I probably should have been disappointed that the star of our show last night couldn’t make it.
We had planned to have Shakiyl Smith on our live-stream Internet broadcast, ‘Live From the Newsroom.’ He was going to talk about street violence in Chester, and a unique project he is involved in to help ease the problem.
Smith knows a little bit about street violence and the gun problem in Chester. He sits in a wheelchair because of it. He was shot while leaving a party back in 2008.
Friday will mark the fourth anniversary of that tragic encounter.
Smith wants to meet the person who pulled the trigger and condemned him to life in a wheelchair. But he does not seek revenge; he wants to forgive, and reconcile.
Our hope was to have Smith on the show last night, along with Chester entrpreneur and blogger Ulysses ‘Butch’ Slaughter. Together they have dubbed their mission to get the person responsible for Smith’s shooting to come forward ‘The Lazarus Project.’
Smith had transportation problems and could not make it to the office last night. Our attempts to reach him on the phone also were unsuccessful.
I supposed I could be upset. I had made these arrangements several weeks ago. Then I stopped and thought of what life in a wheelchair must be like. Suddenly I couldn’t really be upset with Shakiyl Smith.
And I also got to spend a half-hour talking with Slaughter, one of the most interesting people in the city of Chester.
If you didn’t see the show, and are interested in a possible answer to the violence in Chester, I highly recommend you check out the replay. CLICK HERE to view it.
And Shakiyl, don’t worry. We can get you in here to the office another time.
For now, the fact that ‘The Lazarus Project’ is out there is enough for me. I’m proud that we’ve been able to shine a light on this initiative. I think it’s what a community newspaper should be about. That would be working toward answers to a community’s needs.
‘The Lazarus Project’ certainly is doing that.
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