CLEVELAND — It is a season of flowers. Bursting forth with color. Blooms beautiful and abundant. But blooms watered with tears of grief.
These flowers are placed here by mourners of murdered Euclid police officer Jacob Derbin who was killed in the line of duty by a gunman who hid in the shadows as the officer answered a citizen's call for help.
Yes, there is an outpouring of grief and outrage over Jacob Derbin's murder.
It is such acts of murder that almost nightly pepper the newscasts.
Murder, especially by gun, long ago crept into our Northeast Ohio reality.
Not only this killing of Euclid's Officer Derbin, but civilians gunned down as well.
On occasion there are streetside memorials marking the grief family, friends, and communities bring as they bear witness to feelings of senseless death. It is death brought by those who open fire or wield other instruments to kill. So streetside memorials mark the hurt of mourners as they pray their hopes.
There is outrage, but it must go even deeper if the wider and broader community is to see change.
Police departments and city halls tabulate the numbers of murders for the official files as investigators look to the guilty and the courts seek justice.
But the question is where is the far-reaching community-wide, across municipal, political, and social boundary line outrage about the murders amongst us.
For many decades as a Northeast Ohio news reporter I have covered so many murders I have lost count. I have long realized the danger zone can be anywhere and everywhere. So question: are you not outraged? I am.
So where do we go – all of us – from here? The flowers at funerals, and streetside vigils and public memorials, in their silent way, are speaking to us.
Want to be among the first to know the most important local and national news? The latest sports? We've got you covered! You can download the free WKYC app and get the latest updates sent to your phone: Android, Apple.