JP murder victim identified as Hyde Park man trying to put troubled past behind him
Boston Police today identified the man shot to death on Centre Street in Jamaica Plain as Kenny Lamour, 21, of Hyde Park.
Lamour had ridden in a van to the Arborway rotary to do snow cleanup as part of a "transitional employment program" organized by Roca, Inc., which tries to steer young people with troubled pasts away from violence.
In 2011, Lamour, then living at a DYS facility in Roslindale, was charged with stomping a DYS worker after another facility resident beat the worker to the ground in a dispute. He was convicted and sentenced to 2 1/2 years in a county jail, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office.
Lamour's alleged killer, Josiah Zachery, 18, of Hyde Park, is scheduled for arraignment today in West Roxbury Municipal Court on charges of both murder and assault with a dangerous weapon on a police officer for allegedly firing at an officer who chased him.
Ad:
Comments
So sad. So much rage in these
So sad. So much rage in these young men. Where does it come from? Who can teach them to channel that rage into something good?
Men want to be king
I think men are made to try to explore and lead and conquer. When they can't build they destroy or flame out.
We've become more women-focused which is good and every society has to come up with a way to train and restrain men. But what works for women may not satisfy the ambitions of men.
I think you would find many of the same impulses to sacrifice and dominate in young terrorist men.
A return to patriarchy is not the answer.
How about more opportunities to create and succeed without being sucked into the drug/gang life? How about communities that support rather than frustrate? The Mars/Venus theory of gender has been repeatedly disproven by social science and will not provide the answers we need.
How about role models these
How about role models these young men and boys have to emulate? Who do they have? Many come from homes with no father involved in their life.
I'm a firm believer that boys need a good solid male role model. It's really rather sad and lonely to think of what many of these young men have to guide them through life; violence on tv, video games, violence right outside their door.
Government can't do it all and neither can all the best intentions. Starting with going back to the basics of family life will help. A two parent household is best and I speak from experience on that. A nurturing and supportive home can do what all the money in the world can't.
And what's...
...a "good solid male role model"? If it's the same tired old tropes -- you're a MAN! and so you must EXPLORE! and LEAD! and CONQUER! -- then all I can say is wow, look at the current mess and tell me that that was such a great idea. How about we give the whole "this is what MEN do and this is what WOMEN do" bullshit a rest for a while, and just concentrate on being human?
I actually do think
I actually do think relationships between fathers and sons (or father figures) is unique. As is with mothers and daughters.
I actually do think boys and girls are different! I know it's old fashioned here in 2015.
I'm not asking anyone to hunt for food, btw, but I do feel that we humans actually think we are better than we are.
Who better to guide a young man through those growth spurts, such as dealing with girls, puberty, and the whole pressure of "becoming a man" that gets thrown around so much than a good, stable male role model?
You think sexes are the same, I don't.
Hey, look, it's another ridiculous strawman argument!
It's old fashioned to ascribe socialized gender roles to biology.
When did puberty become the issue here?
Don't tell me what I think. You speak for you, you don't speak for me. Don't be so damn arrogant.
I'm confused here
I hate to wade into arguments, but I see a fault here.
Patricia wrote-
Those were her words, a sentence and a paragraph.
You wrote-
Technically didn't see basically say that she thought one way and you thought another. She was just pointing that out. 2 different opinions, which you seem to claim she is not allowing. How can you get your Irish up about that? Your counter seems a little rude. It also kind of seems like you are actually saying that she should not think the way she does. No, you don't say that, but in responding as you do, how else can it be interpreted?
I have no opinion on the main issue. Just passing through.
You know, I WAS going to respond to this....
...when I realized that no one with enough neural activity to be able to hit buttons on a keyboard could possibly think that what you wrote makes any sense, at all.
So, good one, Painter, you almost had me.
I see no evidence of what you
I see no evidence of what you call 'rage.' Ever heard of a 'stone cold killer?' No rage there.
i can speak to that a little
I grew up with an abusive household in a rough neighborhood in Detroit. Like many of my friends I was dealt a crappy hand in life - but I managed to keep myself occupied through sports, music, and, in spite of everything, somehow excelled academically. I did have a few brushes with the law - found myself in situations where I could have lost my life - but during that period in HS I stayed positive because there was a lot of hope for my future. I did sometimes experience bouts of depression and anger, but the chance of me getting the hell out of there kept me going and from doing something truly stupid - some of my friends saw no hope and ended up on the destructive path.
It starts getting harder once you get older and you realize more of how the world really works. If you don't have something to fall back on (family, career, activism, etc...) - you're going to lash out. Plus, and, I'm going to put it bluntly, some of these kids just aren't very bright - that's a dangerous combo - shitty life plus you don't really have intellectual tools to see the bigger picture...
"where does it come from?"
is that a rhetorical question?
FWIW
Victim's last arrest was last month.
Troubled life may be more accurate than troubled past.
Is there a online link?
Is there a online link? Cannot seem to find one,,,
Tell us what you did last month
So that we may judge the worth of your life.
Also, "last month" is pretty firmly "in the past" so...
Last month
I worked, shoveled, and stayed out of jail.
I also had a few beers. We can't all be perfect,
Boston is a small city....
Boston is a small city, and so the young men who are living very troubled lives are not very far removed from any other Boston area resident.
On one hand, every small thing that any member of the community can do to invest in the lives of young people in the city is important. On the other hand, there are major reforms related to early intervention and foster care that are badly needed. Some families are so enmeshed in a cycle of violence that it is hard to turn around the pattern.
I am a City Councillor over
I am a City Councillor over in Chelsea and have had nothing but good words for the Roca method. Our police department works in conjunction with the center and the staff works incredibly hard. I do hope that this does not affect the expansion into Boston as Roca works with young adults others have given up on.
It is very sad to see a young man trying to get away from that lose his life while doing community service.
Roca is an excellent program.
Roca is an excellent program. They do most things right and are often the last resort for the young men who land there. This incident should only serve to highlight how hard it is for young men to escape their past and try to do the right thing. If anyone wants to make a difference, support these programs that encourage kids to make better choices, work hard in legitimate jobs, and serve their communities. How tragic that a young man who showed up to work lost his life in this way.