R.I.P. Kamilah Russell, Murder Knows Nothing Of Age

Last weekend four people were killed in separate incidents in the city, which is nothing new though it has to be the most violent weekend to date this year. But there was murder this week that is so heartbreaking and horrific that it hurts to write this blog at the moment. 19 year old Oakland mother Tiffany Lopez killed her two year old daughter on Wednesday. Ironically the mother is three months pregnant, and also has a seven month daughter as well. I first heard the story while watching the news on Wednesday and was immediately struck by the pain the father was displaying. The reason behind the mother's senseless actions, she was "fustrated" with her daughter. Now I don't have any children currently, and dream of the day when I do welcome my first child into this world. But I understand from watching my grandmother raise me and my five siblings, that it can be a very difficult and a sometimes fustrating task. That doesn't mean that you take the life of a child that you held inside of you for nine months, simply because you couldn't deal with the pressures of parenthood. It doesn't help at all that this mother had already faced child abuse charges in San Mateo country. Her family had even reported her to Child Protective Services, and still she was able to fall thru the cracks. Which happens to many that are apart of the "system".



I've lived in this city for 21 years of my life, and have seen friends and a few family members fall victim to senseless killings. But this is truly disturbing to know that murder seems to not give a damn about age, it takes who it wants no matter where that person is in there life. This little girl was only two years old, from the reading the article in the Tribune she loved watching Dora The Explorer and the color pink. She also liked accompanying her father Joseph Russell Jr. on errands. That exactly what he was doing on the last day he got to see his daughter alive. He spoke words in the news interview that really struck a cord with me, "It's making me die deep inside that my daughter is gone, "... that she'll never grow up to be a young woman,"

But did her mother think of that same thought, with all her "fustration" that her daughter would never grow up to be a young woman? Probably not but its these kind of thoughts that I wish people would stop on consider before taking a life whether with a gun, or with their bare hands. Think about the life of the person your about to take, think about the dreams they might have from themselves. The contributions they could make on this world if you didn't take their very precious life. I've said it before on several occasions, there really does seem to be a lack of respect for human life in this city. The senseless murders need to stop, as beautiful as Oakland is none in the right mind would want to raise a family here and that depressing. Oakland is so rich in history, but it seems like that history is being buried with ever resident that is killed due to a homicide. I asked the question before and will continue to ask it, When will it all stop? It must stop, needs to stop or there won't be a Oakland to left










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