And yet another little story.

This concerns one of the chief characters involved in hunting the serial shooter of the D. C. area, one of the people interviewed most by the networks. I know the people of the area aren’t counting on this guy alone to catch the killer, thank God.

A few years ago there was a panel of three people appearing before a convention, or something, of 800 to 1,000 “at-risk” youth. I think they were considered to be "at-risk" of drug addiction or legal problems, or both. The panel had about 10 minutes each to speak, then took questions from the audience. That’s a long time to expect those kids to sit.

This Guy was one of the panel, a professional basketball player was another, and yours, truly, out of his league, and on a fluke, was the third. I have no idea to this day what I was bringing to that party, unless it was a large body.

At the start of his talk, this Guy was apologetic. He pointed out at length that neither he nor his family had been touched by drugs or addiction, how they'd come from poverty and fought their way to where they were by themselves.

Now, that may have been half true, although his kid had been busted about a year before for dealing illegal drugs on a downtown street. After months and months and months that was thrown out on a technicality of which only the DA had heard. You can bet that the arresting officers had the kid absolutely cold!

So, I would say that his family was at least “touched”. Maybe not clubbed, but “touched”. And I'll never know how hard.

As he gets into his speech he’s telling these kids, in their own language I presume, to never let anyone put them down, never let anyone tell them they weren’t great, never let anyone degrade them.

Off to the right and way in the back there are a couple of kids, look to be 10, or 11, or 12, who are giggling. Now I’m aware that’s what bored 10, or 11, or 12 year olds do, and I’m sort of wishing I were down there with them. They were having a hell of a lot more fun, but I’m up on the dais acting mature. Somber and serious I am, only frightened by not knowing what I was doing there or why. Small point.

The Guy has gone on now for maybe 15 out of his allotted 10 minutes, and he’s noticing the kids. He stops and stares at them, they don’t notice, and one of their buddies nudged one of them. Abrupt quietude. Bam!!

(I was grateful he ran over. I used time as an excuse to limit my remarks to a couple of minutes. When you’re on panels you can often control the time left by laughing with people. They’ll talk forever if they think they’re being funny. Then you can point out the clock, and be mercifully brief. Merciful for them, and merciful for you!)

The Guy starts again doing his thing, and in a minute so do the kids.

This Guy breaks. He takes off on them. He points out how he didn’t have to be there, how he was there out of the kindness of his heart and his interest in the kids and community, and how he expected a little courtesy and consideration.

He went on to say that children should be raised to respect elders and people in authority, that if they didn’t learn that they didn’t have much going for them, ever, and they would have a hard time finding and holding jobs and would probably never get through school.

He has the kids attention. After a long pause he continued with his inspiring talk.

Then there were questions. The BB player got a billion of them, I got maybe two, the Guy none.

After it was over and we were standing there trying not to get trampled by the folks interested in the basketball player, I said to him, “So much for not letting people put them down, huh!”

He glared at me and left. I haven’t seen him since until the recent TV interviews.

Arf

PS I came away with a bit of feeling for professional athletes. That guy could have stood there all night and not signed all the autographs which were being requested.