The irony of the Chicago Hate Crime
By now, you have probably seen or read about the special needs man who was kidnapped and tortured by 4 other individuals. Some reports say it was racially motivated, yet others said they targeted a person for being special needs.
I made myself watch the video. I got through a fair amount. I saw this man cower in a corner while he was beat, kicked and punched. I saw the fear in his eyes. Oh God his eyes. I saw them bully him into getting up and going to the bathroom and I saw him get on his knees and drink the water out of the toilet while they laughed. That’s when I stopped and turned it off.
Some call it evil.
To me, it was simply the worst of humanity. It was a display of everything bad that humans can be, and what’s worse, they had no ounce of shame. Not one drop of shame as they proudly and mockingly recorded it on video.
I have a special needs child, and I work with special needs children every day and I can resolutely tell you this:
They represent the BEST of humanity, what is GOOD in humanity. Their innocence and joy are a display of everything good that humans can be, which is what makes this hate crime so utterly despicable.
This isn’t the first time this has been on the news. It made me remember a story I heard of a young man who had autism and his peers dumped human urine and feces on his head, also capturing it on video for presumably bragging rights or some sick form of entertainment.
I’m sad. I’m sad and then I get angry, and then I get scared because I’m not sure if Ashlynn would know if she was being bullied yet, and I worry she could fall into some mean trap, and all she’s ever done is “spread her sunshine” as my sister puts it.
I don’t like seeing the worst of humanity. Maybe that’s why I surround myself with people whom I feel are the best. They make me remember the good that’s in people because when you read stories like this you can’t get enough reminders that there IS still good in this world. It’s easy to get cynical.
If you are reading this, I ask you to do one thing, make one promise each day when you wake up that today you will choose to be KIND, and if you have children, you will teach them too to just be KIND.
At the start of each day, I’m going to start asking my kids to do something kind for someone, and then at night I’m going to ask them what they did that day that was kind. #choosekindness and teach your kids to do the same…..because PLEASE remember:
Kindness is an active endeavor, not a passive one.