Courtesy of www.msnbc.msn.com. Police investigate what could have been a gang related shooting on Halloween night in the Central District

Halloween night, October 31, 2009, Officer Timothy Brenton was in the passenger seat of his police vehicle while Britt Sweeney an officer in training took the wheel, cruising through the central area of Seattle. While stopped at a stoplight discussing traffic and stop light matters from an earlier incident, Officers Brenton and Sweeney got a terrifying and fatal surprise.

A car that had passed them 15 minutes before had pulled up next to them and fired a round of bullets straight into the passenger seat window where Brenton was located, just after 10 p.m.

While Sweeney was lucky enough to react quickly and duck, officer Brenton was too close in range and had no time to even know what was coming. As the multiple shots happened rather fast, officer Brenton was killed instantly.

The killing of an officer is a huge offense and not something one pursues often. Police serve a great purpose in communities and risk their lives to protect those communities. Some people look at police as people they don’t like but they usually only look at them the way they do because they are most likely doing something illegal that they don’t feel they should get in trouble for. Yes there are some police who do take advantage of the fact they are the law and can get away with a lot. Those are the dirty cops that some people have reasons to dislike. But no one deserves to die.

Officer Brenton was a great cop that was known by his fellow officers as a jokester who always seemed to make not so great situations humorous. He was a respected officer of nine years to the Seattle police department, a friend, a son, a husband and most of all a father to two young children.

The killing of officer Brenton was known as a random act of violence that took place for no apparent reason. No one should die that way and it’s sad to realize that people really don’t think about their actions and what damage they can really do.

It was Halloween night when Brenton lost his life and it’s sad because it is a day that people normally celebrate. The killer of officer Brenton was selfish and did not think of the impact of what he was doing. He was taking the life of a man who had so much going for him, from a successful life-fulfilling career, a loving wife and most of all to his 8-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter.

Did the killer ever stop to think what he was really doing? Sure he knew he was breaking the law and attempting to murder an officer of the law, but it’s questionable if he really thought how he would affect the victim’s family. Timothy Brenton’s wife and kids were out trick-or-treating on Halloween night while their loved one’s life was taken away. Did the killer realize he would change those children’s lives forever and indefinitely ruin their chances of ever truly enjoying another Halloween before their youth years are diminished?

Killing someone is never right and there is always much more behind a persons actions than one may expect. Brenton’s murder was a tragic event that should of never happened. Lives were lost, hearts were broken and violence sadly lived on.

It had been over three years since an officer of the law had been shot and killed in the line if duty, here in Seattle, Washington. However, this is not the case anymore. On Saturday, October 31^st  2009 (Halloween), an eight-year veteran of the Seattle police department was killed in an unprovoked shooting on 29^th and Yesler, in Seattle’s Central District.

Though it has been a number of days since the night of the incident, little information has been released to the public about what actually happened and what caused the shooting. Seattle PD’s Gang Unit has been given this investigation, seeing that the shooting took place in one of Seattle’s gang affiliation neighborhoods. And now, parents are starting to wonder what they can do next time to prevent something like this from ever happening again, and what they can do to protect their children.

“I’m not finna be staying out on Halloween anymore, last year my bro got shot on Halloween, and now a blue guy gets popped, I don’t know, what or who’s next; but you can bet I wont be me!” said, Trevante Alfred, sophomore.

Many other students have been spoken for, with Trevante’s words. But a small percentage of students, seem to have a nonchalant attitude towards the Halloween shooting.

“I’m not afraid, I’m cool with everybody, so I have no reason to be scared on nights like Halloween.” said, Quentin Atterberry, senior.

Though Quentin speaks from a fearless perspective, he does raise a point; if a person has a good report with everybody, then it makes no difference to him or her. But nevertheless it’s always good to be safe.

“That’s why I’m glad that I’m driving; now my pops has no problem with me going out at night anymore because he knows that’s safe.” Said, Gentry Ward.

He makes a valid point also; it is very naïve to go out on the town without being assured of a ride home.

But whether you are a rebel like Quentin or a play it cool guy like Gentry, it is very important to be careful and safe. And if one is in high school and not responsible enough to make sure they have a ride home, then they have no business out at all.

Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org. An early painting of what Thanksgiving was about, using it as a comparison to what it is now.

Since 1863, Thanksgiving has been celebrated in the United States and Canada. Many people think of Thanksgiving as a day to stuff themselves with turkey and mash potatoes. While others eat, some people try to sort out the real meaning behind Thanksgiving. 

“I think Thanksgiving is when a group of people met up and shared food,” said Harris Ho, sophomore.

But sometimes people need to be reminded why Thanksgiving was celebrated in the first place.

Thanksgiving was originally celebrated as a day to thank God but the first actual Thanksgiving recorded was after the Native Americans helped and fed the pilgrims who arrived by the Mayflower. Many aboard the ship died from the harsh conditions, but because of the Native Americans, the pilgrims who actually made it to America did not die because they took care of the arriving guests.

This holiday brought families and friends together in the past as it still does now. Thanksgiving is the perfect time for family bonding and big get-togethers.

“I think it’s important because it’s a day you can spend with your family and tell them how much they mean to you,” said Jamila Sulayman, senior.

Thanksgiving stemmed from a good deed done by a group of people. Now it has evolved into a day for being thankful. Different people are thankful for various reasons.

“I am thankful for everything I have in my life like family and friends,” said Madelene Phung, freshman.

A traditional Thanksgiving dinner consists of a roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, various pies, stuffing and corn. People may be surprised that the first dinner did not consist of many of these things. There were no ovens back then to roast turkey or bake pie.  The first dinner consisted of a variety of seafood, berries, duck, geese, grains and nuts.

Thanksgiving is around the corner and take some time to think about the people and things in your life. Let them know how important they are to you. Family, friends, and good health are all things people should be thankful for every year.