By Tressia J. Amacher
I know that most of us have very busy lives, but I beg each of you to take just a few short moments of your time to read this. Wherever you are... whatever you are doing, please, press your 'pause' button and give me your undivided attention. If any of you watch/read the news you must have heard or read of the Lester Street Massacre in Memphis, TN. If you have been hiding out under a rock and have not heard of this horrific tragedy let me bring you up to speed.
On March 03, 2008 Memphis City Police Department discovered 6 bodies in home along with 3 other victims who had been brutally stabbed and left for dead. Just those details alone make for a gruesome news report, but when the nation learned that 2 of the slain were a 2 year old and a 4 year old, well, let's just say that is when MY stomach began to heave. I was sickened by those details. It's almost 9 days later and I still feel like retching. The 3 surviving children are the siblings of the slain toddlers.
The Mother and Father of these children were also among the slain. In recent news reports Memphis City Police announced that one of the children identified the killer as their 'Uncle Jessie'. Yes, you read right. According to what is being reported by local media an argument between 2 brothers led to a bloodbath. According to MCPD any information leading up to the arrest of the killer(s) an $81,000 reward was being offered. The city of Memphis is divided, yet again, as MCPD refuse to give the money to the child who did, in fact, provide "information that led up to the arrest of the killer(s)". Other city officials and religious leaders are adamantly in favor of the money going to the children. Tennessee's Governor Phil Bredesen also believes that the money should go to the children. Moving forward... the fact remains that the children, Cecil Dotson, around 9, Cedric Dotson, around 6, and Ceniyah 2 months old are now orphans.
We do not know the extent of their physical injuries. The emotional damage, however, will last a lifetime. My sisters and I are so heartbroken for the children that I began L.I.A CAST [Love In Action: Cantrell, Audrey, Savanah and Tressia] to raise money for the children's medical expenses, educational expenses, counseling expenses, etc. I humbly appeal to each of you to open your hearts to Cecil, Cedric and Ceniyah. They need an outpouring of love from the human community. Lately much has been said about the need for change in our society. This is our opportunity to make that change. Start with the man or woman in the mirror. Skip the night out and the fancy dinner. Donate that money to these orphans. They need it more. Challenge your boss or your best friend to match whatever you're able to give.
HBCUConnect members, this is our time to shine... to give back to our community and perhaps, give 3 young orphans the opportunity to receive an HBCU education.
Donations should be mailed to: L.I.A. CAST c/o Ms. Tressia J. Amacher P.O. Box 936 Cordova, TN 38088 Please make cashier's checks/money orders payable to: Lester Street Victim's Fund L.I.A. CAST is working in collaboration with ACTION NEWS 5 WMC- TV Memphis
http://www.wmctv.com/global/story.asp?s=79... If you have any questions, please, send an email via hbcuconnect.com Thank you so much for your support.
Posted By: Jehan Bunch
Thursday, March 13th 2008 at 5:01PM
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