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2006-06-07 1:41 PM

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Subject: Teen Murdered Yesterday at MY Local Park
From today's local paper (read the whole story at Chron.com)


Gang attack kills 14-year-old boy in park
Police say a mob of youths beat the victim before he was stabbed by a teenage girl

By MIKE GLENN, MIKE TOLSON and ARMANDO VILLAFRANCA
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

In a Montrose park better known for Little League games and dog lovers, gang members killed a 14-year-old rival, clubbing him with baseball bats and tire irons before police said a teenage girl pulled out a knife and stabbed him to death Tuesday afternoon.

The dead teen, Gabriel Granillo, identified by police as a gang member, was with two unidentified males about 2:30 p.m. when they were ambushed by about 20 members of a rival gang at Ervan Chew Park, historically known as Dunlavy Park, in the 1700 block of Lexington.


Okay this is MY park - 3 blocks from my house, 1 block from the fire station. It is a tiny urban "pocket park" with a little league field and a dog run and a soccer field and some trees. I run TO this park in the mornings when I don't have much time but want to be outside (like YESTERDAY for example) and I run BY this park on my way to and sometimes from my longer runs around the Rice University area. Including runs that go past dark.

The newspaper story says "the park's character changes at night." But this event took place at TWO THIRTHY IN THE AFTERNOON YESTERDAY, in front of a witness. This story does NOT want to make me stop using the park, not even at night. This story makes me want to get all of my friends and neighbors out there TO use the park at night - night vigil NOW, night volleyball games, dog walks, picnics, you-name-in. This is OUR park and I want these stupid amoral criminal low-life thugs to KNOW IT. You can come to the park to play volleyball or soccer or meditate or whatever you want, but you CANNOT come to MY park to kill somebody. No. I am so angry.

Usually when I read this kind of stuff my heart just goes out to the victim's family. Right now, I'm not there yet. I'm just blurred-vision MAD. And logically I should be concerned about all of this gang activity going on here in my neighborhood, not just about which segment of it happens to take place in this particular quarter-acre of real estate. But really, what upsets me is that it's this park. Sorry. Not feeling particularly logical right now.

Okay I will stop running past this park at night, fine. There are other more-travelled routes home from Rice. But I WILL organize at least one event at this park and SOON. Watch me.

Cretans.

Edited by CitySky 2006-06-07 1:42 PM


2006-06-07 1:50 PM
in reply to: #446371

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Elite
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Subject: RE: Teen Murdered Yesterday at MY Local Park

Yes.  Do all those things you said, plus one more.  Buy a treadmill.  Take care.

TW

2006-06-07 2:00 PM
in reply to: #446383

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Giver
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Subject: RE: Teen Murdered Yesterday at MY Local Park
tech_geezer - 2006-06-07 2:50 PM

Yes.  Do all those things you said, plus one more.  Buy a treadmill.  Take care.

TW

Also: don't join a gang.

2006-06-07 2:13 PM
in reply to: #446371

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Subject: RE: Teen Murdered Yesterday at MY Local Park
I feel bad for the family. That being said, life is a simple game of choice and consequence. Bad choices lead to bad consequences.
2006-06-07 2:13 PM
in reply to: #446371

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Subject: RE: Teen Murdered Yesterday at MY Local Park
Sucks, doesn't it?  Here in L.A. (surprise) we have a bike path we can't use any more due to gang attacks on cyclists.  Even if you're not in a gang, doesn't mean you can't get stung by them

Edited by ChrisM 2006-06-07 2:13 PM
2006-06-07 2:24 PM
in reply to: #446371

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Subject: RE: Teen Murdered Yesterday at MY Local Park
You can always get one of these for your runs. The added benefit is that you'll be lugging around an extra 5 lbs.





(S&W500.jpg)



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2006-06-07 3:12 PM
in reply to: #446371

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Subject: RE: Teen Murdered Yesterday at MY Local Park

That's life in the big city.

Very good thoughts for turning a negative into some positive action.

