Thursday, November 7, 2013

The Gaul of Some People Who Speak to Parents of Murdered Children

****An email I penned to a Mrs Haas in MD Governor O'Malley's office in 2011 pursuant to the murder and [sweeping under the rug] of 25 [TWENTY FIVE] human lives in Prince George's County MD. I attached the letter UMd's authors of Justin's wonderful legacy Award to apprise any of you who are not familiar with what this award can do for out-of-state students who truly wish to make a difference through research!

NO I was NOT nice to the Governor's office as they were NOT nice to the family's or VICTIMS who were VIOLENTLY murdered.

March 17, 2011

Dear Ms. Haas;

I appreciate your prompt response to my letter regarding the unconscionable treatment received by my only child and son, Justin DeSha-Overcash, at the hands of the Prince George's County Police Press Department after being fatally wounded in his home. Although I can understand no one wishes to think (god forbid) the police make mistakes or 'jump the gun' (so to speak); I beg to differ. Colonel Davis' actions shortly after my son's heinous MURDER have all the ear markings of using Justin as a scapegoat. During Colonel Davis' mud slinging speech in front of the media, to calm the fear of the residents of Prince George's County, he slandered my son and I have no intention of allowing this miscarriage of justice to be 'laid upon my son's back'. As naive as I can be even I have the ability to recognize an outrageously callous use of police propaganda. Justin was the ELEVENTH murder in first ELEVEN days of January; this should have been my son's most phenomenal year as he was to graduate this May. Why did the PG County Police take it upon themselves not to notify the UMD Campus Police of the sudden rise in violent crimes so the UMDCP could pass this urgent life saving information onto the students, staff and faculty? (You know and I know why they did not notify anyone!)

I shared with Pauline Mandel my participation in grief counseling in confidence and I will definitely take this up with Mrs. Mandel. For the record I am seeking counseling because I lost my son and our Nation lost a brilliant scientist; I am well aware the PG County Police used my son and no amount of counseling will change this reality. What I and everyone else heard, saw and read on January 11, 2011 coming out of Colonel Davis' mouth pursuant to my son's lifestyle was incredulously incompetent. Might I suggest Colonel Davis of the Prince George's County Police Press Department seek counseling or better yet a course in Ethics?

Not one person (American Citizen) to whom I have spoken believes the PG County Police Department has done justice to any of the 25 (Twenty Five) murder victims in the first three months of 2011. Not only have I been advocating for my son I am standing steadfast for all 25 (Twenty Five) PG County murder victims who were treated as if they deserved to die. I will continue my campaign in pursuit of justice for my son as well as all violent crime victims of PG County to the fullest extent of my abilities; with or without assistance from authorities who could make a difference.

Below I am including a letter written by the University of Maryland and emailed to their data base today regarding my son, Justin DeSha-Overcash, possibly you will then understand my involvement and commitment for the 'long-haul'. Thank you for your time, and by the way, one person can make a difference. Justin certainly made a wondrous and selfless difference in a mere twenty two years.

Regards,

Karen L. DeSha
Proud TERP mother of Justin Vance DeSha-Overcash
828-505-1264

P. S. I raised Justin to believe he should trust police and our political figures; I remember explaining to him "they are there to protect and serve". How was I to know I was lying to Justin; we were middle class and had never had any involvement with the legal system.

FROM: The University of Maryland College Park MD
March 17, 2011

Dear friend,

Early in 2011 the University of Maryland lost a very special student, Justin DeSha-Overcash. Justin was a remarkable young man who had a passion for learning and teaching. As a physics and astronomy double major, Justin carried a full course load to prepare himself for a scientific career and often spoke of graduate school to continue his education and his love of research. In his sophomore year Justin added geophysics as a minor and began working with Professor Hier-Majumder on research regarding the Earth's core-mantle boundary. Justin's contributions to this research were displayed at the 2010 fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union, attended by 16,000 researchers and his success further deepened his commitment to pursue a graduate degree in this field. Justin was an active member of the Society of Physics Student, the Maryland Astronomy Observatory and a tutor to Maryland Student-Athletes. The loss of this wonderful, engaging and giving student is felt all over our campus.

Justin’s experience was the essence of the undergraduate experience; learning about one's self both inside and outside the classroom, discovering a world of opportunities in new fields and contributing to groundbreaking research in a hands-on and significant manner. Unfortunately Justin’s journey was cut short, but the opportunity to ensure that other students are able to participate in research and make discoveries about our world and themselves is very much alive.

With your help we would like to establish the Justin DeSha-Overcash Summer Research Award to assist undergraduate students eager to pursue research opportunities and explore a world of possibilities. This research award will honor the memory of Justin by providing an out of state student who is financially needy a stipend to conduct summer research here at Maryland. Such an award not only recognizes Justin’s work and the important value he placed on research, but would significantly assist a student who is struggling to pay bills for housing, food and tuition.

As an out of state student Justin was heavily impacted by the high price of higher education and living expenses. He worked as many as four jobs during a semester to pay his tuition. It is our hope that this award will allow a student to stay at Maryland to conduct research that he or she is genuinely interested in rather than be forced to take a job that simply pays the bills.

Please use the enclosed envelope to make your gift and honor Justin and support the dreams of future scientists. Checks can be made payable to The University of Maryland College Park Foundation (UMCPF) with a memo line designating the gift to the Justin DeSha-Overcash Award. Donations may also be made online at https://advancement.umd.edu/giving/ and searching for “Overcash” and following the links.

If you have any questions or would like more information about this award please contact Lawrence Liff at 301-405-1082 or lliff@umd.edu .

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Saswata Hier-Majumder
Geology Department

Elizabeth Warner
UMD Obs.Coordinator