Do you care how you’re remembered after you die? I don’t, but a lot of people do.
A man named Kelton Trice died April 16. He was killed by a police officer. Mr. Trice had fired a gun at the officer and the officer returned fire, killing him almost instantly. Kelton Trice had just turned 21.
In the months after he died, Kelton Trice’s legacy formed. Much was made of his many run-ins with the law. He was called a thug, a gangbanger, a drug dealer, a potential killer and a bad guy.
Then the results of the investigation were announced. His death and the moments just before it were retold as a series of bullet points and the scene was described only as address numbers and markers where evidence was found.
No matter what you thought of Kelton Trice, that’s no way to be remembered. Yes, he was indeed a drug dealer, thug, gangbanger and potential killer who fired a gun at a cop. But he was a person with people who loved and cared about him. He was a brother, a grandson and a son. He had passions beyond gangbanging. He was respected by his family and friends and people who knew him said he could always brighten a room with his smile.
No person is one thing and it’s always tragic when a life ends violently. If we can learn nothing else from Kelton Trice, it’s that. And it’s a lesson to always carry with you because you have no control over how people see you once you die.
4 Comments
August 14, 2008 at 8:39 pm
this is totally opinionated… f— that bulls–t.. erase this f–kin piece of s–t
August 14, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Fabiano – first of all, thanks for the comment.
Second – yes, it’s an opinion. It’s my opinion and I don’t pretend it’s anything else.
Finally – and this is not just directed at you, but you made it necessary – keep the comments PG, please. I know I wrote some fiction with some stronger language, but in my non-fiction posts, I keep it PG and would appreciate if commenters did the same.
Cheers, Fabiano. And again, thanks for the comment. Seriously. We may not agree, but I’m really glad you read my blog and care enough to comment on it.
January 31, 2009 at 10:25 am
Bill M.;
Thank you for an unbiased piece, and to the idiot who commnented without using the space between it’s ears, you are the reason there’s so much desention in this country.
January 31, 2009 at 10:30 am
One more thing, it’s very refreshing to see that there are journalists who have a passion for the art of journalism, and not just ‘fitting in’, and being typical. Since Jan 20th, I’ve seen so many attitudes here in Corpus and in TX in general..the residents here are stuck in the Jim Crow days, and it shows now! After reading some of the comments on qconline.com over the past year, I ceased my blogging on that site, as the ignorance and the pathetic ’skribbling’ justifies what I was alluding to earlier. The community in the QC, both saddens me, and irritates me.