by Ken Walker
Execution Style Shootings Kill Three, Injure Another
August 6, 2007
??7Online??: “Four college students shot execution style in Newark”:http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=local&id=5543596. The victims were college students and, reportedly, not involved in drugs or gangs. It’s frighteningly unclear why this occurred and who could have been responsible.
Shock and horror after the execution style shooting of four college students in Newark. Three of them attended Delaware State University. The fourth would have started classes there this Fall. They were found shot behind Mount Vernon School. One of the victims survived.
According to Newark police these students have never been in trouble with the law. Now, three of them are dead, the fourth one remains hospitalized.
“It’s just young people out here, armed with a gun, have no respect for human life and they kill one another at will for absolutely no reason at all. They just execute one another, that’s why we’re as frustrated as we are,” Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura said.
Late Saturday night, someone ordered three of the young people to line up against a wall behind the Mount Vernon Elementary school.
Neighbors heard a rapid burst of gunfire, and all three students were dead, each shot through the back of the head.
A fourth victim, a dozen yards away, was shot in the face. That woman, 19-year-old Natasha Aeriel, remains in fair condition, this morning, at University Hospital.
The ??New York Times??, also reporting on the shooting, provides some details about the victims’ lives: “Shooting of 4 College Friends Baffles Newark”:http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/06/nyregion/06newark.html.
Ms. Hightower and the Aeriels grew up in the Vailsburg section of Newark, the neighborhood where the shootings took place. They attended West Side High School and were all members of its band. Ms. Aeriel played the saxophone; Mr. Aeriel, who used to spend hours each day reading the Bible, played the trombone; and Ms. Hightower, who always had a smile on her face, Ms. Tucker said, was the drum captain.
Ms. Aeriel, a junior in college, is pursuing a degree in psychology. She traveled to Newark for the weekend and planned to return to Delaware on Monday, to her job at a Subway shop in Dover. Mr. Aeriel, who was about to start his freshman year, planned to join Delaware State’s business-administration program, Ms. Tucker said.
Ms. Hightower’s cousin, Coby Hightower, 23, said Ms. Hightower was working two jobs — at a nursing home and at a food-services provider for Continental Airlines at Newark Liberty International Airport. She received her acceptance letter from Delaware State on Thursday. “She kept talking about working and going to school,” he said. “She was so excited.” Mr. Hightower, who wept as he stood outside the school on Mount Vernon Place, said his cousin was planning to share a room at Delaware State with Ms. Aeriel, her best friend.
Mayor Booker spoke with the victims’ families and offered his condolences.
“I’m very angry right now,” he said after the news conference. “We were on our way to having one of our best summers in years. Now, this incident casts a shadow over it.”
I would first like to offer my condolences to the families of the three victims who lost their lives, and I hope that the fourth victim is able to make a full recovery and get past this awful time in her life. It is a shame to hear of anyone murdered, but especially when it is innocent children or those who are usually not harming others and trying to make something of themselves. People who commit crimes such as these have no regard for human life and should be tried and convicted to the full extent of the law.
Mayor Cory Booker is rightfully outraged by this tragedy and I sincerely hope that he is able to find a plan to thwart the continuing violence in our city. It is a hard task set before him and the odds are heavily against him. I’ll say presently that I am not a fan of Mayor Cory Booker’s administration, but dissention amongst Newark residents and policymakers will not help to alleviate the ever growing number of murders we have been facing over the past five years. It is becoming sickening to read the newspaper every day and see a murder committed on our streets. At our current murder rate, if we had the population of cities like New York (8 million) or Philadelphia (roughly 6 million), our body count would stand at about 1500 and 1100 respectively since we are at about 55 murders for the nearly 300,000 people in the city of Newark. 1100 murders to Philadelphia’s current 234 murders would make Newark look like an extremely horrible city when in essence it is not. There are a great number of citizens who lead their lives respectably and go on without harming others.
But what is most bothersome to me about these occurrences is not always the disgust of the acts themselves, but it is of the comments of Police Director Garry McCarthy. Since he was hired as Police Director, he can be quoted in many Star Ledger articles saying that Newark does not have a gang problem but it has a drug problem and that is why the murders occur. He can also be consistently quoted as saying that the majority of the shooting victims have had criminal records or were involved in criminal activities or gangs during their untimely death, as if that makes the murders more reasonable. While many may share his sentiments and while I may even understand the reasoning or validity of his statement; he is unable to face the fact that not only does Newark have a drug problem, it has a gang problem, and a gun problem and I dare say making more laws to ban guns will not help.
