all that’s left from yesterday’s tragedy is an unsolved murder case, some burnt up candles, and a half empty bottle of sake (the bottle is not half full in this case). 
yesterday was the saddest day i have experienced since moving to the bay area. i went to work the same as i always do, but instead of taking the bus home, i got a ride with a friend. this was a blessing because had i walked my normal walk home i would have been stopped by masses of people and police tape. the entire street was blocked off by police and the house on the corner was completely blocked off by that all too familiar yellow tape. this was the house on the corner that had been visited by police not too long ago. in fact, a cop car blocked off that same intersection only about a month ago investigating some other incident at that house. but this incident was different. i knew something was up by the looks on all the people’s faces. there were about 20 people and 4 cop cars in the middle of the street and the mood was grim. i decided not to have my friend drop me off there, but instead further down the road to a restaurant where i could meet up with my husband and decide what to do. after dinner he decided to walk me home and asses the situation himself. by then there were even more people gathered and the road and house were still blocked off. we went inside for a minute and then decided to ask the owner of the corner store what happened. he always knows what is going on in our neighborhood, so we thought, surely he could shed some light on this for us. when we walked outside of our front door i saw the saddest thing i had ever seen in my life. the mother of the victim arrived home and released the emotions of her son’s death. she howled a cry that only a mother can cry after losing her son to a senseless act of violence. it sounded like she just came home and found out for the first time. the men in the street began to drop their heads as if to hide their own sadness. the mother continued to wail as others tried to console her, but i couldn’t stand to look anymore. i decided not to go to the corner store, but instead take a walk so i could catch my breath. i was crying pretty hard myself by now and decided to sit. my husband then consoled me as i put myself in each of the grieving parties’ shoes. the mother, father, brother, sister, girlfriend, teacher, minister, (neighbor). i, too, had lost someone very close to me by way of a bullet and could relate to the feeling that manifests from such a senseless act. i remember the havoc it created to the entire community when joey was killed. not only to his family and friends, but also the people he went to school with, to church with, who lived in his same small town. not to mention the friends and family of the 16 year old boy who shot him to death. i’m sure their lives will never be the same, especially the father who owned the gun. and imagine being the first girl he kissed, or danced with or …my husband and i sat there by the side of the road for what seemed like forever. we watched one of the most beautiful sunset’s i’ve ever seen. pinks and purples and golds oh my. it was such a beautiful contrast to what awaited us on the other side of the street. as we sat there many people passed. some were headed to the gathering on our street. others were clearly perplexed. we walked to the store to find out what had happened. someone said that at about 10:30am the guy who we always saw hanging out in front of our house was shot to death, in his bed. i realized later that i had walked by his house at 10:05am that morning. here’s what the local paper had to say about it:BERKELEYMan shot, killed in South Berkeley home
Police were investigating the slaying of a Berkeley man who was shot inside a home in the 2000 block of Emerson Street.
Paramedics received a call shortly after noon Thursday from inside the South Berkeley residence and arrived to find the man had died from his injuries, Officer Andrew Frankel said.
Frankel declined to release the man’s name and age or to say whether he lived at the residence. Police are not releasing information about a suspect or motive.
Anyone with information may call… not too much info there, but at least it made it into the paper. it seems that all too often this kind of news gets swept under the figurative carpet. you wouldn’t believe how many searches i had to do before i even found this article which was finally found on the third page of section B of the sf chronicle. (reprinted without permission).anyway, after we left the store we had to make our way back home. that’s when we saw the first of the candle-lit vigil that was to continue to take place for the next hour. with it was sobbing and throwing things into the gathering of candles in the middle of the road as well as pouring out of alcohol onto the ground. it was a scene from a movie. large men with dark skin and white shirts, embracing one another. young mothers and fathers clenching their own small children. a teenager who brought balloons in the shape of stars. it was a sight i will never forget.the sounds of bawling young girls eventually died down and the night rolled in. after several more hours the police tape was balled up and placed in a neighbor’s trash pile and the candles were moved to the sidewalk and the street was re-opened. but the next morning on my way to work, the candles were still lit. i’m not sure if people stayed up all night mourning or if they woke up early to begin again, but either way, i will never look at that house the same again. the mysterious house on the corner with all the foot traffic and young people out front will never be the same to me or to them. i am sad for all who live there and all of the people who were affected. and for all of the people who still have yet to be affected.