Jane Creba - Innocent victim of gunfire

[Chin_Lee]

Firstly I would like to send my condolences to the Creba family in Toronto who have lost a 15 year old beautiful daughter while she was Boxing Day shopping with her sister. She was the victim of a stray bullet between rivalry drug dealers who were a little overly-concerned about their drug-trafficking territory and took the liberty to settle the dispute in the middle of a busy shopping district with gunfire.
I was truly amazed at the Creda's public statement that did not even mention anything negative about the culprits who have "tragically scattered" their "bright light into darkness."
It made my blood boil as I was reading through the paper about this and I will confess that it brought tears to my eyes because I myself, along with every parent, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, grandfather, grandmother, and friend out there, you must have also thought "That could have been somebody I know and even worse, somebody I love." In this case with Jane Creba, it was neither somebody I knew nor love but for reasons unknown it has really touched and saddened me deeply. I really have no explanation as to why but perhaps it is because I am now a father with a 2.5 year old son and 5 month old daughter. At this point in my life, they are the brightest lights (well.... almost as bright as the MH bulbs over my tank) in my life and on a daily basis, I pray that:
- they will remain healthy
- I will not ever have to visit either one or both of my children in jail in the future
- they will grow up to be good overall,
- they will be productive citizens,
- they will have decent jobs, and
- they will get out of my house by the time they are 25

But why should I need to also pray that I will never have to see them in a morgue nor will I never have to bury them?
I think it makes me the most angry to know that some drug dealer or any other low-lifes of society, can just take away that "light" from me .... these pathetic low-lifes who feel that their drug trafficking territory or whatever dispute they have is so important that they should be able to exercise their Charter of Rights and Freedom with guns and bullets.

For those who know me, I am not permitted to publicly express my views of the justice system nor the government. Having said that, I was watching some news a number of weeks ago on the Federal government on imposing a mandatory minimum sentences for possession of firearm offences where some of the minimum sentences being asked for were lengthy and very ............ "justifying" (in my opinion). When the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada was asked about the minimum sentences, his main concern was that the courts will find the minimum sentences "unconstitutional" to the offenders. That is all I will comment about that but as an ordinary John Smith (or is it Wen Chen in my nationality) Canadian citizen, I often wonder who does the Charter of Rights really protect?

Nevertheless, I didn't intend to start this to discuss politics. I only wanted to express how the tragic death of Jane Creba has really made me think about my life in general. Jane has turned a light on in my heart - a light that will inspire me to do better at my job for the rest of my career.

May God bless your soul and may God give your friends and family the strength they need to get through this.

And Jane, may you rest peacefully in heaven - thank you.