What’s going on, people?
Columnist James-Ingram
I consider myself to be a God-fearing individual, and it is for that reason that I believe that there must be a special place reserved in hell for those who murder our most vulnerable citizens.
Those were my immediate thoughts when I learned of the stabbing death of 96-year-old Ruby L. Coney of Centreville, IL.
How horrible it must have been for family members to find their mother, grandmother, matriarch murdered, her usually tidy home ransacked, obviously by some heartless, crazed parasite more concerned with stealing a few dollars than with the life that he/she would destroy.
It is a travesty for someone to live (in good health) for nearly a century, only to have her life taken by vermin, human pond scum. For Mrs. Coney to leave this earth in any manner other than with her family at her side is unacceptable.
Coincidently, Mrs. Coney just happened to be the mother of my mom’s good friend, making this an even more painful and tragic event for me, but also underscoring the depths to which some within our community have sunk.
That begs the question, what type of criminal genius would find it necessary to beat and stab a 96-year-old woman in order to rob her?
How much resistance or trouble could she have possibly been to her attacker? You know the answer. This was a vicious, senseless and unnecessary act.
Back in the day, it was unheard of for those within the African-American community to even entertain the thought of such an act. That was expected to happen in “other” communities. It was an unwritten rule that no matter how poor or destitute “we” were that we never victimized our elders.
Sadly, those days are long gone. With the disintegration of black family values, a byproduct of the toxic mix of crack addiction, poverty, absentee fathers and rampant family dysfunction, our black elders are seen more as prey than the pillars of the community which they are.
When dance icon Katherine Dunham passed away last year her body was hardly cold before predators stole scrap copper from one of her properties.
In two cases near East Boogie last year, an elderly woman and then an elderly man were forced to shoot burglars who attempted to enter their homes.
That shouldn’t be. These vultures masquerading as human beings shouldn’t prey upon our elders. Nor should our elders be forced to defend themselves as if they’re on the frontlines in Iraq.
Obviously, the perpetrators of such crimes have no fear of the death penalty nor of those within our community.
The street code of “Thou shall not snitch” is more valued than the Biblical commandment of “Thou shall not kill.” That’s a major part of the problem. There must be consequences and, yes, fear of violating or disrespecting our elders and babies.
We’ve dropped the ball as a community, black folks. This isn’t just an East Boogie problem. It’s the destruction and dismantling of the African-American village.
As for the murder of Mrs. Coney, Illinois State Police were busy canvassing the neighborhood at press time, with no firm leads.
However, anyone with any information relative to the murder is asked to contact Agent Warren Herring of the Illinois State Police at 618-346-3787, the Centreville Police Department at 618-332-1184 or Crime Stoppers at 1(866) 371- TIPS.
Email: jtingram_1960@yahoo.com.