Make JB's screen name a moderator
I spoke to brooklyn rider about this. I suggest elevating JB's screen name/username on this forum to moderator status and then retiring it. That is to say that it will not be deleted but it will not be used for any reason by any other member of the group. Just an online monument to his memory. From what I saw of most of his postings and threads, he acted as a moderator for this forum anyway.
At the risk of alienating a fellow forumer: Sometimes it's best to keep certain thoughts to ourselves.Originally Posted by cyppok
Nothing has come forward to back up some of what you write. And I doubt that JB would agree or find it of much use.
Fini ...
I still don't understand, why would he run away from these kids?
Stand your ground against punks like this.
I have not posted in years and today I got an email about this.
I never knew him or met him personally, but I enjoyed exchanging information and sharing ideas with him on this site. I suppose that the internet can impersonally connect us but a tragedy like this does it, albeit brutally, on a human level.
It is overwhelmingly sad and duly sensless that one so young would die and in such a manner. I will refrain from my typical social commentary on the causes for this.... it is just so sad.
requiescat in pace J. B.
Last edited by Chicagoan; May 6th, 2006 at 11:43 PM.
I can think of a couple:
1. Four against one. (Not good odds, especially when the victim is unarmed.)
2. The attackers' ages mean little; they were threatening him as a group, and they also caught him by surprise after dark when he was alone.
J.B. responded in the best way he could, given the circumstances and the element of surprise he faced. Thinking about this saddens me; it was such a heartless crime.
depressing and sad to hear this bad news. rest in peace my friend.
Very sorry to hear about all this. I have to work on the 13th, but I will find someway to contribute. David.
JB Henman
Very sorry to hear about the death of such a talented young man...........
He was one of those forumers whose posts were extremely useful and interesting to read. I bet he was a good person and it hurts to see him go. Rest in Peace TLOZ.
As many of us have learned through reading his posts, he was very sensitive to others and seemed, even in his most frustrated and angry posts, to be a person essentially rooted in a philosophy of non-violence. To the degree that he broke free of his captors, he fought back. To know that he broke free and ran, reinforces, for me, the fact that this young man lived by certain principles - including that one of non-violence.
The memorial day of community service we are planning and the endowment fund we seek to create are wonderful ways to celebrate J.B. in a form, it seems, he would be very pleased with. I hope people will support this project by volunteering and contributing generously.
It is not "violent" to defend oneself.
Maybe if you saw what was once Mr. Hehman, bloody and broken in the middle of the street, you would accept that those "principles" will always end up in failure.
You are a very new member of this forum, and your moronic name choice and lurid vocabulary speak for themselves.
This is a place to remember and treasure JB. Not for political or any other kind of ranting. None of us was with JB on East 125th Street (or even knew him in life), and none of us should be arrogant enough to think that we know or can judge what he thought or felt or did in the last seconds of his conscious life, much less seek to use his life, words, or death in advocacy of anything.
That said, I smile when I imagine what JB might have said in response to your blood-drenched polemic.
Last edited by ManhattanKnight; May 5th, 2006 at 10:17 PM.
I don't think defending oneself is a violent action, but there is the psychology of fight or flight and it is a survival mechanism. In each of us, it is activated differently. Perhaps I just identify more with JB's actions than you might. I find what he did sensible, while I find his death tragic and senseless.
I didn't see his body ever - alive or dead. I only knew the spirit and thoughtfulness of a person who happened to be J.B. Hehman. The principle of non-violence will never prove to be a failure. Violent people are inherently weak and that's why they resort to violence.Some, like JB were wise enough to fight back and strong enough morally to not want to engage in violence. Had he fought back, as you suggest he should have, he may have lived and we might be reading headlines just as outrageous of a 20-year-old man severely beating four kids under the age of 16. So, I suggest we stay with the facts. JB is gone and the circumstances are disturbing, horrible and senseless.
Your post certainly conveys passion and feeling, so why not come out and join us on May 13th and channel it into something productive and constructive. Fighting back is balling up ones fist aiming it at something and giving it all you've got. I'm suggesting you come with the same energy but with an open hand. Let the energy flow. Let the charge out. Leave something beautiful behin in JB's honor and memory.
Consider it. We need the help and we need people from everywhere to join us for the statement to resonate. I love your fighting spirit. Wanna put it to use?
Last edited by BrooklynRider; May 5th, 2006 at 10:25 PM.
newcomer
uhhhhhh, hi.
I'm new, so I should venture out to say this much: I'm JB's friend. I was contacted by a mod here shortly after the event. It made me feel very happy that he had an impact like this on people he probably never met, but still enjoyed talking with. I can't recall the times he made us late for engagements because of this site.
anyway, I have thoughts on real estate, and I figured since I lost a friend, I'd try to connect with those he was connected to.
that being said, it's nice to see that people can entertain thoughts to help them cope, but I'm going to come off and say that I don't think he would appreciate his death being subsumed by the attachments of media. I don't think he'd care for references to sharpton, or about specific conditions that led to his death (him being jewish, I read coming across here...? Come on, don't be absurd).
Anyway, thanks for this display of emotion and affection for him. I look forward to participating here.
That put a huge smile on my face reading this. You have/had one hell of a friend, but we all already know that. Welcome to the board; it's great to have someone who personally knew him in his day-to-day existence.
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