Pain of murder felt by victim’s family too, says mom

And that pain is acutely felt by Lovine Herbert, who lost her only son, Leonard, to gun violence over three years ago.

Lovine Herbert, mother of 2004 murder victim
“Some day when I think bout ah I just feel like do something bad out ah di way. Just because I believe eena God and I trust God. Ih hard cause sometimes when I remember my son I cry. Everybody woulda want find wah way fi stop crime but ih noh wah stop. Me personally if I mi know weh fi do fi mek ih stop I’da do it because ih terrible when deh have to kill your pickney, your belly pain. Deh noh know how you struggle fi mind your pickney deh. Deh noh wah arrest nobody cause my son da mi wah lee black boy off the street weh deh class ah as and my son mi have wah home. My son dah noh no dog, my son da wa human being. But just dat ih noh listen to parents, ih follow ih company and company lead you astray.”

“I did never get no satisfaction, no kinda nothing from deh police, none ah deh. All weh happen when my son dead one police come ask me if di person noh tell me who kill ah because de mi deh wid ah when ih dead. And that’s all. When my husband gone ask dem da di station bout the certain person, he seh ih noh know if deh fly up eena di sky or if deh gone down eena di ground.”

Over the rest of the week we’ll examine the issue from other perspectives.