Murdered Teacher
February 27th, 2005
This man, a teacher and administrator in a Baltimore private school, was murded recently in a mall parking lot. I didn’t know him, but I happened to see a story about his murder in the Baltimore Sun. The destruction of the life of William A. Bassett has saddended and angered me.
Perhaps I have been particularly moved by this story because the man was a teacher, wore bow ties and seems to have been such a decent person. He led the kind of life I hope to lead, yet he met this appalling end. If the story had been about the murder of some other type of person, someone with whom I have less in common, probably I wouldn’t still be thinking about it. But William Bassett’s death has lingered in my mind.
American society is unacceptably violent (and unacceptably tolerant of violence). Sometimes I imaging getting a gun, being ready to shoot dead any punk who threatens me or my family.
In my classes this semester I’ve mentioned to the students that we treasure protection from the government but overlook our society’s failure to protect citizens from each other. I have also mentioned to them that Prince George’s County—where the University of Maryland is located—has had more than twenty homicides this year, and it’s only February.
I hope William Bassett rests in peace. I hope America produces more people like him and fewer like those who shot him. But it’s not clear to me which side is winning. This man’s story moved me to an exceptional degree, but it’s outrageous that what happened to him isn’t that exceptional