Justice For Eric Kleemeyer

Second walk to remember Eric

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 08:17:24 GMT

THE JUSTICE FOR ERIC KLEEMEYER FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES

THE SECOND ANNUAL

FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS

COMMUNITY WALK

REMEMBERING ERIC

The theme of this years walk is

ERIC LIVES

On this the second anniversary of Eric Kleemeyer’s untimely death

Family and friends whose lives were touched and influenced by

Eric’s short but extraordinary time with us

are encouraged to reflect upon and then share examples of

how his presence manages to manifest itself in our daily routines

and what part of him we each keep alive and with us in our hearts

Wednesday January 03, 2006

11:00 pm

Meet at the corner of Serra and Clara Vista

For preparations, information and updates

Shuttle to the corner of Newhall and Monroe

Walk the @ two mile pursuit route

Concluding @ midnight at Serra and Clara Vista with

Prayers, meditation, remembrances, sharing and support

Eric’s Story part one - Little Joe

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 17:03:55 GMT

The Killing of Eric Kleemeyer

Eric’s Story

My nephew Eric Kleemeyer was shot to death in front of his mother’s house by members of the Santa Clara Police Department. The following is my opinion as to what happened to him. Eric is not here to say what actually took place so I did my best writing this for him. What Eric experienced that night is unimaginably horrible but this is dedicated to Eric’s mother who now experiences it everyday.

Eric’s Story

Part One

Little Joe

It was Monday January 3rd 2004 and the holidays were finally over. Shopping that time of year with all the distracted drivers, nonexistent parking, and the crowds of rude and hurried masses is a horrible experience and one that should be avoided whenever possible. There is however a far worst role in this madness than simply being one more body amongst the holiday throngs. That would be if you were one of the poor outnumbered souls working on the other side of the cash register logging endless and exhausting hours trying to service and please those insatiable herds of consumers. For people who had worked the Christmas retail season in one of larger new “super stores”, such as Eric Kleemeyer had at the local Santa Clara Costco facility, the time had finally come to hopefully start getting back to more normal and slower paced lifestyle.

As if his work schedule hadn’t been enough to contend with in the midst of all the commotion Eric had managed to also somehow celebrate his twenty second birthday. December fifteenth had marked one full year of official adulthood for the popular young man.

Eric had never been at a shortage when it came to friends but this year there was one friend in particular who was missing. Eric’s best friend, Joseph “Little Joe” Ramirez was not there to celebrate his birthday with him. It was hard to muster up any level of enthusiasm because it just wasn’t the same without Little Joe around, but then Little Joe wasn’t there to celebrate Christmas or New Years either. The truth was he would never be there to share the good times with Eric again.

It was just a little more than a year ago that Eric’s world was changed forever. On the night of September 21, 2001 four young friends, Morgan, Jeff, and the inseperatable Eric and Little Joe, were just hanging out together when the phone rang. The call came from three other acquaintances who said they were having a problem. They were trying to get something to eat at the nearby Denny’s. They had tried to use the A.T.M. at the Bank of Santa Clara when a group of guys had started bothering them and would not leave them alone. They said they might be members of an Asian gang and the reason they were afraid was not because they were outnumbered but mostly because one of the trouble makers had flashed a knife.

Without hesitating, Eric, Little Joe, Morgan, and Pat rushed the short distance to check on their friends. They didn’t stop to arm themselves but there seemed to be no reason for such extreme measures. Eric stood six foot two and was quite athletic and Little Joe was in good enough condition to play on the West Valley College Soccer team. The two others were also in their prime so the idea of taking weapons seemed to be almost cowardly, as if they were not capable of taking care of themselves. Besides they were just going to check on some buddies, not injure or kill anybody.

When they arrived they discovered their friends had already left. The confrontational group of men had moved to the front of Taco Bell after equipping themselves with weapons of various sorts. The ensuing street fight was extremely short, violent, and very one sided. Morgan was severely beaten. Jeff had been beaten and attacked with a knife. Eric was not only beaten and assaulted with a knife he was pounded on the head with an electric drill after they terrorized him by holding the drill to his temple. They threatened to kill him by drilling into his brain. Fortunately those three would survive and recover.

Little Joe was not so fortunate. He had been stabbed numerous times, including one into his heart. Having done their damage the victors departed leaving behind their bleeding victims.

Eric, as hurt as he was, finally managed to go to his friends’ aid but he was helpless against the severest of the injuries. Eric drove his dying friend to the emergency room and then, covered in blood, left him only to frantically go and find Little Joe’s parents. By the time he returned his friend had died from his injuries.

Along with his best friend Eric’s innocence also died that night. Before this it had seemed as if they were invincible and would live forever.Before it had seemed that deep down people basically had honor and fights would be fair. There is an old saying about some poor fool bringing a knife to a gunfight but these unfortunate young men had the bad fortune to bring fists to a knife fight with opponents that knew nothing about honor and fairness.

