I think about the families in that Elmwood neighborhood.
I think about the parents who heard a car roaring down Cranston Street at 70 Meph PH and felt their heart stop wondering if their child was playing outside.
I think about 72-year-old Mrs.
Dorothy Henderson and her husband Frank, 74, both retired teachers from Hope High School who taught for 35 and 38 years, respectively.
They were crossing the street to visit their neighbor Margaret Sullivan at 289 Cranston Street on August 15th at 4:33 p.m.
They had to jump back onto the curb because Madison Thornton couldn’t be bothered to slow down.
I think about all the young people out there who are watching cases like this, waiting to see whether the justice system works the same for everyone, or if it’s different if you have money, if your father makes phone calls, or if you can afford expensive lawyers to try and intimidate police officers.
And I’ll tell you something else I think about.
I think about what could have happened.
We are very fortunate, and I mean very fortunate, that no one was hurt in these incidents.
But what if there had been? What if seven-year-old Emma Rodriguez had been playing in a front yard at 241 Cranston Street? What if 59year-old Mr.
Thomas Chen, a postal worker for 22 years, had been getting his mail at 2:15 that afternoon? What if Mrs.
Henderson had been taking the daily 300 walk she has been taking for the past 10 years? You know, I have seven beautiful grandchildren, ranging in age from 6 to 16.
My youngest granddaughter, Sophia Marie Caprio, is 6 years old, born June 8th, 2018.
When I think about her playing in a neighborhood enjoying a sunny day, and I think about someone like Madison Thornton driving 70 mph through that neighborhood with complete disregard for her safety, it makes my blood run cold.
It makes me realize that we aren’t just talking about traffic violations here.
