Prayer Vigil for 3 year old

There is a group of people who hold prayer vigils for homicide victims on the sidewalks near where they died. This morning we had three prayer vigils, the last one for a 3 year old child.

The headlines in the newspaper yesterday proclaimed “Homicide numbers match total for all of 2009.” By the police count, which is always lower than this group’s count, there were 72 killings as of yesterday with three months to go in the year. All of last year there were 72 by police count.

The Police Chief, when asked about these numbers, said in an interview that “an analysis of this year’s homicides reveals several differences in the circumstances surrounding some of this year’s killings when compared with last year’s.” However, when he gave his analysis he pointed out that “12 people have been killed this year in five separate multiple-victim homicides; two homicides involved prostitution and 5 involved homeless people; 90% of this year’s homicide victims has been arrested as adults.” He then went out to say how the crime rate has dropped, and how successful he has been since he came to Milwaukee a few years ago.

I read his analysis in disbelief. Was he implying that the homicide rate increased because some of the victims were prostitutes, homeless persons, casualties of multiple-victim homicides or had had been arrested before? I felt he was blaming the victims for being victims.

In our prayer vigils we pray for all homicide victims, be they children three years of age, homeless persons, or persons with arrest records. All victims of homicides are human beings and no matter whether they are rich or poor, with arrest records or no, should be treated with respect and dignity. Their deaths should be mourned no matter who they are.

No one deserves to be a homicide victim, and increased victims this year simply means we need to do more to prevent homicides. There are no excuses for homicides.

Comments

(:commentboxchrono:)