2006-06-07 3:21 PM
in reply to: #446371

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Subject: RE: Teen Murdered Yesterday at MY Local Park

That's exactly how I feel about my neighborhood.  I know several of my neighbors have an "ignore it and it wont hurt you" attitude.  But you know what?  Why in the hell should I have to ignore anything in my own friggin' space?

We have a little park like that about 2 blocks from home as well.  And, yes, there's a "bad" feeling about it after dark.  

Like McGruff always says:

Communities suffer at the civic level when neighbors retreat behind locked doors, merchants abandon their businesses, housing prices drop, children fear going to school, and streets empty at night.

I figure it's my civic duty to make sure my neighborhood is safe and usable. 

2006-06-07 3:28 PM
in reply to: #446371

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Subject: RE: Teen Murdered Yesterday at MY Local Park
Haven't lived in Houston for 3 years now, but I don't remember Montrose as being a particular safe area either??? Always run around Rice U, especially around 3 pm when the track team runs! Hubba Hubba!
2006-06-07 3:34 PM
in reply to: #446371

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molto veloce mama
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Subject: RE: Teen Murdered Yesterday at MY Local Park
CitySky - 2006-06-07 1:41 PM


This story does NOT want to make me stop using the park, not even at night. This story makes me want to get all of my friends and neighbors out there TO use the park at night - night vigil NOW, night volleyball games, dog walks, picnics, you-name-in. This is OUR park and I want these stupid amoral criminal low-life thugs to KNOW IT.


good for you. start a neighborhood walk. we did after the neighborhood crime rate wen
t up...all tied to the corner convenience store which started to attrack some rif raf after the new managament took over. we had a community meeting and over 75 people from the neighborhood showed up. awesome. anyway, we wanted to create a community presense, especially at night, and we did w/ the walk...not to mention getting to know more of our neighbors in the process. don't hide, get out and make the community yours.
2006-06-07 3:41 PM
in reply to: #446426

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Subject: RE: Teen Murdered Yesterday at MY Local Park
Opus - 2006-06-07 2:24 PM

You can always get one of these for your runs. The added benefit is that you'll be lugging around an extra 5 lbs.



Okay, Opus, I'll admit that graphic made me smile. I may be the only Texan left WITHOUT a gun at this point, heh, shouldn't even admit it. Everyone but everyone has a concealed-weapons license.

Here's the thing - I live in a "nice" neighborhood. A little funky/eclectic, but one of the best places to live in Houston. That's why this suprised me so much I guess.

I didn't even know we had gangs in my neighborhood. True my garage door got tagged ONCE more than a year ago, we painted over it, that was that. I guess I've ignored graffiti on public property though. Occasionally cars get broken into, that type of crime, but not much at all. It's not like when I lived in L.A. and was very aware of gangs and crime and prosititution and everything else. Where I live now is so much more laid back.

That's where my get-out-and-use-the-park impulse comes from. The park occupies the end of just one small block, with houses actually looking onto it from two sides. I almost always say hello to another runner or a dog walker or SOMEONE when I'm there, it's just a really innocuous little place. Yeah if the same thing had happened some other places I've lived I would have felt scared and wanted to stay home. It's just different here. The surprise probably angered me more than anything. Not angry any more, but still want to work on this. Definitely not willing to concede that it's just "how it is" when we are talking about so-called "gangs" that were born yesterday, not gangs that have been around for generations and have deep roots int he community. Maybe these gangs have roots somewhere else, I don't know. Hmm.

L.A. really colored my view on crime. I remember walking through the "bad" neighborhood in Boston one time, passing a bunch of slow-walking, pants-hitching 8th grade boys who were desperately trying to look dangerous. My thought as I walked by them was, "oh, my South Central kids would have wiped the floor with you."


2006-06-07 3:45 PM
in reply to: #446514

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Subject: RE: Teen Murdered Yesterday at MY Local Park
Stitch26.2 - 2006-06-07 3:28 PM

Haven't lived in Houston for 3 years now, but I don't remember Montrose as being a particular safe area either??? Always run around Rice U, especially around 3 pm when the track team runs! Hubba Hubba!


The park isn't near the really, um, active parts of Montrose -- it's closer to the Shepherd Avenue side of things, just south of Richmond.