What can anyone say who agreed with Director McCarthy’s comments, now that the victims have no prior criminal records, are college students, church-going folks who were also young teenagers. It is time to get tough on crime, and that does not mean simply harassing the citizens of this city into fear and alienation. But that means making sentencing tougher, taking criminals off the street for one vile of cocaine, and handing out more years for brandishing illegal fire arms. It may not immediately slow down the killings but I’m willing to bet if someone had to face 20 years rather than 5 for just carrying an illegal firearm, they would think twice about walking around “strapped”.
As Newark citizens we must stand up to the violence in our city. I’ll be the first to say, “It is not cool”. And we simply cannot afford to be quiet anymore. One day it may be you, me or someone we love staring down the barrel of a gun or shot in the back of the head against a wall.
These murders are emblematic of a crossroad for Newark. It could be a catalyst for change and spark people to decide that enough is enough and take the government to task for not doing more to protect its citizens and put their feet to the fire of not just local officials but federal officials who allow drugs to come into this country and reach our community(think of the adage “There are no poppy fields in Harlem.”)
The education of a Rhodes Scholar. Indeed, Mayor Booker might have underestimated the challenge when he took over the office. His recent Star-Ledger piece on crime and punishment reflects his frustration, his anger, and his anguish over the killing on our streets, among other challenges. However, Mayor Booker’s moving piece has indicated the education of a dedicated young politician, reflecting his fundamental rethinking of the social “justice” system we are facing. The first step is to address a systematically designed inequalty against the inner city population. As long as we are sticking with the hypocrisy of conventional crime prevention and law-and-order approach, we will be unlikely to find peace on our streets. Our mayor should bring his rethinking to the State and Federal governments, as well as to the public and media. We are facing a failing war here in this country!
In 1951, at Newark Housing Authority director Louis Danzig’s suggestion, Mayor Vallani organized a “caravan,” including many New Jersey mayors, as well as all four city commissioners and county officials, to Washington D.C. to protest cuts in the federal housing budget. To stop bleeding, Mayor Booker needs to bring the challenge to a completely different level with all his vigor and intelligence, with our full support.
I first would like to send my prayers to the families, this hit me hard because I work with the father of two of the victims. There is a murderous spirit in the city of Newark and we as true believers of God must come together and go before God in serious fasting and prayering for this city, the people and our government. Until we as a people truly change our mindset and recondition our hearts for change it is not going to happen, we sometimes believe that life is hopeless it is only so if you want it to be. Crime is glamorized in the media, movies, games and TV, corruption is all around us. If Mr. McCarthy is saying that those getting murdered were living a corrupt life, where is the ideal of corruption coming from? This situation did not start with Mayor Booker, what are other cities surrounding Newark doing to control the killings, guns and gangs. Mayor Booker what can I do as a citizen and a minister to help with this situation? I believe that if the people of God come together as one body and declare a week of fasting and praying that would be a help not for show but if we truly believe the word of God to be true then we have power to bring about change through the authority of the word of God. Each of us has a strength and it is time for us to become serious about change, this could have been any of us or our families. Churches, ministers, business owners, politicans, police officers, citizens it is time for us to get busy and man our post and save our youth and change the mindset and hearts of our community, we are stronger than we think, it is time for us to come together in love, courage, valor and peace, we must commit ourselves to salvation and salvaging the lives of each other. God Bless us all.
Where is Rev. Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson at a time like this? They should be here sounding the clarion call for all Newark residents to come together. It seems the only time they are intersted in Neark is when they can be divisive. Booker is not to blame for years and years of violence in the neighborhoods. Law enforcement is great, but it all has to begin in the home teaching our children about values and working against the odds to improve. The Star Ledger should have shown how small group of agitators was and were clearly outnumbered by reporters and journalists. Well they got their 15 minutes. It’s now time to rally around the Mayor.
I grew up in Newark in the 40,s & 50,s attended Art,s High
and walked and rode the buses ariund downtown Newark every
day.It is a shame on the people of Newark that they have let the city become the murderous hell hole it is today.I have relatives who have been asked to work in the city and they have refused because of safety issues. Drugs and gangs are the core of the problems in Newark and until they are removed the city will conttinue to decline.Drug dealers and gangs are more evil than any other enemy we have in the world.Drug dealers and gangs are more destructive to a good life than any other problem this country faces.They are quietly infiltrating every decent area they can and their goal is to destroy.Everyone regardless of background,has a chance to choose good or evil and the drug dealers and pushers have chosen evil and are backed up by the gangs.
It is time for direct decisive action by all citizens.
