Murder in Urban America

Living in urban America is both exhausting and exhilarating. Before Friday night I'd never quite felt the full force of its dark side. My car has been broken into - twice. I've been robbed at gunpoint - in my living room. I've been hit from behind and fought off the attacker at a party. But I've never seen anyone die. I've never seen anyone here one moment and gone the next.

Oscar Montes-Ramirez was the first. He left behind two daughters and a wife. It truly is a shame that a human being feels the need to take another human being's life. Mr. Montes-Ramirez was just getting off work, after a long day on the job, when another man decided Mr. Montes-Ramirez's life wasn't worth living.

I beg to differ.

Today I met Mr. Montes-Ramirez's family. The human element was always present, but watching his family pray over a makeshift memorial was especially heartening. It's a shame he'll never see his daughters mature, go to prom, move out and marry. His wife is now left, not alone from the looks of his memorial, but without her partner, lover, husband.

It's been a head trip of a weekend. I've had difficulty concentrating, but at least I'm alive. Even with all of the trials and tribulations I've been going through, I'm still grateful to be alive.
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