So I promised an update last week, but there just wasn't enough time. It's been almost 2 weeks without an update and I feel like I've been missing something. So just a recap on what's been going on. As some of you know I have been planning this big event for the 1 year anniversary of my cousin's death....which is tomorrow (actually in 15 minutes to be exact). I posted a copy of an email that I sent to news stations a while back...thinking I'd never hear back from them. I woke up and checked my phone like usual (I realistically can't go more than 2 hours without checking my phone...and that's stretching it). Much to my surprise there was an email from a news reporter asking to interview me about what kind of answers the family is trying to get, as well as what it's been like throughout the course of the last year. She also hopes to help us get some answers from the police department. I immediately got in contact with the family (okay not immediately....more like my mom text me and said to call her and I did) and we agreed to do the interview. My aunt is still really emotional about the whole situation and continues to struggle with the loss of her only daughter. She has a son as well, but he is not able to be with the family right now. I'm not going to explain what the situation is there other than it's not by choice and he'd give anything to be with us. So my aunt tells me that she won't be able to handle an on camera interview without breaking down...and asks me to do it. All I think was "CRAP". I was partly expecting it because I've always taken the role of "spokesperson" for the family, but the sheer idea of being on camera.....on the news....terrifies me. Nonetheless I said okay I'll do it. In the meantime I convinced Crystal's best friend to join me, as well as one of my other aunts. Now we are three women terrified to be on the camera, but at least we will do it together! So I emailed the reporter back letting her know we are more than willing to meet with her and to find out when she wants to do the interview. Now it's the waiting game.
So in addition to this, I get an email from another reporter while I'm eating dinner. She would like to meet tomorrow and do an interview with a family member. This one will not be on video, but she is planning on bringing a reporter with her. I'm still nervous for the interview, but like I said I will have two companions with me. After the interview, the reporter and photographer are going to follow us to the cemetery so we can visit Crystal and say a prayer for her. Oh and did I mention that on top of all this...we have a candlelight vigil planned for tomorrow evening? We received permission from the owners and managers of the apartment complex where her murder took place (in the parking lot) to do a candlelight vigil there tomorrow evening. I think we should have between 20-30 people in attendance, which will be great. It's our family's way of letting everyone know we ware still here demanding answers and justice for her death. Nobody deserves to die at the age of 25, especially at the hand of another person. That person took away a mother to three young boys, a daughter, a sister, a beloved cousin (who btw we often got asked if we were sisters), a niece, a grand-daughter, an auntie, a best friend, etc. He/She took her away from us and we will never be able to get that back. I know I shouldn't say this because I'm a social worker and all, but I firmly believe in an eye for an eye. You murder someone, you deserve to die yourself. No forgiveness or getting to spend your days living off tax payers on death row...you deserve to die. I'm not saying kill the person the same way they killed their victim...but humanely. Seriously...can we go back to the days of the firing squad? Okay I'm really just kidding on that last comment, but I do think it would save our tax payers and judicial system a lot of money if we didn't let death row inmates sit there for 20 years and die of natural causes. Maybe I should be a politician instead of a social worker....
MOVING ON now...I have been working nonstop on two papers that are both due tomorrow. The first paper was for my HBSE class and was applying two theories to an experience that I had. I used my brother as a guinea pig...because he actually said yes. It's not very often that he lets me use him as an example for things...so I took full advantage. I interviewed him all professionally and stuff. Okay granted it's hard to interview family and be "professional" about it, but I tried! I think I did alright on it, but we'll see when I get it back next week! No joke, I was up till about 3 am on Thursday night, 4am Friday and Saturday night, plus I worked on it all day long....just to finish it. I submitted it Sunday night around 9pm, despite it not being due till tomorrow at midnight. Granted I could have kept it longer and tried to improve it...but I also have a research paper due tomorrow at 9pm for my Practice 2 class. This paper was about diversity and had to have a minimum of 6 sources and one interview. I wrote my paper on African American Lesbians because it's an area I'm not all that familiar with, but I'm interested in the group. I worked from 3:30 pm Monday doing my interview and finishing up the reading on my sources until 3 am last night to get it done. I only finished 1.25 pages of the paper by the time I went to sleep at 3am. I woke up and started all over again, and am proud to say after working nonstop all day long I finished it and submitted it to my teacher around 9pm tonight! I'm sooooooo thankful to have both of those submitted and off my shoulders. Now I can focus on tomorrow and then worry about my other homework starting Thursday.
Okay I'm sure I bored you all long enough so I'll go do something productive...like maybe go to bed. It is 12:15 afterall! Oh btw, I have 30 followers now...how awesome is that! To those that I haven't commented back to yet, I promise you will get one from me before I go to bed tonight!
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