Dennis Stuart Hayle "Mr Long Island" Once again, I am writing another post about the life of an exceptional young person who is no longer here through no fault of his/her own. Dennis Hayle embodied the spirit of North Carolina A&T University’s “Aggie Pride” and the hope and joy of a generation. But he has now become another murder statistic in a sea of senseless murders that destroy our best and brightest for no apparent reason.
Dennis was not involved in drugs or other illicit activity and he was not in the wrong place – he was, in fact, in the hall outside his apartment having just come from visiting a friend in the same building. And then, on the night of Sunday, January 25th,2009, Dennis Hayle, age 22, was shot to death by an unknown assailant.
But, once again, I refuse to become a voyeur into this young man’s death but instead I want to emphasize and honor the LIFE of Dennis and what he accomplished in his short time on earth.
Dennis grew up in Hempstead, NY on Long Island and, according to his mother, he dreamed of coming to A&T (Greensboro, NC) since he was in the 5th grade. He was a political science and criminal justice major at A & T, ready to graduate in a few months. His dream was to become a lawyer or lobbyist.
Dennis played football, lacrosse and wrestling in high school and overcame a learning disability to accomplish his goals. He attended the college of his dreams and became an Omega Psi Phi fraternity brother. He studied hard and he gave back to the community by mentoring elementary school students and working at homeless shelters.
Dennis went to Washington, DC to attend the inauguration of President Obama just days before he was killed. He has been described as loving, caring, polite, well mannered and the life of the party. One friend said of him, "He was here to make people feel better."
The deaths of these young people aren’t about gender or race or ethnic origins. They are the products of a world of gangs and casual violence and societal apathy. Until we are willing to confront this problem head on and make some tough choices, our children will continue to be collateral damage.
And so, another bright light has gone out in the world.
Dennis was not involved in drugs or other illicit activity and he was not in the wrong place – he was, in fact, in the hall outside his apartment having just come from visiting a friend in the same building. And then, on the night of Sunday, January 25th,2009, Dennis Hayle, age 22, was shot to death by an unknown assailant.
But, once again, I refuse to become a voyeur into this young man’s death but instead I want to emphasize and honor the LIFE of Dennis and what he accomplished in his short time on earth.
Dennis grew up in Hempstead, NY on Long Island and, according to his mother, he dreamed of coming to A&T (Greensboro, NC) since he was in the 5th grade. He was a political science and criminal justice major at A & T, ready to graduate in a few months. His dream was to become a lawyer or lobbyist.
Dennis played football, lacrosse and wrestling in high school and overcame a learning disability to accomplish his goals. He attended the college of his dreams and became an Omega Psi Phi fraternity brother. He studied hard and he gave back to the community by mentoring elementary school students and working at homeless shelters.
Dennis went to Washington, DC to attend the inauguration of President Obama just days before he was killed. He has been described as loving, caring, polite, well mannered and the life of the party. One friend said of him, "He was here to make people feel better."
The deaths of these young people aren’t about gender or race or ethnic origins. They are the products of a world of gangs and casual violence and societal apathy. Until we are willing to confront this problem head on and make some tough choices, our children will continue to be collateral damage.
And so, another bright light has gone out in the world.
I’m sorry, Dennis…
Rest in peace, Dennis. I wish your light in our Universe had remained longer. And thank you, Rocky, for sharing him with us.
ReplyDeleteHow sad. Dennis, I'm sure your time on this earth, however short it might have been, will continue to have a positive impact on the lives of many.
ReplyDeleteA very beautiful tribute Rocky.
Thank you. I feel compelled to tell their stories because they were so full of LIFE, and I just can't bear the idea of being them just another statistic. There are others; too many others, but these kids that are killed in my state affect me most.
ReplyDeleteThe violence is getting worse and the offenders are getting younger and the casual cruelty is scary. A large part of the problem lies in early initiation into gangs where these acts are glorified and encouraged. We need to save the kids who haven't been taken in yet and those who are too far gone need to be locked up away from society before they have a chance to get this far.
We need three time youthful offender laws that will bestow heavy sentences on juveniles involved in violent and/or serious felonies. And, in order to make room for them, we need to empty the jail of nonviolent drug users and decriminalize "soft" drugs.
Nice tribute Rocky. I don't agree about the solution though. If you put these kids in jail, they just learn how to be better criminals. I would think some kind of in patient, clinical psychological therapy might help them more.
ReplyDeleteAnd really, the root of the whole inner city gang thing is poverty and lack of meaningful opportunities to get out of the ghetto. Not sure how to solve it.
Of course, if they actually commit murder, then jail is probably appropriate.
Very kind of you, Rocky, to do these tributes. If lessons can be learned through the sharing of such stories then maybe something positive can come out of something so awfully wretched.
ReplyDeleteThank you Squid and Libby. These kids haunt pretty much my every waking moment.
ReplyDeleteAnd so do their killers. Many times they turn out to be close in age to their victims and sometimes much younger.
And Libby, I know what you are trying to say, but you are thinking of these unfeeling unrepentant murderers as children and they are not - once they have reached the point of murder, 1) a vital human being is dead and a whole world of people are devastated and 2) it is too late to intervene.
And yes, the low income, high crime areas certainly have a higher concentration of gang activity which heavily contributes to violent offenses but this disregard for human life and casual cruelty crosses all racial, socio-economic lines.
Look at all the women killed by husbands such as that guy in Denver and the one in California.
Incorporate pych programs and rehab into the incarceration which would be possible if you stop all the drug nonsense, but keep them behind bars for a long time. I'm talking about violent serious offenders here, not smash and grab types. Our first priority must be the protection of law abiding citizens.
The ghetto doesn't change until we change our thinking - we must become engaged in and support programs that teach children core values, give them self esteem and help them attain their goals. It is not enough to do a good job raising our own children, we must demand that others do the same.
Welfare mothers should have to prove that they are teaching their children basic rules of civility and investing time in their upbringing. That should be the price for being on the dole.
We need breakfast served, after school programs that give kids not only a safe place to hang out but include mentors to help them do their homework. Kids need a place to go for help and they need someone to believe in them. A lot of work, a lot of commitment, but given the alternative, nothing less is acceptable.
You're all probably tired of me thanking you for allowing me into your blog community. But thanks again.
ReplyDelete