Auntie Charo's Soapbox

Let me say that everyone is innocent until proven guilty so anything quoted is strictly an allegation.......sadly, the name, the man is known to us. We watched he and his family hovered over Jeromy Newby, his 15-yr-old son who died because of injuries he received while at school.
We saw this man leave his child at GMH's ICU, to talk to the students of Southern High School about what happened when one acted out in anger, when one became violent, etc. We watched this man and his family in grief when Jeromy lost his fight to stay alive some months later. I don't know how I would have reacted if I was in this man's shoes. That some child beat up his boy and caused him to die surely changed the way he thinks, at least temporarily since his pain is fresh and raw, living his loss on a daily basis.
Fothergil further states that:" A local firefighter was arrested today accused of causing a scene at Agueda Johnston Middle School where he went to pick up a relative. John Newby was picking up a minor at the school who had been found in possession of a marijuana pipe. When he arrived, he allegedly got into an argument with school officials. When he was escorted outside by police, a physical altercation ensued."
One has to question how a minor was in possession of marijuana pipe while at school. Was the child just showing it off to be 'machismo or machisma'? Was the child a user? I'm sure the investigations will reveal what happened on this day when Jeromy's father's mind was transported to another time, another place where he could do nothing but be angry and disruptive. Would he have acted differently if his son hadn't died as a result of a beating while at school? Will Mr. Newby senior always feel this loss and anger everytime he's at a school where children are supposed to be safe? What triggered the outburst?
Forthergil finishes her report:"Newby is the father of the late Jeromy Newby, the Southern High sophomore who was brutally beaten at the Santa Rita campus last October and was in a coma for more than ten weeks before he died on January 5 due to complications." The complications regarding any possible recovery for little Newby is that there was no brain activity for weeks and it's said that his parents didn't have the heart to have the breathing machines disconnected.
The complication regarding Jeromy Newby wasn't with GMH or the breathing machine or the fact that he just never regained consciousness after he was beaten up. The complication that kept him from living out a long and fruitful life stems from an act from a child who lost control and alleged beat him up. This act comes with it many, many tentacles that years of counseling may or may not fix. As I write this, I would be surprised to learn that the boy's family was given the opportunity to heal with the help of a psychiatrist, with someone who'd help them contain the anger that has to come because they are mere mortals whose son was killed. Who's helping this family live with the complication that happened at Southern High School?
I saw brothers an sisters grieving Jeromy's death. Will they be able to contain their anger when the time comes, or will they falter as their father did because no one thought that they might need help just surving the loss of their loved one?
There are many tentacles that come with the loss of a child and family member, especially if the death was provoked....I'm really sorry for Mr. Newby. He wasn't at his best today, that ugly tentacle just wrapped itself around his better judgement. I don't condone what he's alleged to have done, but he's drowing in a pool of tears and hurt and I don't see anyone offering a lifejacket.
While GPD investigates the allegations, let's pray for the Newby family.....and thank God that our own families have been spared the murder of one of our children.