Robinson
Senseless gang violence leads to innocent child’s death.
Viewpoint by Sasha D. Robinson
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
The unintended death of 4-year-old De-Earlvion “Little Earl” Whitley in a gang-related shooting affects me because he was a teammate to my son, Kendall James Robinson, 10.
Little Earl, who played for the Texas Spartans flag team, was killed inside his home July 20 while playing video games. His mother was shot in the leg as she tried to help her son.
The Texas Spartans is a youth football team that plays in Kirby.
According to www.mysantonio.com, a car pulled up to Little Earl’s home and one or more suspects opened fire killing him and hitting his mother, Cyntwanisha Whitley, two times in the leg.
In the article, police said the “intended victim,” who was in the home at the time of the shooting, was unharmed.
My son joined the Spartans in 2015, and it was the longest season of our lives because he did not get to play in any of the games although he showed up at every practice.
The next year he was able to show the coaches what he was capable of doing.
I was proud of my son. He played so well he was selected to play in Future Stars of Tomorrow, the youth all-star game.
Kendall may not have known Little Earl personally because their age gap put them on different teams, but they were both part of the
Spartans family.
I can only imagine what his mother must be going through. She buried him July 29.
Parents do not want to bury a child but have their child bury them.
Why is it when stupid people do stupid things, the innocent
ones suffer? I keep remembering what Crazy K from the movie “Tales from the Hood” said, “A bullet don’t got a name on it. You was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
This makes me sick.
Football practice was the day after the shooting. Spartans team president Albert Goodloe gathered everyone and told them about Little Earl’s death. I watched the other parents take the news hard.
He told the kids, “Go to your parents and hold them,” while trying to hold in his tears. Those who knew Little Earl said he was fun, full of life and loved to play football.
After practice, I sat Kendall down to talk about Little Earl’s death to make sure he understood what was going on and how senseless the death was. I explained when he gets older, he will have to live with whatever decisions he makes, just as those men made the decision to shoot in that house and take Little Earl’s life; now they have to live with it.
Texas Spartans player Kendall J. Robinson played in the same football league as of De-Earlvion “Little Earl” Whitley, who was murdered July 20. Photo by Sasha D. Robinson
Kendall assured me he was fine, but I want to be there for him when it hits him.
I gained custody of Kendall when his mother and I separated. Kendall was 1 year old.
He is going into fifth grade and has never experienced death.
What is it gong to take for the senseless violence to end?
It is not going to take an activist, a movement that shows up every now and then or a politician to make it work.
It is going to take the community to stop the violence.
Texas Spartans owner Brian Medina said the team will honor Little Earl’s memory by retiring his number, 2, on all age levels from flag, tyke, rookies and juniors.
All players will also have a 2 on their helmets.
When I look at my son, I see a young man who just wants to do what little boys do: Play video games, eat up everything in the house, hog my tablet and laptop to play “Roblox” or watch YouTube cartoons and The Disney Channel.
It scares me that I might not see him grow up because of gang violence.
