Mr. Butch's funeral procession and service

By adamg on Sun, 07/22/2007 - 10:47pm

Historygradguy posts tons of photos from the procession and service.

Valentina Zic reports:

... I was particularly awed by the little girl wearing a Butch t-shirt and trying to convince her mother to go inside for the service itself. ...

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Comments

It would be nice to see the

By Anonymous . on Mon, 07/23/2007 - 9:19am.

It would be nice to see the same outpouring of love and respect for a firefighter, cop or teacher. I know teachers who help severly disabled (physically and mentally) children - they help them try to develop speech, bathroom routines, interaction with others, etc. None of these Butch mourners would ever blink an eye at their funeral, but it's chic to deify a weed smoking, dancing homeless man. It's actually a little patronizing to Butch.

Mr Butch was a Legend

By bostnkid on Mon, 07/23/2007 - 11:10am.

Firemen get big funerals. Cops get big funerals. Soldiers get big funerals.They all deserve them.

Mr Butch was a guy that never had much of anything. All he had was the people who knew him and loved him.Maybe people should have loved him a little more while he was alive instead of wating for a tragic accident to show how much they cared.I know everytime I drive down Comm ave I think of the firemen that died and the Vendome.When I drive by the Stockyards I think of a cop that died on the train tracks searching for stolen property when a train killed him.And now everytime I pass the Harvard Ave Comm Ave intersection or see that empty corner in Kenmore in front of the bank machines I will think of Mr Butch.

Stop worrying about who gets what kind of memorial.People loved this guy and he deserved to be celebrated.I just wish more people showed him how much they loved him before he crashed on his scooter.Peace.

You sort of have a point, but you're making assumptions

By eeka not logged in on Mon, 07/23/2007 - 11:22am.

I don't doubt that there's some element of lemmingness and liberal street cred going on here. There's definitely some truth to that.

But that dynamic certainly doesn't pertain to everyone who's mourning Mr. Butch. As someone who knew him, and who knows many of the people who've looked out for him over the years, I can say that these folks liked the guy because he was a truly nice person. He was a very caring guy. I feel that he did a lot to bring a sense of connectedness to the community. His positive outlook and the way he chatted with you and let you know what was going on in the neighborhood was really touching.

I can also tell you that many of the folks who knew and loved Mr. Butch ARE the folks you're talking about, who also touch the community in many ways. I first got to know him when I was working at a school in that neighborhood for kids with special needs, and my coworkers took me down to the local hangouts on Harvard Street and introduced me to him and others. I can assure you that this group of folks absolutely shows support to people in the community besides Mr. Butch. I can't vouch for everyone who came out to mourn, as I said, but it's not as black and white as it sounds like you're trying to make it.

re: teachers and Mr. Butch

By Tim Emswiler on Mon, 07/23/2007 - 12:29pm.

I'm a teacher who works with severely disabled kids. Currently, I work with a 12-year-old who has a degenerative disorder that will kill him around the age of 18. And yes, I feel pretty damned proud of what I do. I also feel very fulfilled and rewarded for what I do, and that comes from inside. If I croaked tomorrow, the last thing I would want would be a funeral that makes it all over the media. Butch deserved yesterday, because, as someone else mentioned, he did not have much in his life beyond the people that knew and loved him. I would guess that most teachers, if given the choice, would not choose a showcase funeral. I suspect that they, like myself, would want a few nice words written about them and what they did with their lives. But we don't need that-- our reward comes every day.

Please don't misunderstand this post-- I understand and appreciate what you said. But I was there yesterday celebrating Butch's life, and I don't think this is the time to start questioning whether or not he deserved a celebration. About a thousand people said that he did.

Hey Tim, small world!

By eeka not logged in on Mon, 07/23/2007 - 12:42pm.

You were one of the people I referring to in the above post who first introduced me to Mr. Butch. Heh.