TRAGIC DEATH HAS CITY TALKING

Kenneth B. Walker's death hit a nerve.

The discussion began in the early morning hours of Dec. 11 when word of
Walker's death began to spread among his family and friends.

At the center of that discussion are the circumstances of Walker's death.
He was shot to death by a Muscogee County Sheriff's deputy during a traffic
stop of a vehicle suspected in drug trafficking. Walker and three other men
were pulled from the gray GMC Yukon. No drugs or guns were found.

The discussion has now spread throughout the community. People talk about
Walker's death in stores and at parties. This past week, the
Ledger-Enquirer talked to a number of people about the tragedy and its
impact on Columbus.

The Rev. Douglas Force, Walker's pastor, said the intensity and passion of
the discussion revolves around one fact: "In theological language," Force
said, "this was innocent blood."

Several common threads run through the conversations. One is anger. Another
is fear. Yet another is a one-word question: Why? The discussion touches on
topics such as race and racial profiling.

Kenneth B. Walker

To understand the discussion, you need to know a little about Kenneth B.
Walker. The facts: He was 39. He had a wife, Cheryl; a 3-year-old daughter,
Kayla. His mother, Emily, was a career educator. Walker was active in his
church, St. Mary's Road United Methodist, and his social fraternity, Omega
Psi Phi. He was a longtime employee of Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

Here's what others say about Walker.

. "He was the good son," said Sharon Douglas, an Aflac executive. "His mama
taught him right. People would be in a room and talk about doing something
a little crazy and he was always the one who would say, 'No, dog.' "

. "Kenny's father was my homeroom teacher in high school," said Isaiah
Hugley, deputy city manager. "I know his mother. Kenny was a great guy. He
was the model of what any mother or father would want of a son. He was
competitive in high school sports. He didn't give up and completed his
education. He married, had a child. He went out and got a professional job
and worked it for 15 years. He was church-going, and he worked in his
church. He worked in his fraternity. He gave back to this community. He is
the model of what I would want my son to be."

. City Manager Carmen Cavezza did not know Walker, but attended his funeral
Tuesday afternoon. "We all know Kenny Walker, even if we have never met
him," Cavezza said. "You could not leave that church without knowing who
Kenny Walker was."

Mothers And Sons

Black mothers have special concerns when they send their sons out into the
world.

. "What happened to Kenny Walker is the nightmare of every black mother,
that their son will be the victim somehow," said state Rep. Carolyn Hugley.
"We are careful when we are training our young men before they drive a car.
My son is 6-foot-2 and I had to talk to him about how he conducts himself.
When you go to the mall with two or three of his friends, don't be
surprised if you are followed. That is the reality of being an
African-American male in our society."

. Douglas agrees. She has not let her son, Derek, a freshman football
player at Tuskegee University, drive the family SUV since Walker's death.

"His hair is braided. He is a good kid," Douglas said.

. Bennie Newroth, government relations director for Columbus Regional
Healthcare System, said black mothers have a special responsibility raising
their sons.

"You know how, growing up, a mother teaches her child certain things, like
tying the shoes and saying 'Yes, ma'am' and 'No ma'am?' " Newroth said. "In
that socialization, we have to incorporate fear. That puts things off
balance in doing so. When we heard the news of Kenny's death, every black
mother who has sons became Emily Walker. We all said, 'Oh, my God, that
could have been my son.' "

Law Enforcement

The circumstances surrounding Walker's death and the lack of information,
especially the Muscogee County Sheriff Department's reluctance to release
of the name of the deputy who shot Walker, disturbed the community. In the
wake of the shooting, some have called for Sheriff Ralph Johnson to resign.

. "We have to know exactly what happened," said Columbus Councilor Julius
Hunter. "The only thing I know is a person was shot. The community needs to
know. That is the only way we are going to put this behind us. It has to be
a community-wide resolve. We are not going to allow people in law
enforcement who conduct themselves in this way. We are not going to allow
people to oversee and train them in that way."

