Video: In their own words

Last week, this page covered a routine news conference at LAPD's Southwest Division station for detectives to seek help from the public in two July murder cases.

The event took an unusual turn, when the two bereaved mothers, Ora Smith, mother of victim Aric Lexing, and Gwen Presley, mother of victim Michael Presley, delivered impassioned speeches instead of the usual quiet pleas. "The best I've heard," one cameraman quietly told Smith after the event. The speeches were cut from at least one newscast, however, and Det. Vince Carreon, investigator on the Presley case, was so disappointed that he asked if they could somehow get air time. So here, courtesy of KTLA, are what these two mothers had to say.

                                                                                    

Background: Lexing, 26, far left, had just gotten his graduate degree and was trying to get hired by the Border Patrol when he was killed in a shooting that also killed his friend Scott Grant, 40, about 3:30 a.m. July 20 in the 4000 block of Stevely Drive in lower Baldwin Hills.

Presley, 19, near left, was shot in the 4500 block of West Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard a short distance away in a separate homicide about 9 p.m. July 15. His mother has suffered bereavement by homicide twice: Michael's father was shot to death in 1987. The two are buried in the same grave.

Southwest detectives seek tips in both cases. Their number is (213) 485-2417.

Comments

[Mindy Whitten]

Ora Smith, you are a beautiful woman. Educated, well spoken, a responsible parent, and a strong person. If more parents exhibited this kind of responsible parenting and these strong values, the world would be a better place.

I am so sorry for your loss, but I am so thankful that there are strong advocates like you out there. I truly believe your loss was not in vain. You have so much to teach and it will touch, at the very least, one person. I know that you would take having your son back over any message you may be able to send to society, but if God did not take the good ones, we would not have people like you. Everything happens for a reason.

I had a latino gang member/drug dealer die in my arms when I stopped to help him. I held his head and tried to talk to him as I wiped the blood that was streaming from his head wound. Forty-five minutes later when the ambulance arrived, my whole life had been changed.

Having lived through an abusive marriage, gotten 3 B.S. degrees, and gone to law school, that one moment when I watched the lowest of the low die in my arms, I realized that, good or bad, no one deserves to die in such a manner. A life is a life and all are deserving of respect as humans, no matter how "evil" society deems them to be.

With that said, if there were more responsible people like you in the world that taught children responsibility, the importance of education, and a strong work ethic (working grad school is HARD) you and I would not be in the positions we are now.

I am quite sure that if the killer heard that speech, some twinge of anguish struck him. I pray that he has access to that speech.

[Angela Hawkins]

The value of life is decreasing , day after day and year after year. People are being killed, senselessly. WAKE UP!!! We must pray for our communities, pray for our young people and continue to pray that God brings about Justice upon this earth....... The Blood of the innocent are crying aloud......Stop the Killing. My heart truly goes out to both mothers and their family members during such a time of great loss. God Bless.

[tony]

That was a riveting speech by Ora Smith. My condolence goes to her and the family. Unfortunately, many of the folks that she is trying to connect with, participate in unscrupulous activities in some capacity. Many of these folks are drug users, sellers, thugs, felons, alcoholics and many are the parents of these criminals. The parents are fostering these thugs and they are the biggest leaders of taciturn trends or vernacularly speaking, not Snitchin! We should be venerating Ora and Aric for their seemingly anomalous accomplishment. Ora raised a successful black male who earned a M.S. degree. I am still impressed by their accomplishment.

I concurwith Ora speech, the community must speak out and rebel against this criminal element which can enslave honest folks in their homes. In addition, I want to reiterate that many parents and spouses are complicit in these crimes due to their tacit behaviors. To paraphrase Martin Luther King, ‘being silent make you just as guilty as the actual perpetrators’.

Gwen Presley’s speech was equally poignant! I could feel the pain. I’m glad the video allowed her to vent her inner frustration and pain. This ostensibly appears to be a senseless murder. How could a person live with themselves after watching this mother plead for capitulation? My commiseration goes to her and family.

[Windu]

I think I finally got an answer I've been seeking. I've been thinking about moving my family out of L.A. to a smaller city in Texas, North Carolina, or Georgia. I have two small kids, their grandparents don't live far from these two murders. My family is fortunate, very blessed, and live nowhere near the parts of the homicide map obliterated by murder marks. We have many relatives and friends who do.

I feel so much sadness in my heart at the endless violence in L.A., which is now taking college students. Not drug dealers. Not gang bangers. But college students. Grad students. The good ones. The exceptions to the stereotypes are now being murdered just like those who choose to be thugs. And I feel in my heart that the people of L.A. can and do accept that. Shake our heads, call it a shame, and move on to the latest about Paris or Kobe. I can't accept it.

Don't be surprised, L.A., when you look up and all that's left are the depraved killers and criminals, those who are rich enough to wall themselves away, and those who are too poor to escape. I started feeling this way when the people voted against paying for more police officers a couple of years ago. Apparently, no one feels the need. I'm saying goodbye, I've had enough.

