This is the final post for this blog. A few months ago I was looking for a way to be an advocate for crime victims and in the process came across the website for the Washington DC Police which lists its unsolved homicides. The website can be found here:http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1243,q,541992,mpdcNav_GID,1533.asp
In looking over the cases, I saw one that struck me as particularly tragic: the unsolved murder of Karen Hawkins in the Adams Morgan area of Washington DC. The murder occurred a couple of blocks from where I live.
I spoke to the detective with the DC police (now retired) about this case. He told me that they have a suspect but that the evidence is long gone as well as the witnesses.
I felt compelled to draw an image of Karen Hawkins and posted it around town with a poster asking for information. This drew much criticism on local blogs as disrespectful. But, my perspective is that Karen Hawkins should not be forgotten and I meant it as a tribute to her and as a rather naive attempt to gather publicity for her.
As an East Coast liberal and intellectual, it is virtually sacrilegious for me to note that I believe in God. But, I do. And, I pray that Karen Hawkins and her family have peace and closure one day. Justice would only come through a miracle at this point, so I pray for that.
After drawing Karen Hawkins I drew a group of other cold case victims. It is rather extraordinary that in a small city like DC there are so many cold cases: hundreds. I don't know the stories out there behind them, but many are obviously heartbreaking.
My motivation for this was that when I was a child I was a victim of a violent crime; I reported it and not one adult helped me. In fact, those that knew did their best to cover it up. As an adult I finally confronted the trauma.
Based on what I've read and experienced, about 35% of society are sociopaths. But there are good, compassionate people out there, and I hope to be one of them supporting crime victims.
Meanwhile, since I've started this blog a couple of people have visited for a couple of seconds. Clearly posting is a fruitless task and I now plan to direct my energies in other directions.
If you are one of the visitors, thanks for having taken a look. As John Walsh (a hero of mine) says "Together we can make a difference."
