Like most residents I'm sick to my stomach, sick that two young people are dead and two more fighting serious injuries. Sick that the alleged drunk driver felt the need to drink and drive and speed through a residential neighborhood without regard for the lives of others.
The alleged driver, Harrison Allen is only 20, in the eyes of many, just a child himself. A child with blood on his hands who chose to get behind the wheel of a potentially deadly machine and abuse it. The victims could have included me, or maybe you, or maybe my child or maybe yours. Instead, Tamir Harry, 16, and Kervin Noel, 21 are dead. Tamir's brother Tahsir, 21 is fighting for his life and so is Rodney Lovius, also 21.
It seems unfair, why them? What did they do to deserve such a fate? Perhaps the audacity to think that they could get into a vehicle and live? I happened to peruse the local gossip site, Maplewood Online and sure enough there was a thread discussing the accident. Posters shared their grief and anger. Some even targeted the victims who may not have been wearing seatbelts. Others asked that we also show compassion for the alleged driver's family.
Truth be told, I'm not ready to do that. I'm sure that family will huddle closely with an attorney who will try and find fault elsewhere. Perhaps the victims for not wearing their seatbelts or maybe even the manufacturer of the vehicle. Who knows and who really cares. The bottom line is this, Harrison Allen if guilty, needs to go away for a long time. Lock him up and throw away the key. This D-U-I insanity has got to stop.
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