It's Way Too Late, But I Feel Like Writing

It's 11:30 pm, and I have class tomorrow at 8:30 am. I just feel like writing; I don't feel like doing my readings, although I should.

My professor got very angry this morning when he realized that not a single person had done the readings, nor had they printed them out. He was so frustrated, he finally stood up and said, "Everybody just go home!", basically translating to, "I'm frustrated and disappointed and therefore don't know what to think of you guys. Thanks for ruining my day! Lazy people..." I felt kind of bad because I hadn't done the readings myself. But it's been a long, interesting day and I just wanted to write it out.

Something terrible local-wise that has happened (a tragedy that is a bit similar to the one I will detail later) is a student from the private college across the way was either struck by a train or jumped off the bridge into the river to avoid being hit by it and died. Since it's not one of our students, it's the talk on campus, a controversial event that fascinates people. This is a rural area, and this kind of thing doesn't happen often. It's kind of sad though that people don't really care that he died, assuming that the kid was drunk. The results of stereotyping can be heartbreaking at times.

I wrote an opinion/editorial for the newspaper this week, of which I will show at the end of this post. I also spend a significant amount of time and energy writing a legitimate news piece for this issue. I worked with my journalism professor on it twice. I guess I just wanted to write, and write well. Plus it was about the local murder about a 12 year old boy, who died a year ago. His murder had never been solved, but there is a $40,000 reward raised by the family to be given to whomever gives a tip that leads to an arrest. The police have been very quiet about the whole ordeal. I don't think I have ever put together such a piece with such adamant effort before. I think I like the result of such effort; this spurs me to do more with journalism and writing in general. Actually, I will publish this news piece instead because it is far more important than reading me complain about an infestation of seagulls.

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Justice For Garrett: One Year Later

Tiffany Miner

Business Manager

Potsdam and the surrounding communities were shocked one year ago this week when Garrett Phillips, a 12-year-old student, was murdered at his mother's apartment on Market Street.

Although police declared his death a homicide, no suspects have been named and no arrests have been made in the year since his death. Phillips was found unconscious and alone in the apartment on Oct. 24, 2011, and pronounced dead later that evening.

The only thing that has come out of the case is when Clarkson soccer coach Oral Hillary filed a complaint against the village in January, stating he had been wrongly accused as a suspect in the investigation. There has been no news about the case since that time.

In June, Brian Phillips, Garrett's uncle, created the Justice for Garrett reward fund. Money donated to this fund will be given to anyone who provided a tip or information leading to an arrest or conviction of Garrett's killer.

“I am confident that justice will be served—hopefully sooner than later,” Phillips said.

To help promote awareness for the cause, organizers distributed “Justice for Garrett” yard signs that were originally sold by the Phillips family. When the demand for the signs became too great, CJ's and Ace Hardware became venues for the signs. These signs are solely for awareness for the project, as Justice for Garrett makes no money off of them. Phillips said that a highway billboard for Justice for Garrett is also in the works.

The Justice for Garrett fund is bolstered by community donations. The family has also been raising money for the fund by selling T-shirts, and they organized a motorcycle benefit at the end of August.

More than $40,000 has been raised for Justice for Garrett. However, despite the efforts of the organizers, no one has come forward with any information leading to an arrest.

“If the police solve this crime without a tip or information, then we [Garrett's close family] will discuss where it will go,” Phillips said.

Phillips also said that if no one came forward with information, the family would donate the money in the fund to several local North Country organizations, such as the mentoring program through the middle school Garrett attended.

For the anniversary of Phillips's death, Tobe O'Brien, a Potsdam High School senior, organized a concert in his honor. Six local students sang at the concert, with a special performance from Garrett's cousins. Funds raised from the concert will go to Justice for Garrett. The concert, which was held Wednesday at the high school auditorium, was an opportunity for community members to celebrate Garrett's life.

Anyone wishing to donate to Justice for Garrett can do so by calling Duane Phillips at 315-276-6069. Also, anyone with any information related to the murder are strongly urged to contact Potsdam Police at 315-265-2121.

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No postcards today, but I'll write a proper post in a couple of days.