This week we asked readers their thoughts on the death of 15-year-old Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, and if the workers in the bodega where he was dragged out of did enough to prevent his murder.
They say that the owner could have done more. I don’t know the owner’s story, I don’t know how much the owner did or didn’t do, so I can’t say that I would hold him accountable for it. It’s a tragedy and we need to do something about it; it doesn’t make sense to me. I think the NYPD is the best in the world, because they caught the kids and they did it fast. I’m sure they’re doing the best they can do with all of the cases they have.
Ralph Beck
Norwood
I feel that a lot of people dropped the ball here. I think the people in the deli should have helped him and it shows they didn’t have any spine. They could have given him some protection; I would have. But it seems that it was a case of mistaken identity. Now I grew up in the days of the gangs in the Bronx in the 1970s, when the gangs were organized. I had no affiliation with these gangs. But I think they could have protected him.
Robert “Bobby DJ” Lorber
Melrose
I think they tried. I think under the circumstances, they tried. I don’t think they should be responsible for things that go on inside our community. We have to be responsible for that. We don’t know where the store owner is from, or if he comes from that community. The people from this community, this is their issue, not an outsider. You can’t put the blame of something like this on someone from outside the community. On some things the NYPD is doing too much, because they’re locking people up who aren’t doing anything and going too far with it.
Michael Justice
Bedford Park
The people in the deli didn’t do enough because the kid ran in there asking for help. The man in the store probably didn’t understand him and he gave him to those people, and they chopped him and stabbed him and the kid still got up. I watched it on Facebook. He went back in the store again and they still wouldn’t help him. They could have locked the door, call 911 and maybe put their fingers in the vein where he was bleeding the most to stop the bleeding. And maybe the kid would still be alive. I don’t understand why these kids are killing each other. Don’t they know life is beautiful and precious and there is so much to live for.
Sandra Reyes
Belmont
When he’s trying to get in the store, you can see the bodega guys. They’re pushing him back out and he forced his way in. But they still grabbed him from behind and they pulled him out; but they didn’t do anything. I think maybe they should be arrested because they are partially responsible for this. Not just the kids, it was also them. The gangs gather a little bit on each corner and they sell drugs and no one else should go there because that’s their spot. And they have their little clique and everybody is scared to go there. We get some (police) officers walking the beat for a few hours, but as soon as they leave they’re back out.
William Albiano
Belmont
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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I have known both of these families for many years of living in this neighborhood I’ve seen Junior I don’t know how many hundreds of times at my friend Willie’s cleaners with his mother or in the bodega where Junior was killed. The store owner is one of my best friends we were chaplains together and we have remained friends for the past 15 years. The store owner who the public was screaming has never done anything for his community and so on and so on just happens to be one of the few people who actually did contribute to the community financially and with his time. Before I would waste my time jumping on a wagon that’s rolling down hill I would first find out the background story and ask questions about all of the people who are involved not just the person who’s being blamed. The sad part here is that no one even took into consideration that this man has a family and children of his own or that his children who where also in the Explorers program or that he sat on the community council at the 48th Precinct and over the years has donated hundreds of toys and turkeys for Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas and thousands of dollars while paying chaplain dues on top of that! So when we talk about how someone didn’t do something one time we should also take into consideration the hundreds of times that they did do something. For a bunch of Holly people it seems funny to me that you don’t even believe that there’s such a thing as God’s Will! If we could control the things that God does we would all be wealthy beautiful and smart at least smart enough not to follow along with the crowd and wait for the complete story based on fact!