No More Hurting People
Somethingawful is a turbulent place on the interwebs, but this thread is by a friend of Martin, one of the victims of the horrible attack on the Boston Marathon.
There is a charity fund set up in his name, but the author of this piece urges people, if they’re uncomfortable with that, to donate to a more general group.
When we lose people to violence, it’s important to remember them.
I first met Martin when he was a toddler. We’d not been there five minutes before his older brother bonked him on the head with a basketball. Not maliciously, but curiously, as if to see what would happen. As the eldest of three brothers, I understood, since I also saw younger siblings as interesting experiments. Behold, science in action! Martin blinked, screwed up his face as if to cry, hesitated, and laughed instead. Hypothesis validated: Martin was awesome.
My brothers and I spent weeks every summer with Martin, his brother, and his sister. We played in the sand, hunted for frogs, threw them laughing into the water. Their parents are among the kindest, gentlest, most thoughtful I have ever known; the kind of parents I would one day like to be.
We love them very much.
Now Martin is gone. The rest of the Richards have suffered brutal physical and psychological wounds. They face a hard road to recovery, all the longer and more lonesome without their beloved son.
Nothing can bring Martin back to walk that road with them. Those who love them can only try to smooth their passage. The Richards have not, and would not, ask for help. But many people, including a number of goons in the bombing megathread, have asked how to help them without any clear avenue with which to do so.