Some Background Info on Darren Kretchmar
As posted by Matt in his post on VWVortex:
"On July 30th, my best friend Darren Kretchmar was murdered because the kid he was hanging out with was wearing a red t-shirt. A Sureno gang member though they were both Norteno gang members and shot both of them at point blank in the head. Another young man (18) was shot in the back but lived. All 3 were normal suburban kids hanging out drinkin' 40's in a crowded family park at 6:30 PM IN BROAD DAYLIGHT.
Daniel Ruiz sits in jail right now awaiting trial for the murder of my best friend Darren Kretchmar (21) and David Gregory (18). We had been best friends since the 5th, a little over 11 years. We did everything together, including the passion for VWs. Among the things Darren's parents gave to me was his 1984 Rabbit GTI. Darren had recently killed the wimpy 1.8l and the car was off the road. The night before his funeral several NorCal forum members helped me swap in a new motor. Even Tim Tomas of Tomas Sport Tuning came over and helped get everything running right. At the funeral the car was parked out front, and everyone was encouraged to write messages on the car.
Sucks this is how i got my first Rabbit, but i'm going to make the most of it. I have big plans. I NEED EVERYONE'S HELP FROM THE VORTEX!!
So here's my plan. A cross counrty road trip called the "End The Violence Rally" I plan on driving Darren's Rabbit accross the country and showing the car at Waterfest 12 on July 15th, and have the car back home on July 30th for the 1 year anniversary of his passing. I want to have a GTG at every stop along the way. I want THE NATION to see this car and what it represents. I will also be carrying large poster boards for people to leave messages. I will also have a box for donations. At the end of the trip i will make the donation to a charity that deals with ending violence in our streets on behalf of the Volkswagen Community. "
Comments
So what is the objective of this trip?? While I am deeply sorry for the passing of your friend a crusaide to demand more strict enforcement of existing laws would be much more productive than one to demand NEW LAWS. The murder of your friend was already illegal, it would be tough to argue that making it more so would solve much of anything. Handing your hard earned moniesover to the Bradies will do little more than pay for Rosie O's lunch bill after bloviating. Donate those funds to a worthy law enforcement group and ask that they put the funds towards their anti-gang unit or to lock up the folks who break the law using firearms instead of turning them out on the streets to do it again. Donate it to a local school to fund an "Eddie Eagle" program that can actually help save kids lives.
Saving lives is not the goal of the Bradies, if it were all of the above would be their battle cry. They are not out to stop the violence, the violence is simply their best excuse. They are out to ban the guns, period. Else they would not be opposed to the other options so adimantly because those methods do not account for the guns that they can REALLY get their hands on, the ones owned by law abiding citizens that will likely never harm anyone.
I hoep you have a safe journey that gives you time to reflect and reconsider the most effective way to memorialize the loss of your friend.
God bless.
Doug
Posted by: Doug Clem | July 14, 2006 06:02 AM
here's a story about a Bay Area gun dealer, long supported by the NRA (a group the above poster is obviously a fan of), that's been helping guns easily get into the hands of the criminals.
a quote from the article: "One in eight guns sold at Trader Sports eventually ends up with the police."
the 'Bradies' exist to ensure that guns stay in the hands of law abiding citizens and work to help shut down rogue gun dealers like the one mentioned in the linked article. i do not see one single place anywhere in the Brady Center materials that states they want to repeal the 2nd Amendment.
even though I'm a supporter of the 2nd Amendment, in the currently violent state of our country, I think groups like the NRA sometimes go a little too far outside the realm of common sense by supporting some of the people and causes that they do.
doug, where do you live? i'm assuming somewhere where kids aren't being murdered on the streets daily with handguns easily purchased on the streets..
Posted by: rob | July 15, 2006 03:36 PM
Keep up the great work on your blog. Best wishes WaltDe
Posted by: WaltDe | September 1, 2006 02:07 AM