R.I.P. Sandra Parks ~ 2005 – 2018

As always, my friend Kim brings something to my attention that just makes me question fate, my faith in humanity and the choices people make that affect so many lives..

By Hook Or By Book

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Last Monday night, November 20th 13-year-old Sandra Parks was killed by a stray bullet as she watched television in her bedroom in her Milwaukee home. She said to her mother, “Mama, I’m shot.” Two years ago Sandra won third place in a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. contest for the following essay. After reading it, it left me wondering what this remarkable young girl would have gone on to accomplish if she hadn’t fallen victim to the senseless gun violence that plagues our nation. In tribute to this young life taken much too soon, I’d like to share it with you.

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Published by The BookWorm Drinketh

I am Nicole and I am an avid reader and an alcohol connoisseur.. which it totally different from an alcoholic.. I swear. I am trying to get into the editing world and in doing so I learned that giving my opinions and networking in as many forms of media as I could is the way to get heard! I wanted to create an open forum to pair alcoholic drinks with books based on the theme, feel and/or content of the book. I will warn anyone who joins me here that you will get a very eclectic range of books as I will read anything from Rom Coms, sci-fi, and fantasy to Bizzaro, Steampunk and Biographies, whatever pairs with an interesting drink! I will also say that I am very honest and I will not pander to the popular or feel the need to give a good review just because I got an ARC read of a certain book. I believe that everyone deserves the truth no matter how much it hurts.. EVEN ME! I would love everyone’s opinions! AND LET THE DRINKS FLOW!! (Let’s just not have the drinks make the honesty get TOO out of hand!) ;p

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31 thoughts on “R.I.P. Sandra Parks ~ 2005 – 2018”

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  2. Nicole …Sandra was an old head on young shoulders and wise beyond her years and to have her life tragically cut short…So senseless. We often hear the words ” out of the mouth of babes ” Change needs to come from within every single person whatever their colour or creed I hope someone who can will take her words and never let them be forgotten but used to start change.

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    1. Very true. I wish I knew what’s happening to the world that this just seems to be such a constant occurrence now. It also seems to always be children that are targeted!…. Is it the changes in society? Changes in parenting? Accessibility to information or weapons? A rise in mental instability or a caudling that causes everyone to THINK they suffer from mental instability?? There are just so many changes in this world… And I don’t like a lot of them.

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    1. Thank you for checking it out. I’m both glad and devestated that Kim brought this to my attention… But, turning a blind eye doesn’t make it go away. I’m sure that Sandra’s family wouldn’t appreciate us pretending it didn’t happen because it’s sad and uncomfortable for us… They’ll never be able to pretend it didn’t happen. Why should we?

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    1. I agree. It’s so sad to hear of these things happening in the world. And it’s JUST. TOO. FREQUENTLY. I just don’t understand what’s happening with the world with so much senseless violence. What’s changed? Or is it just more access to media that allows us better access to things that have been happening all along? 🤔

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      1. Nicole, I truly believe it’s more than simply having more and almost immediate media coverage in this age of violence we find ourselves caught up in. I believe people have grown to be more and more “numbed out” about shootings and stabbings and other means of bringing harm and death to fellow human beings. Video games are so realistic now that human characters look almost real. And then these games are so very violent: characters get shot of stabbed or blown up or dismembered, and then our young people hit the “reset” button and they come back to life: nor harm, no foul. Of course it’s much wider and more complex than that, but somewhere along the way people have lost compassion and love for their fellow man (as in, mankind). It’s a sad and terrible situation, and I don’t see things getting any better anytime soon. Instant gratification and a lack of understanding normal human love for one another seems to have done us in as a society. So very, very sad.

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      2. So true. I hate to blame video games for problems with people (they really should know the difference) but, as someone who was the manager of a video game store for 14 years… I’ve seen how they’ve effected people and skewed their views and priorities (and I’m not only talking about kids… I’ve had grown adults throw full blown tantrums in my store when they couldnt pick up a game they wanted). I once had someone threaten to burn down my store if I didn’t get him a Nintendo figurine that he wanted….
        I think heading into the realm of VR would be a VERY bad idea with how out of touch with reality people are getting. You’re absolutely right. There’s no hitting reset on these choices…

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  8. So heartbreaking, Nicole. Every person lost through gun violence is a horrible waste of untold potential, but even more so the children. We’ve become a country that refuses to protect and provide for our children. The US should be ashamed.

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    1. I just don’t know what’s happening with society… As someone who has a man who enjoys his guns, I guess I’m in a tough spot. But, I just don’t understand how these people committing these atrocities get their hands in these weapons. It’s such a tough situation becauee there are people out there who are so careful with weapons who shouldn’t be penalized… But, how do you know? I also feel like a lot of the people committing these crimes are getting the weapons through I’ll gotten means, so going after the people who go through all the red tape… It’s tough. Nothing can ever be black or white… There are just too many grey areas with everything now a days…

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      1. We have to get licenses to drive cars, why not get a license to own a gun? Take a safety class, get a background check, show that you understand proper use and storage, and know the laws …. a few hours and your good to go unless you commit a crime. My youngest brother was murdered with a gun, so I’m not very sympathetic to people who won’t consider any compromises. We all have to compromise all the time! Why not gun owners? Sorry, Nicole, this gets my blood fired up. I miss my brother.

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      2. I’m in Canada. So, we have all that stuff here. I didn’t know it was so lax in the states… You should AT LEAST be doing those things. In Canada, if you own a handgun you actually need a license tied to a specific place even to transport it. Since handguns are restricted here, you have to apply to the range you wish to use it at and get a special transport licence even to have it in the vehicle, and even there it has to be in a separate area and locked at all times. It’s a different world here… But, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t still gun violence. I’m so sorry for your loss.

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      3. I always knew that Canada was several notches higher on the sanity scale. Sometimes, I really want to move there! As of November 8th there were 307 mass shootings in the US. I’m certain your gun regulations are saving lives. 🙂 Yay for Canada.

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