Free Republic

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Darrent Williams' family and friends gathered Friday to remember the charismatic Denver Broncos cornerback and former Oklahoma State standout who escaped the tough streets but never forgot his roots. Thousands of mourners filed past Williams' copper-colored casket during a memorial service at the Great Commission Baptist Church on Friday night, where Pastor Douglas E. Brown will officiate funeral services Saturday. "We are here tonight to remember the life of this son, brother, friend, Darrent 'Dee-Will' Williams," Brown said. "We are here to remember his life." Williams was killed and two other passengers wounded when at least...

Hicks identified as longtime member of metro-area Crips. People who know Brian Kenneth Hicks might not be hard to find. But those willing to talk about him could be more difficult to come by. That's according to one of Denver's top non-police authorities on gang activity, the Rev. Leon Kelly, executive director of Denver's Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives. "He's a Crip," said Kelly, who has been working to combat metro-area gang violence for more than 20 years. "I know him from past experiences. In 21 years, you run into a lot of people. Brian and his crew, I've known...

Too many define manhood through violence What makes someone spray a limousine with bullets even though he has no idea who might die? A "gun culture," answers The Denver Post, under the headline "Williams' murder a cowardly gun crime." Suffice it to say that the murder of Darrent Williams would not have occurred, at least in the fashion it did, without a gun. But that fact in itself explains little. What is most horrifying about this crime was the killer's casual targeting of people he hardly knew or didn't know at all over what perhaps was a disagreement or a...

The Real Meaning of Buckeye Special Election Is Ohio Turning Blue? by John Gizzi Posted Aug 12, 2005 In the wake of a Democratic candidate’s narrow loss in the August 2 special election in Ohio’s most Republican U.S. House district, pundits have begun pondering whether the Buckeye State is turning blue. The problem for Republicans seems to be the stench that has begun to envelop the administration of Ohio GOP Gov. Robert A. Taft. Republicans have held the Ohio governorship for 16 years and in the last two presidential elections the state has been indispensable in providing an Electoral College...