High Schooler Jamiel Shaw Killed While Army Mom in Iraq

We heard the drumbeats from Black Political Thought about some bad news. A young brother from my high school alma mater, Los Angeles High School, was shot and killed in random gang violence. Jamiel 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, so he couldn't answer the question. Two Latino men in a white compact sedan apparently decide that Jamiel's life wasn't worth more than the cost of a few bullets because he wasn't wearing a red or a blue hoodie. Authorities are calling the shooting a random, unprovoked gang attack.

This story struck me as wrong on so many levels.

1. Jamiel was the Southern League's most valuable player last football season. Stanford University and Rutgers University were both in touch with him about possible scholarships.
2. Jamiel's mother, Army Sgt. Anita Shaw, served on her second tour of duty in Iraq when she learned about the shooting. Can you begin to imagine what her emotions are like as she makes the journey from Iraq to southern California to bury her 17-year old son? "She called crying, saying, 'Tell me it's not my son,' " said Jamiel's aunt, Althea Shaw. "She was so proud. She felt he had made it through the hard times. She still called him her baby, even though he was taller than her."
3. Jamiel's father 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?" His son's ultimate goal was to be a sports agent.

Villagers, how many more of our young men must we lose? I have a 8-year old son. He loves playing football. He has some great friends. Will our society value his life and his worth? I'm sure that Jamiel's parents were dreaming big dreams about their little man. And then the unthinkable happened.

How do we protect our children from this type of danger? In any case, the prayers of the ancestors are with Anita and Jamiel Shaw Sr. as they bury their child. If anyone learns anything more about this case ... please let us know.