. "It was like they were tried and convicted before they stopped them,"
said Reginald Pugh, executive director of the Urban League of Greater
Columbus. "All I know is that is wrong. We all have a right to due
process... . The officers involved were either ignorant of the rights or
created havoc and put undue emotional stress on those involved... . The
fact that they could not see his hand is not an excuse. That is not a
reason to kill anybody."

. "The sheriff's response was too quick," Douglas said. "Why are they
protecting the deputy sheriff? Nobody is going to go out and shoot this
deputy. We just want justice done."

. "This is an opportunity to reopen the line of communication between
police and this community," said state Sen. Ed Harbison.

Community

The reaction has sparked talk and action from some community leaders. Some
blacks are disturbed by a perceived absence of more outrage from white
citizens.

. "What I see in Columbus may be reflective of what I see in America,"
Force said. "I see a fear. But the other thing I see is really good people,
people who are committed to making this town a cosmopolitan, urbane and
humane community."

That said, Force makes another point.

"I feel a great sense of sadness for those in the white community who have
not risen above social conformity," Force said. "And, a tremendous amount
of respect for those who have transcended the obvious."

. "I can't say the white community is equally concerned, but it is
concerned," Cavezza said. "The average white person can't fully understand
the impact of this because they have not been through it... . The black
leadership in this community is allowing the system to work. This community
has made a lot of progress. This is a test of how far we have come."

. "This is a setback for us in this community," said Isaiah Hugley. "In my
mind the African-American community has stepped up and is speaking out. The
entire community should be concerned. And I believe the entire community is
concerned. But the concern publicly seems to be expressed from one side --
the African-American community. That gives the appearance we are not in
this together. That is not a positive message when you talk about one
Columbus and unity."

. "I do know this: You can sense there is a real feeling of hurt," Hunter
said. "Part of the reason for that hurt is some people believe the white
community does not feel the pain and does not understand why this is so
agonizing and hurtful. A human being lost his life last week. And the
question is, why? It is almost like: 'Here we go again.' It happened before
in Cincinnati. Now it is Columbus' turn. Part of it is people don't feel
the white community fully understands."

. "The white community is just as outraged as the black community," said
Columbus Councilor Nathan Suber. "Unfortunately, a lot of blacks are not
talking to a lot of whites. I have a lot of white friends and they are just
as outraged as I am. Just like the black community does not have all the
answers, neither does the white community."

. "This is not only the blacks. A great many whites have spoken to me about
this -- senior citizens, middle-aged folks, old money, new money," Mayor
Bob Poydasheff said. "This is not a racial issue as such. The entire
community is concerned and upset."

. "I think the reaction has been quite intelligent, instead of wild and
reactionary," said retired Superior Court Judge Albert Thompson. "That is
as it should be. If the investigation shows wrongdoing, then there is no
excuse. They ought to be punished. I don't know who he is, but he ought to
be treated like anyone else... . When you read about what has happened in
the past -- riots and looting -- what has happened in Columbus is a
patience and desire to straighten this out. Columbus comes out well. That
should be rewarded with truth and prompt action to correct it."

. "I have talked to a lot of my black friends and white friends," said CB&T
President and chairman of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce Steve
Melton. "It is almost like we don't know what to do."

The Expectations

Leaders in the community have expectations once the questions are answered.

. "We have to make sure we fully understand what happened," Hunter said.
"Second, as a community, we have to come together and resolve that this
never happens again. We can't just say we are going to do things. One of
the things we need to do is look and see how we conduct business in law
enforcement. If there is a risk of life being lost, we may have to say no,
it is not worth it. We cannot let this happen again."

. "We need to get the Justice Department and the FBI in here," Pugh said.
"We need to do a thorough investigation and look at everything; Whether or
not the task force followed policy and procedure. That is what led to him
being killed."

. "All of us collectively have to come up with the solutions," Carolyn
Hugley said. "The drug task force has to have more diversity. We have to
decide when to put the public at risk. Do we put the entire motoring public
at risk because we have four drug dealers?"

. "We need a resolution that is fair," Douglas said. "People know what is
fair."