Student gunned down while Mom serves country in Iraq

Recent updates:

• Los Angeles Times, LAPD chief vows to clarify policy on immigrants, April 17

Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton said Wednesday that the department’s controversial policy on dealing with illegal immigrants was widely misunderstood by the public and some of his own officers, and he would clarify the rule in the next couple of weeks. -Los Angeles Times

• Los Angeles Times, Zine wants to amend LAPD policy on immigrants, April 11

• mayorsam.blogspot.com, Jamiel’s Dad talks with Mayor Sam, April 10

• KNBC, 19-year-old pleads not guilty in Jamiel Shaw, Jr. homicide case, April 9

• Houston Chronicle (AP), Alleged gang member pleads not guilty in slaying, April 9

• Los Angeles Times, Explaining Special Order 40 (opinion), April 9

• Los Angeles Times, Ask and deport, family urges, April 9

• cbs2.com, Shaw’s family proposes law to help curb violence (VIDEO), April 8

• FOX News, “Jamiel’s Law” targets illegal immigrant gang members, April 8

• MyFoxla.com, Jamiel Shaw’s parents meet with city leaders, April 8

• Los Angeles Times, Grieving father feels failed by 18-year plan, April 8

• The Daily Collegian (Penn State University) Cities bleed with ‘death by percentages, April 8

• FinalCall.com, Fear of a Black-Brown race war in Los Angeles, April 3

• Independent Weekly (North Carolina), For Eve and Jamiel, and everyone else (commentary), April 2

• mayorsam.blogspot.com, Family of Jamiel Shaw to voice support for “Jamiel’s Law” on Doug McIntyre tomorrow morning (posted April 1) *note: Doug McIntyre is a radio host on KABC (Los Angeles). You can listen to his program here.
• Pedro Espinoza mug shot and booking sheet

• Daily News (Los Angeles), Barbarians are within the gate, March 30:
  

  The latest atrocity was the slaughter of 17-year-old Jamiel Shaw Jr., a star footballer who caught the eye of top college recruiters. Tragically, he also caught the eye of an illegal-alien gangbanger who gunned him down while Jamiel’s mother served in Iraq.

  You can’t make this up. The irony of fighting a war against terrorism half a world away while a generation of Angelenos is shot to pieces by local terrorists, while your own son is cut down at home…. Wow.

• CNN, Dad faces son’s alleged killer; sees ‘normal’ youngster, March 26

• Times Record News (Wichita Falls, Texas), “A horrible waste,” March 25
  

  Jamiel Shaw Jr., a teenager on the verge of living out an American dream, was gunned down by someone who authorities believe had no business still living in America. -Times Record News

• MyFoxLA, Arraigment postponed in Jamiel Shaw case, March 25

• KABC-TV, Man accused of killing teen heads to court, March 25

• Suspect in Jamiel Shaw Jr. murder case may be in US illegally, March 22

Odds are you’ve never heard of 17-year-old Jamiel Shaw Jr. At least not until this week.

But if you’re a parent, you know something about what the young man represented.

You see, for 17-years Shaw’s parents poured their lives into raising a child that would know the difference between right and wrong. The value of hard work. And how to be successful in life.

Imagine their devastation when they learned someone–allegedly a gangster–simply walked up to their first born and blew him away. Shaw’s mother, Army Sgt. Anita Shaw, was informed of her son’s murder while she served her country in Iraq.

Jamiel Shaw Jr. was set to graduate from high school this year. And, oh yeah, he was a helluva football player. Stanford and Rutgers were among the schools pursuing him. The “football star” angle’s been heavily played-up in media reports ever since Shaw was murdered Sunday as he walked home while speaking with his girlfriend on his cell phone.

But Shaw was more than a football player. He was a son. A strengthening testimony to the love and hard work his parents had invested throughout his short life.

Just as so many of you have done for your children.

That’s why, if you’re a parent, you have an intimate understanding of what Jamiel Shaw Jr. represented: The hope and love we have for our kids. And yes, the worry, too.

Shaw’s parents have already shown great strength. Not only in media interviews. But in a a community gathering aimed at addressing recent violence.

I strongly recommend that you watch an interview with Shaw’s parents conducted by Shephard Smith of FOX News. Hang in there until the very end and you’ll be rewarded with the poignant words of the father, Jamiel Shaw Sr.

Other Links:

KABC-TV

Los Angeles Times

KCAL-TV