Recent Events

I was reading some local news stories when a specific one caught my attention.  It was the story of Garfield & Shakeil Boothe.  Garfield is a Jamaican living in Canada, and within the last 2 years or so he found out he was going to be able to have his son come to Canada, Brampton to be specific, in order to live with him and have opportunities that he could never have if Shakeil remained in Jamaica.  Garfield was overjoyed as he told neighbours and co-workers of the wonderful news, and how excited he was for Shakeil to have this incredible opportunity.  So why is it that now I am reading about the 10 year old boy who was found dead in his fathers home, and why does it have to be Garfield and Shakeil, what could have happened?  That's just it, nobody really knows, and that is a major issue for me.  It has been reported as of May 31/2011 that so far the only charge laid is "failing to provide necessities of life", and that it is possibly a beating related death!?  It has also been reported that several neighbours used to see him outside, but hadn't for over a month and that was odd to them??  The local school Shakeil attended the previous year, Hanover Road Public School, well this year the 10 year old was not enrolled or attending classes??  So this is my problem, once again, why do we all sit around doing nothing until it hits close enough to home?  Why wouldn't these neighbours inquire as to why this once active, bike riding boy, was no longer being seen outside?  If they reported that it was peculiar, how come they didn't act on these feelings?  If I noticed your child engaging in out of the norm type activities, hanging out with the wrong crowd, or engaging in destructive behaviour, wouldn't you want me as a neighbour to inquire with you, or am I being nosey now?  What about the teachers and faculty at the school?  Was nobody interested in where Shakeil went?  Not one teacher was concerned?  Did they wonder even if he had been transferred, or moved out of the area, why would nobody try to contact the parent, it's not like Shakeil had graduated!?  It's just like when we hear that if you are a woman being attacked and you need help, never yell help, you're instructed to yell Fire!?  Why is that, because people won't come running if they hear help, but if they hear fire, there is a much better chance that people will come running.  People are so consumed with their own lives that we don't even care to notice what's right in front of our face.  I guarantee you that 25 years ago, every neighbour, and every teacher would have inquired about Shakeil.  Now we live in apartment buildings and we don't even talk to or know the people who's front door is less than 15 feet away, and we don't seem to care.  We won't help someone who screams help because we are to afraid to get hurt ourselves??  Do you know where that type of mentality leads you?  It leaves us weak and easily defeated as a society, or neighbourhood.  If Shakeil and Garfield's neighbourhood was a little closer knit, would this still happen?  I remember the streets where I grew up, and every parent for 2 streets at least, new all the kids in the neighbourhood, and if I even fell and scrapped my knee, another parent would come out and tend to me, or get me a drink.  I think it was referred to as a community!  We have so few of them anymore.  Neighbourhood BBQ's, I don't see them anymore.  I think as I've stated before, if we looked at every kid we saw playing on our own street as if they could be our own child, maybe then situations like Shakeil can be avoided in the future.  What do you think?  Please leave comments and thoughts!