women. To listen to the sound of grief, click here.

Many of the young people wore the T-shirts emblazoned with a photo of the deceased, which have become the uniforms of the grieving teens and young adults who attend way too many funerals, even as their elders dress in black.

In this case the photo shows a handsome and mischievous-looking young man, with a gleam in his eye.

An hour later, the funeral of Aaron McCrea, 26, took place around the corner on Chapel Street at Immanuel Baptist Church. He left behind a fiancée, Quaneysha Poindexter, and an unborn daughter.

A member of the Poindexter family spoke movingly of how both families had been looking forward to gathering for a wedding, not a funeral.

Another woman sang a song about the joys of going to heaven. Click here to listen.

Police in squad cars and on horseback were stationed between the two sites. A minister from the pulpit elicited applause when he said that was an insult to the community.

Speaker after speaker urged the young people to trust God for justice, and not to take revenge themselves. Prison reform activist Barbara Fair was also angry at the police presence and called for the community to come together. click here to listen to her comments.







Share this story: digg / newsvine / facebook

Comments

Posted by: CT | September 22, 2006 8:35 PM

A brief comment - Listening to Ms. Fair's words, I do not hear "anger at the police presence" but much more the call to come together and not respond with violence that police are preparing for. In other words, Ms. Fair seems concerned about the violence rather than angry at "police presence." Having not heard the minister's words, I would imagine too that if he sees the police presence as an insult to the community, it is because the possibility of retaliatory violence is itself insulting to a community of people in which the vast majority want peace, safety, and true community. I write this only because the end of the article is starting to paint some sort of anti-police feeling, rather than an anti-violence, pro-community sentiment. I too hope for peace and community, and offer hope for strength and love to the families of the victims and all involved.

Posted by: Clifford W. Thornton, Jr. | September 23, 2006 7:38 AM

The two people running for Governor will do nothing to stop this violence. Remember, this has been going on for almost four decades with the same old story of work harder to get guns of the street. Give me a break I feel for the families and friends. Please help us

Posted by: TC Members and Friends | September 23, 2006 10:04 AM

- United Teen Connection, Inc.
- Teen Listener/Mentor/Advocate TRAINING
- Ethnicity/Individuality/Diversity
- Goals (Short Term/Long Term)
- Decision Making Skills
- more

If you are interested please
203-469-9213


Memberships:
- CityWide Youth Coalition
- New Haven Collaborative for Youth
- Cable TV Advisory Council (Sharon Henninger)
- others

Posted by: Leslie Blatteau | September 24, 2006 6:35 PM

"To listen to the sound of grief, click here."

C'mon Independent, I expect better. The victims' families deserve better. How can we expect changes if we continue to commodify grief and violence?

Sorry, Comments are closed for this entry

Sections

Neighborhood News

Special Sections

Legal Notices

Some Favorite Sites

Government/ Community Links

Legal Notices

Flyerboard

Sponsors

N.H.I. Site Design & Development

NHI Store

Buy New Haven Independent Stuff

News Feed

Powered by
Movable Type 3.35