When Tragedy Strikes Close to Home: How We React Speaks Volumes

We are bombarded daily by horrific stories of human suffering caused by everything from natural disasters to unspeakable violence. Since the proliferation of social media and the 24-hour news cycle, we can hardly escape the daily tragedies. How we choose to react to this abundance of depressing information, especially what we put down in words, […]

It’s a “Pride” Issue – Erica Garner

Last night, Erica Garner told Don Lemon on CNN that she didn’t really think the issue is race. To her, it looked like the NYPD officer who killed her father wanted to prove he could take down a “big guy.” To me, it boils down to one fundamental conflict in our society. […]

More Than One Lesson from Ferguson – Independent Investigations Needed

Michael Bell, 21 – Killed in Kenosha, WI 11/9/2004 Ethan Saylor, 26 – Killed in Frederick, MD 1/12/2013 Michael Brown, 18 – Killed in Ferguson, MO 8/9/2014 What do these three young men have in common? At first glance, not much. But all three were killed by someone who had taken an oath to […]

Knoxville News (WVLT) Responds!!!! #JusticeForEthan

From the archive: Originally posted 4/3/13 I answered the call – and it worked! Local news reporter Whitney Kent (WVLT) came to interview me today. I was a little nervous about sending the requests to local news stations for day 1 of “Justice for Ethan.” OK, that’s an understatement. A few hours later when […]

Getting Ready for the Online Vigil Thursday! #JusticeForEthan

From the archive: Originally posted 4/9/13 https://www.facebook.com/events/503575769700210/ On the evening marking nearly 3 months since Ethan lost his life, join us in remembering his life and in marking in our hearts the injustice done to Ethan. Take a moment to light a candle, eat some pizza and listen to Bob Marley (something Ethan loved doing). […]

Celebrity Attention #JusticeForEthan

From the archive: Originally posted 4/10/13 Day 7 of “8 Days for Ethan” Today Little Bird’s Dad has us reaching out to a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist in order to spread the word. George Will happens to have an adult son who has Down syndrome. We’re hoping he’ll help us create the “community tension” that […]

OH! My Goodness!!!!!!!!! #JusticeForEthan

From the archive: Originally posted 4/11/13 OK… So it really IS true, the more things change, the more they stay the same. As I noted in my last post, I’ve been trying to learn Twitter speak. I’m new to that particular social networking technology. So as a newbie, I did a search on Down syndrome […]

Up Next – 8 MORE Days for Ethan – #JusticeForEthan

From the archives: Originally posted 4/11/13 I have been inspired and awakened by the campaign designed by Little Bird’s Dad to raise awareness and generate activity for #JusticeForEthan. The last day of “8 Days for Ethan” left us with a challenge – create our own 8 Days for Ethan to continue the work which has […]

My Interview on WLVT – #JusticeForEthan

From the archive: Originally posted 4/19/2013 Click on the photo above to view my interview on a local Knoxville, TN news station about police response to people who have intellectual disabilities.

To Train or Not To Train? – #JusticeForEthan

From the archive: Originally published 4/21/13 Full disclosure first – in my previous life (my career for 15 years or so before I went back to college full time) I was a trainer. That’s what I did for a living. I was the one who had to convince the “powers that be” that we needed […]