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Jabbar Gibson - The Kid who 'stole' the bus in NOLA

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elfshadow
Post subject: Jabbar Gibson - The Kid who 'stole' the bus in NOLA
Posted: Tue 13 Sep , 2005 5:14 pm
Kill the headlights and put it in neutral
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This was posted on TORC by GlassHouse, and I was given permission to post it here as well (to my knowledge it hasn't been already). I thought it was a wonderful idea :).
Quote:
I've been putting off posting this until i wrote something sufficiently good that would inspire people to go forth and do the right thing. well at the rate i write that could take forever so I'm just going to wing it.

I think most of us know the story of Jabbar Gibson by now, It's been discussed here and there on the board, in the media and on blogs.
He's the kid that stole a bus in New Orleans and drove 100 people, including small children and the elderly to safety during hurricane Katrina.

Well a few of us who gather at The Outer Banks decided that we should try to do something for Mr Gibson. You might remember that when the story first broke there was some talk that Mr Gibson could face criminal charges for the theft of the bus. It was that outrageously petty reaction by officials that first got our attention and made Mr. Gibson's story stand out among all the others.

Of course the small minded bureaucrat who ( I assume) couldn't seem to see beyond the fact that a "black kid stole a bus" soon realized it wasn't good public relations to arrest a hero and that idea was dropped... but still....it's amazing that it was ever considered at all.

So we thought that maybe someone should try to do something nice for the kid. Not just because he did the right thing and acted bravely and resourcefully in a bad situation but because, well, because we can't do something for all the people who acted heroically during Katrina. Mr Gibson has become our symbol.

Please see our petition;
Quote:

Petition to honor Jabbar Gibson

http://www.petitiononline.com/JG0007Q/petition.html

To: U.S. Congress
We, as citizens of the United States, and other nations trust that it is within our power to affect actions at the highest levels of government. We believe we can be heard, and we hope and expect that our elected officials will respond to our heartfelt expressions of concern, as our representatives at the national level.

We have been extraordinarily moved by the story of Jabbar Gibson, and the initiative he displayed in commandeering a bus to drive Hurricane Katrina victims out of New Orleans. We were very alarmed to hear that he was at one time in danger of prosecution. Mr. Gibson declared to the news media, "I don’t care if I get blamed for it, as long as I saved my people." But WE care if he gets blamed for it.

We are citizens, voters, property owners and taxpayers. We are determined to move Heaven and Earth to see to it that anyone who dares prosecute Jabbar Gibson will never be re-elected.

When others were turning to crimes of the most brutal sort, he turned despair to hope; saving the lives of his fellow strangers and using the resourcefulness that is the hallmark of the American spirit. This young man deserves the highest honors this nation can bestow upon him.

Though he did not know how to drive a school bus, this practical and level-headed young man took control of the situation he found himself in. He took advantage of the slim opportunity at his disposal. Loading a school bus with 100 survivors, he drove seven hours straight through to the Houston evacuation center, arriving ahead of even the coordinated evacuation efforts.

There is no need to speculate what might have become of those he saved for the news has been replete with cases of death, rape, and murder.

Are these the qualities that invite prosecution in this nation? Are bravery, common sense and initiative to be criminalize in the aftermath of such unprecedented disaster?

We, the undersigned, give a resounding no! We request that this young man be awarded appropriately with a Presidential Medal of Freedom and a full four-year scholarship to the college of his choice. For we truly believe that Jabbar Gibson as an individual, exemplified the courage and the spirit that is the best part of America and in so doing became emblematic of the actions many others who responded bravely and selflessly in the face of this disaster. He is someone we should support, encourage, and see prosper in this great nation. Jabbar Gibson and those like him are the future of America!


Sincerely,

The Undersigned




If you think it's a worthy cause please sign and PLEASE spread the url around to any message board, email or blog that you frequent.

Thanks


This was a group effort of The Fans of Jabbar Gibson who reside at The Outer Banks.
Here's the link again :).


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