In his most recent column for The Daily Beast, Mike Barnicle reflects on violence across this country—from this week’s shocking murders of journalists Alison Parker and Adam Ward during a live morning newscast to the unending homicides witnessed in America’s harshest neighborhoods every day, year after year. “There are blocks upon city blocks where the sound of gunshots and the sight of someone down, dead in the street, is simply part of everyday life. Their very own deadly and daily reality show,” writes Mike. As a reminder of how little has changed in the 25 years, Mike shares one of his heart-rending columns from 1988—another election year in which the focus was far from the streets where gun violence abounds. “We do not know mothers, terrified to let children play on a sidewalk or sit on a stoop in front of their own building. We do not know the 7 and 8 year olds who regard the sound of gunfire as common as the sound of music. We don’t know the grief felt by a parent when a son is shot to death over a pair of sneakers, the color of his cap, a glance, a grudge or just because,” continues Mike. Read his entire column here.
