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Josee-Anne
Desrochers died today. She was admitted into to the hospital
with pneumonia on Thursday. She is gone today.
She wasn't
a woman that was a world celebrity. In fact, she was just a
simple woman, going through her everyday life in obscurity.
She was just an ordinary person like you and I.
Then one
day, on August 10, 1995, her 10-year-old son, Daniel
Desrochers, was killed when a jeep exploded on Adam Street,
where he played with a friend in front of a
Montreal
School.
His life was taken from him in a matter of seconds. His
future quashed, her family destroyed.
My
friends that have gone through this experience tell me that
a mother never truly recovers from the death of her child. I
believe them. I can't imagine how I could go on if my son
was taken from me.
Some
mothers fall into the deep dark abyss of depression and
never return. Some mothers try to put the shattered pieces
of their lives back together as best that they can. My book
Angels Watching Over Me is about a woman, Carissa Forbes
(true identity remains undisclosed to public), who is one
such woman.
Other
mothers reach out and help grieving mothers through prayers,
support groups, and websites. My writer for Storytime
Tapestry, Sharon Bryant, is one of these women.
Then
there are woman like Josee-Anne Desrochers who decided that
a support group was not enough for the families of the
victims of tragic and senseless deaths. She vowed that her
voice would be heard and if she could help clean up the
streets of Montreal and make it a safer place for children
everywhere she would.
Josee-Anne
Desrochers called for a public inquiry to determine if the
police could have prevented her son??™s death, and if they
could catch his killer. The death was a result of Montreal's
infamous "biker gang wars" and it caused a public outcry.
Daniel Desrocher??™s death was attributed to the Hells Angels,
Nomad Chapter of Montreal, warring against the equally
infamous "Rock Machine".
A
provincial task force, known as the "Wolverines", was
eventually created to look into biker activity. However, the
Hell's Angels continued to strive. But the Wolverines
eventually brought them down.
Today,
as I listened to the news, CTV Montreal stated that Josee-Anne
Desrochers was instrumental in her efforts to bring down the
Hells Angels, Nomad chapter. She created a lobbying group
that gave the long overdue voice to the victims of violent
senseless crimes.
Today, I
mourn the death of a courageous woman, a simple mother, an
ordinary person just like you and I. She was a woman on a
mission and she will forever remain a hero in my mind.
Carol
Roach
winterose@videotron.ca |
