#208, K.W.

Your comments are so misguided and ignorant. Thorton’s reaction to the oppression that he was feeling had nothing to do with combating racisim. It was a very obviously personal situation where he felt disrespected, wronged, oppressed etc…whether imagined or real.

Now, lets assume that what Thorton was feeling was true,. In such a situation, whether one is Black, White or any other race, most people have a breaking point, where they will snap.

It is foolish to assume that you can mistreat, treat unfairly, or treat one in oppressive or ways that bring them harm without reprecussions. For a person with deep financial pockets, it is very likly that they will receive their justice, or on the other hand buy whatever outcome they want.

But for one without deep financial pockets, some of authority sit back and misuse their authority and vertually laugh at you and in other words expect you to just move on take it , be gone, or risk legal harassment and legal lynchings of a sort.

Even a good man in that position may snap. That is after all human nature, even if not acceptable by society or lawful.

I think people who mistreat or treat anyone of any race unfairly and in oppressive ways are fools because one can never know ones breaking point, plus it is just plain ungodly to behave in such ways towards anyone.

Until people truly realize truth, that all human beings and lives of all are valuable and worthy, and that it is a duty of all people to help even people who do not feel this way about themselves to understand this, then we can expect more and more of this sort of thing as has happened in Kirkwood. This man felt that he was at war with Kirkwood, and in a way he truly was since he did not truly have access to justice, as was obvious, with himself having to legally represent himself in a lawsuit. It is also ludicrous to think that even with a great case, you will not find probably not even one attorney in the St, Louis area willing to bulk the system in a situation such as the one Thorton was facing like some injury attorney with it costing you nothing out of pocket on a percentage basis, it takes hard cold cash and lots of it.

People in authority understand perfectly that they can misuse their authority on people who can’t financially afford justice, and these ones they expect to roll over and take it. There’s no outlet and what is one left to do? Swallow the pill?

Well, there are no guarantees that everyone will swallow those pills that some in authority force down the throats of their victims.

Even David in the book of 1 Samuel said to Abigail concerning her husband Nabal:

“Thank God for your good sense and for what you have done today in keeping me from yhe crime of murder and from taking my own revenge. The Lord has kept me from harming you. But I swear by the living God of Israel that if you had not hurried to meet me, all of Nabal’s men would have been dead by morning”!

Then later shortly after that, when David learned that Nabal had died, he said:

“Praise the Lord! He has taken revenge on Nabal for insulting me and has kept me his servant from doing wrong. The Lord has punished Nabal for his evil”.

Now Nabal’s great insult to David was that he a wealthy man refused to give David and his men food, even after David had protected his property from being robbed.

So you see, even a man of God have feelings of murder and revenge when wronged and you push the right buttons.

Extremely disheartening, is that Thorton did not have anyone who could speak life and God’s truth into his situation and what he was going through. Revenge and murder is never the answer no matter how much it appears one deserves such, but like David, one can push even a good man over the edge.

People must stop abusing the authority that they have. But, more importantly is to understand that there will always be evil people, they are also part of God’s great plan on this earth.

Evil and corrupted people treat only certain ones they choose kindly, fairly and with dignity while others in ways that Thorton felt that he was being treated, and these people can find many in that group of people that choose to treat well to come forward and speak about how great and nice they were but were these same ones do not treat everyone that same way. Do they treat that bum or homeless person kindly, fairly and with dignity who only looks like a bum or homeless person, but who may have really been an angel here from Heaven above?

Do they treat Meechum Park residents kindly, fairly and with dignity even though they live on the other side of the tracks? No one is with excuse to treat anyone in unfair and injust ways, just as no one is with excuse to commit the sin of revenge and murder.

I was with you up to a point, D., until you said that Mr. Thornton “did not truly have access to justice.” Our courts are designed to provide equal access to all. You can argue the merits of the rich having more access, but if Mr. Thornton had an inkling of a case, there is an attorney somewhere in this community who would have assisted him. Mr. Thornton appealed his cases and lost, so he was told twice by the court that he was in the wrong. Oh, and please don’t use the Bible to justify murder, because it justifies all kinds of things we don’t condone in current society.

The unfortunate result of your posting is that you are blaming the community, in part or in total, for laying the foundation for the action that Mr. Thornton took and this is just wrong. Mr. Thornton had a series of choices he could have made all along the way. The short answer was that he violated city ordinances and laws and was unwilling to pay the consequences. When you and I get ticketed, for the most part, we end up paying the fine, then change our behavior, or pay more fines.

At the same time, I appreciate the rational, dispassionate way in which you presented your argument. Here’s to free speech.

It seems to me that there is something in Kirkwood that is not being talked about enough. That is the relationship between Kirkwood, the City, and Meecham Park, the enclave. I think it goes back a long way and runs very deep.

When a township like Kirkwood can overlook a guy like Devlin, who was living in the virtual shadow of city hall when, in hindsight, many more questions should have been raised, yet take the time to deluge a Meecham Park resident, who considered himself a businessman, with petty tickets and small minded behavior, just doesn’t jive.

I’m no sycophant, and have no sympathy nor empathy for Thornton as a person. He was nothing more than a violent nut case. But, someone should have seen that coming. I think it goes to some kind of “High and Mighty” position that a guy like that gets dismissed and a guy like Devlin gets overlooked.

Something ain’t right in Kirkwood.

Because of this horrific tragedy, let each and every one of us dedicate ourselves to having respect, decency and kindness to all of our fellow human beings and have that be our monument to those who died.

Maybe there should be discussion on who really in this country truly have access to justice because this Reynolds you truly do not grasp.

This was written on Valentine’s Day. I am 68 years old and have lived in and loved Kirkwood all of my life—Because of this horrific tragedy, let each and every one of us dedicate ourselves to having respect, decency and kindness to all of our fellow human beings and have that be our monument to those who died.

Thank You So Much!

Kirkwood killings and concealed carry:

I have heard rumors there are some trying to link the horrific Kirkwood killings (in which a friend of mine, Tom Ballman died) to the issue of concealed carry of firearms. Now I understand that St. Louis is filled with far too many gun-o-phobic cowards who think that firearms should only be possessed by the police….however the two issues are not in any way linked. Even if Thornton were a concealed carry permit holder one issue (the murders) would not be connected to the other (concealed carry). First, there are only about 50,000 or so concealed carry permit holders in this State. Secondly, criminals (like Thornton) will carry firearms whether it is legal or not. Thirdly, this murderous scumbag murdered an officer on the street and then took the officer’s sidearm to use as a second weapon as his murderous assault continued. Concealed carry permit holders RARELY are found to use their firearms inappropriately. Let’s not get caught up in some hysterical “anti-gun” foolishness. If someone (other than a police officer) had been carrying a firearm in the City Hall meeting, perhaps lives would have been spared. But sadly, those in power (the gun-o-phobic) will continue to disarm citizens (or making it illegal to carry in certain places like public buildings, schools and college campus) and the evil predators roaming our streets will continue to kill with impunity. And a big sign will be posted on their “hunting grounds” which clearly reads: NO FIREARMS PERMITTED ON THIS PROPERTY. Sure makes things easy for the killers among us.

Bob,

You say, “criminal like Thornton”.

Believe it or not any one of us due to our human nature is capable of commiting an act as ugly and murderous as Thornton. You have better wake up and believe and acknowledge that fact or you may find you own self in as worst a shape one day.

Until the hearts of people in this Country realize that we must obey and follow the higher power of authority, ALL guns outside guns for the purposes of hunting and protecting your home need to be banned.