[Debby]

I work with Ora Smith. If you only know Ora through this video, you don't know that the strength and wisdom she displayed in this video is the way this lady lives her daily life. She speaks to the youth and troubled women about being strong and an asset to society on an ongoing basis. Another thing that people don't know is that she also lost a daughter to illness and a brother through a violent crime. A parent never expects to bury a child; let alone two of them. Ora has shared several "growing up" stories with me regarding her son. All of them told with a love in her heart and a smiling memory. I'll never forget her telling me, "I have given him back to the Lord. He was only loaned to me." What a lady! What a faith she has! God bless you, Ora, and your message.

[JAY]

I have grown to realize that it actually a test to raise children in the world we live ,I PRAY everyday that I dont get the call or knock at the door that my only brother is shot dead it is horrible that I or we have to live like that. The mother is right send them to Iraq if they want to kill some body . I am 28 years old I had planned on having children but in the WORLD were in I think ill wait to the next lifetime by the way my 18 year old brother is the last ANDERSON so if he should be taken from us my Dads last name is gone FOREVER.

[ruben]

Great speech by the moms it makes it more sad though by some of the comments left in the original post of Aric Lexings murder, some people can truly be heartless and cannot empathize because they have not felt what it is to bury your child. May these boys rest in peace.

[Aleece Ali]

I will take this impassioned plea and place it deep in my heart, and remember it each time one of my sons decided to do something stupid. When I discipline them or redirect them, I will simply tell them, " It is my responsibility to raise you to the best of my ability and not unleash you onto our neighbors. You were born to do great things, and that is what you will do."

I always knew that was what I felt, but not until I saw this mother's plea to the community did I realize that she had the words that had been on my heart, but I had been unable to utter out loud.

This man's life was not in vain.

[Antoaneta Kolarova]

What wisdom the Lord blessed you with to speak my sister!What straight! What courage! Awesome ! Glory be to God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ for who He created yo to be! Thank you for fallowing the steps of the Savior and than you for speaking out the truth even when it hurts so deep! Peace be with yo ! Thank you for sharing and God bless you and your family!
Love :
Antoaneta

[Scott Hanlon]

Ora Smith's eloquence in the face of a mother's ache for her lost child is special indeed. So is her entreaty to those who assassinated her son.
Her testimony should be heard by everyone. Thanks, Homicide Report,
for making her available to me.
I'm haunted by The Homicide Map. Five hundred killed by mid-year. We can
expect 1,000 killed by year's end. In LA alone. Then there's Hartford, Boston, Chicago, NYC., Houston, New Orleans, Miami, Newark, Camden,
Baltimore, DC, Atlanta, Nashville, East St. Louis, Dallas; well, you get the idea.
America's homicides make our casualties in the Middle East look easy by comparison, just in terms of raw numbers. Imagine, 3,500 brave American soldiers killed in Iraq defending the homeland and our national
interests, while at home, since 2003, some 100,000 Americans died at
the hands of other Americans. One hundred thousand American homicides. If you think about it, it's incredible, absolutely unbelievable.
It invites an inquiry. Might we be better off deploying brave American seamen, soldiers and marines in America's cities to stop this carnage?
No one--not think tankers, not community leaders, not our civic leaders nor our citizenry seems able to wrap their arms around this conundrum.
Too many things get in the way.
We need to get those things out of the way so that effective strategies and tactics can work.
Did the framers of the Constitution's Second Amendment imagine that they were protecting a 14 year old gangster's right to bear arms? Not likely. Or protect a carload of kids cruising our city streets with guns in the middle of the night from unreasonalble search and seizures?
My point is that we're in crisis. And we need to adopt effective police measures to deal with the crisis. And adapt our Constitution to do that which is effective in dealing with the crisis. To do less that that is doing
nothing at all. And that makes us all complicit in tens of thousands of the
crimes that Ora Smith elequently spoke of.

[Dan Wilcox]

On 60 minutes Sunday night there was a report on the "Snitch" rules in most black communities. It showed how it was a "law" to never help law authorities in pursuit of criminals. Even if it was a family member or friend you "Don't Snitch." These two brave grieving women are asking to ignore this so called law and come forth and help find the cowardly killers of these two fine young men.
God Bless these mothers and their families.

[jason]

it is adam shame that ordinary citizens cant even go outside anymore due to sick thugs who prey on society, we need more agressive police officers on the streets kicking butt and taking names.

[Nick]

He would have made a good CBP Border Patrol Agent. I came across his story on the net and felt touched by his story. It is most ironic that my agency will not have such a fine young man serve with us. Likewise for his friend. My heart goes out to the family.
CBP Officer New York

[Xavier Montes]

My deepest sympathy goes to your family at this time... I hope that you find justice towards this matter. God bless you.

[mo]

these messages have made so much sense, mothers I deeply regret that you have to endure this pain and loss in your life, I am trying to do the best to raise my two boys, so they wont result to lawlessness, and become one of societies statistics. I hope that one day you will find peace in your heart, I am deeply troubled that this segment has not aired on tv, over and over again. take care and god bless you both.