It was little consolation that the perpetrators were subsequently apprehended and charged for their crimes. Nothing was ever going to bring Little Joe back. In the future there would be the trial to contend with when Eric would be forced to relive that horrible night and testify against these killers. It was not going to be easy.

Eric began receiving various threats about what would happen to him should he testify against the gang members. He couldn’t turn to or depend on the police because Eric believed they had no interest in helping protect him. The police had determined Eric Kleemeyer to be a “trouble maker” and so labeled they would routinely stop him whenever they saw him out on the street. He was stopped and questioned a number of times for simply walking to and from his job. The police had even gotten physically rough with him on at least one occasion so as far an Eric was concerned he had as much reason to be as afraid of local law enforcement as he did any gang reprisals.

Still he took the threats seriously. There was even a rumor going around that there was a reward on Eric’s life. It got to a point where he would turn down rides to work from family and friends because he was concerned for their safety.

Nothing however was going to stop him from testifying in the upcoming trial because he would be speaking forLittle Joe. To others Little Joe may have seemed like just a typical West Valley college student who was at the wrong place at the wrong time but Eric knew his friend was more than that and he did not deserve to be cut down in the prime of his life.

Last years birthday and Christmas, the first without Little Joe, had seemed almost surreal. Otherwise the reality would have proved unbearable. This year was a little easier, but not much. Maybe it would be a little easier next year and so on but Eric knew it would somehow always be there forever. The celebrating this year was conservative in comparison to earlier years and Eric found it easier instead to throw himself into his work and keep his mind focused there.

Eric was not the type of person that would allow the ever-present sadness to overwhelm him. At his core he was a caring and upbeat individual who had family and friends that loved him deeply…with their help he would get through this.

Now it was January. As stressful and hectic as things may have been that was now all in the past. The birthday, the Christmas shoppers, the big day after Christmas sale and gigantic returning of gifts avalanche was now over. The last major marker of the holiday season, New Years Eve, had come and gone. The amateur drinkers and over indulgers had enjoyed two days to recover from their hangovers and now it was time to get back to normal. It was a brand new year. In fact it was the first day of the first work week of a brand new year. It was a time of new beginnings and opportunities. It was the last day of Eric Kleemeyer’s life.

Eric's Story Part Ten - A Wasted Life

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 16:40:41 GMT

Eric’s Story

Part Ten

Wasted Life

Eric put the car in reverse and looked over his shoulder. He still had room to go around the front of the Tahoe and it was clear to go back the way he had come.

Eric watched as man jump out of the rear SUV before it had even come to a complete halt. This guy had on some jeans and a regular shirt. He sure wasn’t wearing any police uniform but he sure did have a gun and he was running past the Tahoe right towards Eric.

Behind this guy he saw a woman, also in jeans and a shirt get out pf the driver’s side of the SUV. She also had a gun. Eric wondered what the hell was going on; did everybody have a gun tonight except him?

Eric was sure he had seen the guy in front before but all he knew for sure at this moment was by the pissed off look on that guy’s face Eric didn’t want anything to do with him.

Before the man with the angry face reached his car Eric started to back out of the carport. He looked back and was starting to turn in order to clear the Tahoe when the driver’s side window just to the left of his face exploded with a terrific bang. Glass flew everywhere hitting him in the face and cutting his hands. Before he could fully comprehend that he had actually been shot at his car collided with the front of the marked Chevy Tahoe making a dull thud.

Momentarily stunned Eric tried to gather his thoughts. “Oh my God, that guy really shot at me!” He looked with disbelief as the man who had just shot at him grabbed his own face and yelled out “I’m shot” as he fell to his knees. That was too much. Who the hell was shooting at that guy?

The woman ran up next to man on his knees. She glared at Eric with a wild look in her eyes. Behind the wild eyed woman Eric could see his front door

Then the woman’s eyes narrowed and her gun came up pointing at Eric who realized to his terror that she must think that he had shot her friend and then the panic began to take over.

“I’ve got to get out of here! I’ve got to get out of here” was all he could think.

Eric managed to get the car in gear and started to pull away from the Tahoe. As he drove forward past the woman her gun barrel moved with him aimed directly at Eric’s face. He put up his left arm trying to somehow protect his head.

Her first shot tore through Eric’s left arm and into his head just to the left of his nose. The pain was immediate but there was no time to hurt now because there were more bangs as bullets entered his left arm, his shoulder, and his abdomen. The Dodge stopped again as it ran into the back of the Cadillac.

“I’ve got to get out of here! I’ve got to get out of here” repeated in Eric’s mind. With his good right arm he put the car in reverse and using the same arm he turned the car wheel and stepped on the accelerator.

