July 10 concert at Skyline to benefit slain teen Tiphne Hollis

This might sound strange, but I'm going to start with a disclaimer. I don't like writing about these kinds of events.  I wish that I could write about a birthday party, or a Grammy party, or hell, a pool party, for that matter. I would rather write about anything but a benefit concert to raise money for a foundation in honor of a slain teen.

Don't get me wrong, I"m not running from my responsibilities as a writer.  I have to report the bad along with the good, and I will keep doing so.  It's just that I'm sick and tired of the madness in the streets claiming the lives of people who have barely begun to live.

With that said, I'm inviting my readers to come out on Saturday, July 10 to Skyline (formerly The Big Apple) for the Justice for Tiphne Hollis concert. Tickets are $15 and the proceeds benefit the Tiphne Hollis Foundation.

For those who don't know, Tiphne Hollis was the 16 year-old Ed White High School student who was killed while riding in a car with friends through a Westside neighborhood.  Unidentified gunmen shot into the car, fatally wounding her in the stomach, in what is believed to be a case of mistaken identity. Once again I say, madness, pure madness.

The VH1 video crew will be filming the event, which will be hosted by Gene Dot Com. The show will include performances by local groups The Prolegend Movement, Bentley a.k.a. Yung, and Gutta Black. The headline acts are Thrill Da Playa from 69 Boys, VH1 Born to Diva winner Tarralyn Ramsey, and hip-hop icon Chubb Rock.

Doors open at 9 p.m. and the show starts at 10.  Skyline is located at 5611 Norwood Avenue, across from Gateway Mall. For more information, call 904-444-2641.

Because I feel so strongly about the violence in our streets, especially here in Duval, where we have the grim honor of being the 'murder capital of Florida', I'm ending this blog post with a poem that I wrote in honor of Tiphne Hollis, Shenice Holmes, Dreshawna Davis, Somer Thompson, and all of the other young people who have lost their lives due to violence in this area.

Mad Dads

When do dads get to stop being mad?
Pounding the pavement in angry protest
Searching for answers that rarely come,
'Cause the law in the streets says 'don't snitch'
When do dads get to be dads again?
Holding up an unsteady child on a bike
Instead of lifting a too small casket
Walking daughters down the aisle
And sending sons out into the world
Instead of looking down on them
Through tear-filled eyes.

When do mothers get to stop crying?
Soul-piercing screams as they run to the scene
Where their child took their last breath
Not enough yellow tape in the world
To contain the hurt.
When do mothers get to be mothers again?
Healing wounds that require only a bandage and a kiss
To make it all better.
Cheering at sports events
And watching grandchildren being born
Instead of gazing through photo albums
And wondering what could have been.

And I don't think it's a coincidence,
That every time a young life ends tragically,
It rains soon after.
I imagine that God weeps also
That He must be tired of seeing
Drinks poured out onto the ground,
White t-shirts with photos on the front
Sneakers tossed over electrical lines,
Reminding us that another person will not live long enough
To chase dreams
Or outrun demons.

Yes, I know that God must be tired,
But the question remains...
When will we be?