TEEN TRE DAWKINS

A few hours after America's 236th Independence Day celebrations, Tre found himself at the end of his life on a sunny day. Was he alone? Was he armed? Was he robbed? Did he instigate or was he targeted? How did no one see what happened? What did the surveillance tapes in the area reveal? How old was Tre Dawkins? What school did he go to before Abington High School? Where did he work? Did he have a child? How did he end up 9 miles south on route 611 on July 5th? Why did someone end his life that same day? Did he have a funeral? Is there a reward for the capture of his killer? So many questions, no real answers. 2 weeks ago today he was gunned down. Strangers stumbled upon him, his almost lifeless body lay dying from a gunshot wound to the chest. He met his end at the shopping/transportation hub of Glenwood & Broad in Philadelphia. In 1999, the shopping center received a $7million dollar renovation and was put on the National Register of Historic Places (http://articles.philly.com/1999-05-07/news/25514195_1_pathmark-fresh-fish-grocery-shopping) In 2005, the Philadelphia City Planning Commission included the intersection in their North Broad Street Revitalization project. (http://www.philaplanning.org/plans/nbplan.pdf  pp 45 - 52). At this intersection, is the North Philadelphia Amtrak train and SEPTA regional rail station. It's south of Cheltenham Ave and the city limits, where residential neighborhoods give way to commercial and industrial purposes, just the beginning of the long, familiar stretch of north Broad St. The "North Philly stop" sounds foreboding to suburbanites but it is located on a sprawling busy intersection surrounded by familiar stores, 3 blocks from Temple U Hospital and Dental School, a straight run down 611. It was previously known as the Germantown Junction Station and if you ever took a field trip south into the city, your schoolbus has passed right through there. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Philadelphia_(SEPTA_Regional_Rail_station) Did anyone leave flowers on the blood stained ground? Teddy bears, messages, candles? News outlets said he was only 15 yrs old; he had said he was older. Was that to be mischievous or as defense mechanism? He attended Abington Senior High from September 2011 to June 2012. No matter where he was born or lived or visited, he did belong to the Abington community as well. Whether he was 15 or 19, he was a young student and friend who should be given a respectful mention in Montgomery County. He didn't have to be best friends with somone for them to express sorrow over his death. As humans we mourn all tragic endings but it is especially sad when we shared a space with that person on earth; walked with them, ate with them, smoked with them and then they vanish. Abington PA is not a prejudiced place, all the young people have the same troubles and likes. There is a long history of racial cooperation and mutual admiration in Willow Grove and the neighborhoods south. All of Abington lost their son on July 5, 2012 when Tre Dawkins, one of us, never returned home. I'm very disappointed that he has not warranted a memorial article. Friends of his have created a Facebook page, Justice for Tre Dawkins http://www.facebook.com/#!/JusticeForTreDawkins in an attempt to find his killer. Why haven't Philadelphia Police offered a reward or the Citizen's Crime Commission, like they did for Michael Hagan http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/07/09/40000-reward-offered-in-july-1st-streetcorner-robbery-murder-in-society-hill/ ? The citizens of Abington stopped the Abington-Holy Redeemer Hospital merger with 6,000 signatures https://www.change.org/petitions/the-leadership-of-abington-memorial-hospital-stop-the-merger-with-holy-redeemer-health-system and a Facebook page, what have they done for Tre? Where was he buried? It can be hard for those who weren't in his inner circle because they grieve alone.

Tre's birthday was this week. Did he die without a 16th birthday? His smile and style will always be remembered. Hopefully the mystery surrounding his death will be solved.