Keiman Capers
Blog Post
Hi, my name is Keiman Capers, and I am here to share my first ever blog with y'all! I have never really done a blog before, and have of course seen many of them, but always wanted to work on my own. As a fellow writer, poetry writer, and song writer, I am very excited about this opening chance to do something I have craved for a very long time now, which is give my own personal review on things! I feel the best topic for me to relate to and talk about today is the one covering "Kaleem "Death on Facebook" " , because I've seen this so many times now and I have a past experience that somewhat has a relation to this. To best summarize this entire reading, back in December 7th, 2012, Jaweed Kaleem would write about an life changing and scarring event that happened back in this year sometime of mid-July. The center piece of this event is Anthony Dowdell, who was described to be wearing his favorite plaid shirt that day, while driving his Dodge pickup truck into the parking lot of the infamous Sam's Club store(which would disastrously be his last drive and stop ever). He would then end up leaning back in the driver’s seat, and in the parking lot of Linden, New Jersey, shooting himself in the head and taking his own life. At the time of his death, he was only a 39 year old who was known by the nickname/media name of " Dare Dellcan", and this undoubtedly would come as a shock to everyone across the town or state that knew him, considering his "cheery and creative" personality that everyone loved and knew. The only ones who would know of this tragic suicide for a few days would be the police officers that would find his body on July 16, 2012. On July 17, 2012, the heart breaking news would then strike the small city of New Jersey when a friend would come on to Anthony's( Dare Dellcan) Facebook wall and announce the news in a heartbreaking, yet settling paragraph, and reading it over and over really makes you emotional for somebody, even if you do not know them or have never seen them before. The friend wishes that he could have called others and alerted them of the news instead of what he called a "crappy Facebook post ", but was nonetheless happy to let others know the fate of his dead long time best friend, no matter how much it would hurt him. Dare Dellcan had over six hundred friends on his Facebook account, and even then, he would never have a true memorial service because he was indeed not close with any of his relative family, pertaining mainly to his birth mom and the step farther. Jessa Moore, a 35 year old friend of Anthony, would be the one to report this, which is when she then spoke about how Facebook became the memorial resting place for Anthony, and spoke on how they could constantly leave messages and goodbyes for him and also for each other, bringing a sense of positivity and reassurance within their community. To further the summary, they would eventually go on to have a gathering for their lost suicidal friend, with many of his friends and those who admired him showing their presence that day, and even his family coming to realization that their past shouldn't eradicate their love for each other, considering their blood is linked together forever. To best explain my summary to all this, I have a real life scenario as well that can relate to most of this traumatization, dating back to August 29th, 2009. I will not make this an emotional roller coaster for those who do not know me, so I will get to the point. The person I held dearest to me as a kid besides my immediate family was my uncle, whose name was Kwasi Johnson, and growing up with my father not really in my life for a good majority, he was the one man I looked up to as a kid. He would be at all my basketball games watching me play, sitting there supporting me no matter when I played good or bad, and showing constant love and affection to me always. I was with him around 11 pm that night on August 29th, right before he left out that door to come to a party. We were at my granny's house, and I was begging him to stay because it was so late outside, and I really did not want him to leave me. He kissed me on my forehead, which he knows I hated with a passion(which I miss a lot ha-ha), and told me he would see me later. When he said see him later, I just wish I knew that it would be the last time I ever saw him, because it scares me every day knowing that my uncle was murdered hours later at 2am on August 30th, 2009. I found out because of my brother two days later, where he was reading different Facebook posts saying "Rip Kwasi". I didn't cry that day, at the funeral, that year, or for the next few years until 2014 at an FCA(Fellowship of Christian Athletes Camp). I brawled in tears and was hurt endlessly, and didn't know how to manage myself. So I don't talk about that much, but often times it does help to, and I completely understand this topic, which is why I wanted to write a blog on it and finish with this. People don't live forever, but memories do, and continue to cherish those memories to the best of your abilities!
