THE TRAGIC death of a windshield wiper has triggered a flurry of letters of regret from motorists who have traversed the Hope Road/Trafalgar intersection in St. Andrew for several years.
The reaction is the more remarkable for the contrasts it offers about social status and at least one of the evils that menace the fabric of our lives. For Richard Grant was a gun victim of the killing frenzy which still stalks the land.
The regret and grief arise because the way he worked at cleaning windshields won admiration from many. And his attitude was in stark contrast to the aggressiveness and hostility other windshield wipers have provoked over time.
Indeed, the fact is that wiping windshields is perhaps a last-resort of jobless youth opting to gamble on the generosity of motorists, instead of some nefarious activity. But not many of them have shown the character traits which prompted helpful intervention from mentoring doyenne Betty Ann Blaine, founder of Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU).
As she tells it, Mrs. Blaine met Richard seven years ago, recognised his leadership abilities and eventually helped bring some semblance of order to the activity of windshield wiping, signified by T-shirts offering polite service to motorists.
The reason why a gunman shot him in the back of the head is still to be determined. But this tragic ending to a story of hope is the more sombre for the three young sons and their mother who survive Mr. Grant.
Such episodes of sadness are not uncommon even in the season of peace and goodwill. Already we have recorded multiple deaths on the road. The latest weekly murder toll is still in double figures, suggesting that this most heinous of crimes will not take a holiday. That is why we urge caution to avoid what is preventable even in the midst of festivity.
We hope this evening's prayer vigil at the Hope/Trafalgar roads intersection will offer a silver lining to the sorrow of Richard's survivors. Beyond that, this episode should inspire emulation by agencies, public and voluntary, to rescue other youth who haunt the streets seemingly without proper homes or even hope for a productive future.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