Glad you have fond memories of the Rice area.
2006-06-07 4:17 PM
in reply to: #446426

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Subject: RE: Teen Murdered Yesterday at MY Local Park

Opus - 2006-06-07 2:24 PM You can always get one of these for your runs. The added benefit is that you'll be lugging around an extra 5 lbs.

Thats awesome.

Celeste, I agree with your line of thinking. Taking back the park is a good idea.

2006-06-07 4:47 PM
in reply to: #446371

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Subject: RE: Teen Murdered Yesterday at MY Local Park
I'll add to the list of "Take back your park!"  I think it's a fantastic idea - if I were in your neighborhood, I'd be part of it.
2006-06-07 9:15 PM
in reply to: #446415

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Subject: RE: Teen Murdered Yesterday at MY Local Park
ChrisM - 2006-06-07 3:13 PM

Sucks, doesn't it? Here in L.A. (surprise) we have a bike path we can't use any more due to gang attacks on cyclists. Even if you're not in a gang, doesn't mean you can't get stung by them


i don't get it! How can they find attaquing cyclists fun or meaningfull? what's the point?!
too many freeks in this world...
2006-06-07 9:28 PM
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2006-06-07 9:58 PM
in reply to: #446371

Subject: RE: Teen Murdered Yesterday at MY Local Park
The boy joined the MS-13 gang and once you join you can't quit or they'll kill you.  His uncle was on TV today and said he quit.  It may have not been a rival gang IMHO.
2006-06-07 10:15 PM
in reply to: #446371

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Subject: RE: Teen Murdered Yesterday at MY Local Park

Okay, now I feel a little uneasy.

I know I'm not in a gang or anything but there are some "interesting characters" I go to school with to say the least.

It's story's like that, that send a chill up my spine.

2006-06-08 8:47 AM
in reply to: #446891

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Subject: RE: Teen Murdered Yesterday at MY Local Park
oneword - 2006-06-07 10:28 PM

But these don't jam, man



Yeah, but you never have to fire a 50 calibre revolver, you just have to pull it out and point it, and the other guy immediately voids his bowels.

Look at me! A Canadian talking about guns! That's like a Crips group hug!
2006-06-08 3:59 PM
in reply to: #447261

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Subject: RE: Teen Murdered Yesterday at MY Local Park
Opus - 2006-06-08 8:47 AM

Look at me! A Canadian talking about guns! That's like a Crips group hug!


You guys are too funny. Jknap, I hear you. This activity as all apparently going on in Lamar High School - high-property-values kind of neighborhood, parents WANT their kids to go to Lamar.

Update for today: they arrested the girl. YAY, HPD! Hope they all squeal on each other. White girl, btw, running with the "treces." Bad boyfriend-selection skills, I would guess?

Anyway, apparently the media folks were swarming the park last night talking to everyone there, but I was elsewhere. TONIGHT I'm heading over there with several friends and some signs and stuff to do an anti-gang, anti-violence "vigil," will talk to the neighbors, hear what people are up to, share ideas.

Despite the urgings of my Canadian friend , I'm not bringing a gun. I'm even leaving hte Mag-lite at home because it looks too much like a weaopn. So my "weapons" are a very strong rechargeable spotlight, a small notebook, a pen, and a really big mouth. And did I mention several friends? Yeah, them too.

2006-06-08 5:57 PM
in reply to: #447261

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Subject: RE: Teen Murdered Yesterday at MY Local Park
Opus - 2006-06-08 7:47 AM
oneword - 2006-06-07 10:28 PM

But these don't jam, man

Yeah, but you never have to fire a 50 calibre revolver, you just have to pull it out and point it, and the other guy immediately voids his bowels. Look at me! A Canadian talking about guns! That's like a Crips group hug!

You've got "HUNTING" types of guns in Canada don't you??  Shotguns??   Not able to hide it (unless it's just a tiny shotgun) and can point at the group and pull the trigger.  Take a few with one shot.

On yeah, ONEWORD, GLOCK there is NO substitute.

Is CHARLES BRONSON still alive??  Maybe he can go kick *** with his gun Matilda.  



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