To the Editor:
Dawid Strucinski, the victim of the vicious attack which almost killed him, is a former high school Honors student of mine and an alumnus of my Polish student club.
I am outraged that my hometown has become a place where an attack like this can occur. Bayonne used to be a place where everyone got along fairly well and such bestial violence was unheard of.
Charge all involved in any way as adults! Society must inflict the severest possible penalty on anyone who deliberately kicks an already-unconscious man repeatedly in the head. It is impossible to accept that anyone doing so could not know that death could result. Charging them all as adults would demonstrate our city’s commitment to keeping our residents safe from savages and facilitate their public identification as a deterrent to other like-minded thugs. Identify their parents also.
Because one of them tried to flee the country, verify the immigration status of them all. Bayonne’s citizens shouldn’t have to suffer from illegal, foreign criminals – our domestic ones are quite enough already.
All possible assistance should be given to the Strucinskis in obtaining restitution from the perpetrators of this heinous assault and from their parents, who should be held accountable for the conduct of their offspring.
Further: Wasn’t Derrick Hilton, an 18-year-old high school sophomore, arrested in May on charges connected to arson, burglary, and drug possession? Why was he allowed to remain an alleged predator on our streets? Why weren’t Hilton’s aunt and uncle, who were allegedly smuggling him out of the state, immediately arrested? Wasn’t this a conspiracy to help Hilton evade justice? Aren’t they accessories?
Why were some of the thugs who nearly killed Dawid released into the custody of their parents, instead of being sent to juvenile detention? Why were they charged with “rioting” and “endangering an injured victim?” Weren’t they the very ones who injured the victim in the first place? Is our Criminal Code so arcane that our officials are reluctant to charge them with attempted murder or, at the very least, assault?
Given how our justice system functions, some of these degenerates will likely wind up in Bayonne’s public schools instead of jail. Will their teachers be informed who these “wannabe” murderers are so that they can take proper measures to protect themselves and their students?
The people of Bayonne have the right to ask and get full and honest answers to these questions. All pertinent information should be released in a timely fashion to allay their legitimate fears and concerns.
I would add that while on active Army duty, my superiors, peers, and subordinates were of all ethnic backgrounds. We worked well together because we had all assimilated American values of love of country and community, and respect for ourselves and lawful conduct. These values have painfully become very much less visible in Bayonne over the years since I was a youth here.
Let truth finally talk to power. My prayers go to Dawid and his family, and his faithful friends.
ANDREW S. SZYPOSZYNSKI
Major, USAR, Ret.