It is good to see that the autorities in Newark are taking
quick action in aprehending these evil murderers.My first impression is that there is a gang run underground in N.J. and they are terrorizing the general population.Many of my aquaintances now living in N,J. refuse to go to the Newark area because of the intimidation by drug sellers and users.
Much stiffer penalties are needed if we ever hope to at least make it difficult for these drug selling scum to continue to destroy the youth of this country.
Everyone look at the people who did this. 1) It is not BLACK or BLACK CRIME; that is the best thing about this. 2) IT is not Cory Booker fault. 3) The city of Newark needs people to band together and take back the streets. Once they get the streets back TURN THEM OVER TO GOD. GOD IS THE ONLY THING THAT CAN HELP NEWARK. GOD BLESS NEWARK.
This really upsets me.That this man turned him self in to the mayor and confessed that hes was involved or maybe the shooter.But the thing is he was plead not guilty and on top of that he has numorous counts of other crimes, he was charged 3 conts of murder and atempted murder and raped a 5 year old girl and hes not GUILTY?????????? That is crazy I think the mayor and the investigators are making a big mistake.SINCE HES NOT GUILTY DOES THIS MEAN HES FREE NOW SO HE CAN RAPE ANOTHER LITTLE GIRL AND KILL OTHER KIDS????? I live in florida ever since i heard about this story ive been thinking about the victims for a week now my heart prayers goes out to the families.
Lara, while Carranza submitted a plea of not guilty — bizarre in the light of his record, but not surprising — his actual guilt or innocence will be determined in a court of law. Let’s hope and pray that he has a fair and thorough trial, and that the administration can catch everyone involved and bring them to justice.
Thanks for your support and prayers.
This story is so tragic, I can’t rest. What is the solution for Newark, NJ? I’m tiried of hearing the talk. Young men and women are fighting wars in Iraq, when there’s a war right here in our streets. This crime was not only senseless
it was down-right barbaric! I’m hurt simply because the enemy took promising lives, hopes and dreams for friends and families, as well as deterred faith in human kind. This is a real wake up call, change is needed right now! Not tomorrow, next week or next year but right now!
The change that is needed in Newark and many other cities.IS QUITE SIMPLY to remove the so called code of silence that is preventing the police from doing their job.
Law and order must be everyones priority.Gangs that threaten decent living civilians are made up of cowardly crazy misfits who have no faith in god.The problems facing the big cities will never be solved until the gangs are eliminated.Newark is like the old west with gang members walking the streets with guns and intimidating the elderly and the weak.When you choose to be a gangster you choose EVIL plain and simple,no excuses,YOU made the choice.Nobody is going to hand you an easy GOOD life YOU have to work for it.If you choose evil because it is easier to rob cheat and kill,then you are the weak and lazy one.Newark is not in this mess because of a mayor.Newark is in this mess because of corruption and drugs and gangs protected by all the citizens who refuse to speak up and take action.
It really bothers me when people bring the gang problem down to good and evil. That’s a simpleton’s logic. No one chooses to be in a gang because they think it is going to be a good and easy life. Such a suggestion is absurd and insulting.
I agree that the code of silence is counter-productive. But it makes little sense for someone to report a crime to a police department which is not capable of protecting them from retribution.
No one will hand a good life to anyone in the ghetto, this is true. But it should be noted that quite often in America, good lives are handed out to people independently of merit. George Bush is the best example. He inherited a good life, full of riches and connections. He has a good life and absurd power, with which he chooses to do evil. And he’s a Christian. So if you want to condemn someone who has an easy life and chooses to do evil in it, then condemn him.
The world is a complicated place and lots of the kids in Newark exist in a corner of it that has little to offer them. Please acknowledge that fact and reality. These guys don’t have any good options to choose between. So don’t tell me that they are choosing the ‘easy’ road. There is nothing easy about their lives.
It seems to me that there are an awful lot of people who choose the good over the evil.They are not afraid to work hard and earn their way in this world instead of stealing it.Sliwa and his “gang” are more interested in helping the youth instead of bringing them down with drugs and guns.Why can’t other gangs direct their energy to helping instead of selling drugs and intimidation.There is NO cause,NO social problem,NO racial or religious problems NOTHING…. that can ever justify the killing of INNOCENT people.You cannot win the mind of ANYONE for your cause by murder,drugs and guns.The best protection from retribution from gangs is to unite the good people in your community and fight fire with fire.If this country is to survive and once again become the leader in democracy and freedom.THE GANGS MUST BE ELIMINATED.While gangs roam our streets and corrupt our children we are not free.Remember-THE POLICE CAN ONLY DO WHAT THE CITIZENS LET THEM DO.Take an active roll in your community.