Remembering Anthony Weathers

I wrote recently about a homicide in The District area on Halloween night October 2012 on 2000 block of 4th St. NE concerning a young man that is anonymous to many but loved by those who knew him and worked with him. There is a ceremony coming up this week at St. Elizabeth Hospital and is being hosted by Mayor's Office that I am hoping the community will attend as well as those that take courage to stand up for the rights of those that are inadvertently taken before their time. Anthony Weathers was a success story at most if you look at where he actually came from,in all honestly he would have fallen through the cracks much earlier but he was chosen and interventions were made along the way for him and his family. The Washington Post article had stated that he died after being shot in an alley on Halloween night and there weren't any suspects in his murder as of yet. The truly sad part of the story is that there are many more Anthony's in our city destined to fall as he did. I spoke with leaders in the Southeast community and the Chief Operational Officer of Universal Healthcare Management Services, an entity that serves SE Washington Dc and it's residents with mental health services and wrap around assistance.One of UHMSDC high hopes is for some of it's younger consumers to become gainfully employed and educated against remaining in poverty. The conversation was very passionate and informational because Anthony Weathers worked as a clerical assistant there and was voted most likely to succeed.Just as the country has it's eyes upon President Obama and his wife Michelle Obama's recent trip to Chicago to give support and sympathize with the parents of a slain High School majorette who was killed in a drive-by we have our fallen as well in DC. The laws that will prevent guns from being widespread and bought by people who will misuse and perhaps hurt,maim or kill has come all to late to save many but hopefully this law will prevent those young people men and women who will be on the radar living and freely moving about their lives notwithstanding to be a target for death.There will be a 2012 Conference on Re-Entry and Special Award Ceremony held on Saturday,February 23,2013 at St. Elizabeth's Hospital Auditorium from 12:00pm -3:00pm. The hospital is located on 1100 Alabama Ave. SE 20020.. . This summit will unveil the DC Re-Entry Strategy and other Orca Programs focusing on successful reintegration ,public safety and a reduction in recidivism in the District of Columbia.There will be variety of officials at the Summit who will present some of these awards.Mannone Butler- CJCC, Rodney Mitchell-DOC, Wallace Kirby-ULS, and Dr. Jerry Brown -ORCA The Summit will be hosted by HBO's DEF Poet Lamont Carey. Presentations of the ORCA 2013 Restorative Justice Awards will go posthumously to Anthony Weathers and an Employee Special Recognition Award. The irony in all this is that about three months after his death Anthony was chosen to participate in the program and to start his career in Electrical Training at one of the classes in conjunction with ORCA. The community hopes with the assistance of the Mayor's Office of Returning Citizen Affairs that there will be a light at the end of the tunnel for those residents that can benefit from the efforts and action of this agency. The presentation of Anthony Weathers award along with other services will be a Guiding Light for the returning citizen to put to the best possible use imaginable a new lease on life!