At Last, Some Justice for Henry

Song Lyric of the Day:

I dreamt all nite of summertime / Of what I thought was mine / We all fall down / It’s just a matter of time

Lane Abernathy / “The Scientist“

Those of you who have been longtime readers of my blog may remember that last June I wrote about the tragic death of 18-year-old Henry Granju. And if you’re a local, a follower of Katie Granju’s blog, or both, then you are keenly aware of the hell she (and her family) has been through in the almost 16 months since Henry died. Not only has Katie been living every parent’s nightmare, but she has been living that nightmare in a very public, very critical media spotlight. Why? Because she dared to call out local law enforcement on how they were handling Henry’s case. Because she stood up for her son, provided him with a voice when his was forever silenced, and refused to let his be written off as the death of just another drug addict (as some in local law enforcement undoubtedly saw it).

After Henry’s hospitalization last year, Katie finally confessed her painful secret: Her firstborn child was a drug addict. She readily admitted that Henry’s choices had led him down this most unfortunate of paths; his family’s love and support and even rehab had not helped him beat his addiction. But after Henry died, Katie committed herself to getting justice for Henry — she was going to do everything in her power, from using her very high-profile blog to conducting her own investigation, to make sure that the people who supplied Henry with the drugs on which he overdosed and who then delayed calling 911 for hours to seek medical help for him, were held accountable.

As a result of her crusade, Katie has been criticized, harassed, ridiculed, and dismissed as the grieving, in-denial mother of a drug addict. Which, while she is still grieving, she was never in denial about how and why Henry ended up where he did that night. What she did want, though, was for the two lowlifes who played a part in his death to be punished. And, late yesterday, it finally happened: Arrests were made, and the people who supplied Henry with drugs that night were finally hauled off to jail.

While it was the KPD who arrested and took those people into custody, Katie’s determination and perseverance throughout the past several months cannot be dismissed as having played an integral part in the investigation. And while so many in our community railed against her and exhibited the worst possible side of humanity — one which made me ashamed of my community — Katie continued on and got to see these arrests made in Henry’s case. As to those people who made cruel, heartless, usually anonymous comments about Henry, Katie, and their family, well, we should all be so lucky to have a parent fight so hard for us in life, and even in death.

Katie and her family finally got some justice for Henry, but they will never get their sweet boy back. Remember that when you feel the urge to write someone off as merely an addict. Sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, friends, coworkers — behind every addict is a person loved by someone. Your helping hand just might be the lifeline they need.