What do we owe a racial group who individually and collectively create a situation beyond our comprehension of what a civilized people should do?
‘I would much rather bury little old ladies’: Funeral directors pushing for end to Baltimore violence, by: Elizabeth Worthington, WMAR2News.com, August 25, 2023
When John Williams looks at homicide rates in Baltimore, he doesn’t see numbers, he sees faces.
“I don’t think you understand what it’s like to see the pain on somebody’s face as they have to choose what color casket they’re gonna get, to choose what outfit they’re gonna wear. I’ve heard screams that would pierce your soul,” Williams, funeral director, said.
So when he sees homicide numbers going down this year, even by a few dozen, he knows that’s a few dozen fewer families entering his funeral home.
“I would much rather bury little old ladies, World War II veterans, and just lay them peacefully to rest, as opposed to hearing mothers cry,” Williams said.
That’s why he didn’t hesitate when a friend in the funeral industry asked him to get behind his idea.
Corey Larkins organizes a “Ride for peace” every year.
A caravan of hearses processes through the streets of West Baltimore, joined by local clergymen, and members of the police department.
The message is simple.
“If you don’t stop, you’re gonna end up in the back of a hearse,” Larkins said.
“If I can get to one person, that’ll make me feel better. I just want it to stop,” Larkins added.
“As a kid, you have the chance to choose life or you can choose death. Unfortunately, a lot of kids in our community have the tendency to choose death. So hopefully, they see the hearses and realize the finality of death,” Williams said.
The pair believes their neighbors are desensitized to the violence around them.
They hope the image of a funeral procession provides a dose of harsh reality.
“I have a routine, I get on Instagram, or I get on Facebook, and I know what I’m gonna see,” Larkins said.
“This person shot multiple times last night, this person stabbed last night,” Larkins added.
“It’s not normal for somebody to be murdered at 18, 19, 22-years-old,” Williams said.
In a city where virtually every homicide and nonfatal shooting has a black suspect, why should we care about gun violence in Baltimore? The answer is we shouldn’t. It has nothing to do with us. These embarrassing actions by funeral directors in 62% black Baltimore have nothing to do with white America, but speak volumes about the type of community black people create in the absence of whites.
