Once again, gang violence has claimed the life of another young brother. High school football star, Jamiel Andre Shaw, described as “a Houdini on the football field” was shot dead on Sunday in random gang violence and his mother was returning from her second tour of duty in Iraq, officials said. This just hit CNN this morning.
Police reports said that Shaw, 17, was shot multiple times on a sidewalk a few yards from his home after he didn’t respond when two men pulled up in a car and asked him “Where you from?” — code for which gang did he belong to. He was not a gang member. Authorities are calling the shooting a random, unprovoked gang attack.
According to media reports, Shaw, a standout running back at Los Angeles High School and the Southern League’s most valuable player last season, was shot about 8:40 p.m. Sunday in the Crenshaw area. He died later at a local hospital. His mother, Army Sgt. Anita Shaw, on Monday was her way back from Iraq, where she has been serving her second tour of duty.
His father, Jamiel Shaw Sr., said he called Jamiel on Sunday night, telling him to hurry home from the mall. A few moments after hanging up, Jamiel Sr. said, he heard the shots outside.
“They killed him while his mother is in Iraq fighting, dodging bullets, and she gets a phone call to say her son is on the streets of L.A., dead. For what?” Jamiel Sr. said. His son’s ultimate goal was to be a sports agent.Police said they are seeking the public’s help in identifying the suspects, whom officials described only as two Latino men in a white compact sedan. Investigators believe the shooting was not racially motivated. Jamiel was black. So, for anyone who has seen or heard anything, do the right thing and call the police.
Gang violence is not an uncommon thing in many parts of the country and our elected officials must take this seriously. It is claiming the lives of our children–boys and girls. We have to be our children’s advocates and stem the tide of this horrible life of gang warfare.
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Black Political Thought 
This one hits home. I graduated from LA High School in 1976…
peace, Villager
I am sorry to hear that. It is such a shame that gun violence has claimed the life of another young black man. Our communities have got to rally together to combat the forces of gangs in this country.
It is clear that conventional law enforcement is not up to the job of protecting people. If you are going after a rabid junkyard dog, you do not go in there with ASPCA rules; you take the leash off your own bigger, meaner dog. What we needed then, and what we need now, is Los Angeles to be placed under martial law, to be administered by the Army. Soldiers would be given immunity from state and local laws and they would have authority to conduct searches, detain people, and do other things that they see fit to deal with this crisis on our streets.
Thanks for the feedback Michael. I agree with you that something drastic has to be done. There was also another gang-related killing and beating in Chicago. I am sure that the government can find some way to combat these gangs. We can worry about Iraq but we can’t fix this insiduous problem here. This doesn’t make sense. You are right, you have to change the gameplan and go armed correctly to combat these forces. I like your ASPCA analogy. It matches the situation to a tee!
Have you ever heard of the Ku Klux Klan Act?
Federal troops were used to enforce the law. Even habeas corpus was suspended in several places.
It is unfortunate no one, neither elected officials nor community activists, have the courage to demand the use of federal troops.
Hi Michael, thanks for your input. I vaguely remember hearing about the such an act back in college when I took some black history classes. I believe that it is a travesty that our elected officials would rather turn a blind eye to what has been going on, than confronting the situation head-on. There are some officials who have raised the issue, but they are not the “top dogs” in the grand scheme of things. It is imperative that our presidential nominees be confronted with these issues. They bombard one another with seemingly trivial stuff but dance around the issues that really matter. I will definitely check out that act and continue to write about these issues as they come up.
During the civil rights era the police found a way to try to control the blacks who were demonstrating. I am pretty sure they can find a way to control these gangs that are running loose in our communities. Some of these parents are at fault for the types of things their children do and we must be mindful of that as well.
Thanks for the feedback. Do you have a blog?
My blog is at blog.myspace.com/7558749
I wonder if a march on the Pentagon can be organized, demanding the deployment of troops to take Los Angeles.
That would be a good thing. I think our political officials need to be held accountable to the people of all their constituencies. I am going to look into the matter. You should do the same. I’d love to help plan something of this nature.