Eric ducked down across the front seat to get out of the way of the bullets as the car backed down the drive way. He could hear the guns popping and the slugs ricocheting off of and tearing into his beautiful new car. The bastards were destroying in a matter of moments what poor Mr. V. had spent years polishing and protecting. Eric thought If Mr. Varvaro could see what was happening to his car it would surely break his heart.

Continuing backwards Eric felt the car go over the curb so he knew he had cleared the cop truck and he stepped down hard on the gas feeling the car gently rise and descend as it reversed across the street. He winced in anticipation of the jolt that would come when the car hit the curb on the far side of the street and when it did pain exploded from his bleeding wounds. He still managed to slam on the brake and the car skidded to a stop.

This was crazy! They were really trying to kill him. There was no time to wonder why this was happening; he only knew it really was happening and that he had to get out of here now. He quickly checked himself. His left arm was useless and his nose stung but other than that he didn’t seem to be hurt too bad.

Going left, towards his Mother’s was out of the question. They had that way blocked off. He would have to go right, back the way he had come and then what? Eric didn’t know that answer but it was the only choice he had left.

Eric reached up with his good right arm and placed it on the gear shift lever while he pushed the clutch in with his foot. He pulled the lever and felt it slip into gear. He took his right foot off the brake and put it on the gas pedal and pressed down. It was now or never, this was it.

Eric took a deep breath and as the engine raced he popped the clutch and pushed himself up behind the wheel. The tires of the old car screeched one more time as he lurched forward.

Eric moved his right arm from the shifter to the steering wheel but before he could crank it right he saw the short angry man, already half way across the road, running straight at him. The little man’s right arm was extended out in front of him and the pistol he was holding flashed.

A small hole appeared on the windshield but Eric didn’t feel the missal slam into his chest and penetrate his heart. His body was no longer his. He wanted to gasp for breath but could not. All the horror, pain, and fear began to fade away as his hand slipped off of the steering wheel and he slowly slumped back across the front street.

The car continued to roll slowly forward under its own momentum. Eric never saw the lady with the wild eyes run up and fire a bullet into his shoulder and down into his chest. The beautiful old Dodge crept forward and came to rest against the marked Tahoe with its bar of flashing lights reflecting off of the gun smoke that now filled the night.

To Eric this craziness no longer mattered. He had been afraid for a moment, in the beginning, when it had hurt but as the pain went away so did his fear. He had even resisted letting go at first because he knew he was dying and he want to, not yet, not like this. He knew he was not supposed to die tonight and all this violence wasn’t really, shouldn’t really, couldn’t really be happening to him but the horror of the night began to go away as memories of his family and friends flowed through him bringing a brief sadness before a stronger calmness came over him and he knew it was going to be alright. The more things faded away the more it became like a nightmare that was so scary and real when it was happening but it was finally over and now was the time to return to the warmth and peace of deep, deep dreamless sleep. Gone was the confusion that had been racing through his mind around why were doing this, cops don’t do things like this, they are here to protect us, why were they shooting at me. Those had thoughts drifted away to he probably had just been dreaming after all. The nightmare was so distant that he doubted he would even remember it the morning. Then an idea briefly flashed through him, one so wonderful he was afraid to think it because it was too much to hope for. The thought was what if the entire thing about Little Joe being murdered had also just been a part of his bad dream. That whole thing had never seemed like it was ever real. Suddenly, this made total sense and Eric really began to believe because for the first time in a long time he was sure he heard his best friend’s voice again. Little Joe was calling to him telling him hurry up, not to worry because everything was going to be just fine.

By the time the cop in the uniform, the one that had pulled the asp and gun on Eric over by his apartment walked up to the now stationary car and placed his firearm through the shattered driver’s window firing four deliberate well placed blasts into Eric’s body as it lay prone across the car seat, one in the brain and three in the heart, Eric was already long gone. He never felt them jerk him out of his car and throw his body in the street. He didn’t feel them slam handcuffs on him or feel them going through the pointless motions of administrating CPR as if they might actually resuscitate the bloody lifeless body.

He didn’t even hear his mother’s anguished scream as she ran from her house and saw what they had done to her beautiful smiling son. As for this last part, Eric didn’t really need to hear his Mother’s scream because deep down he always knew she was there for him.

Post Script

That weekend Eric’s memorial service was attended by over two hundred people.

In April, despite protests from the Kleemeyer family and other community members, a secret Grand Jury was convened by the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office. They met for three days behind closed doors before concluding that Sergeant Craig Middlekauf, Officer Jeff Vaden, and Officer Dawn Marines of the Santa Clara Police Department were not guilty of any wrong doing and would not be held accountable in any public forum for their actions citing a lack of compelling evidence.

In August hundreds of people attended JusticeFest, the Forever in Our Hearts Concert and Picnic presented by the newly founded Justice for Eric Kleemeyer Foundation to raise community awareness while honoring the memory of Eric and other victims of police violence. Local bands as well as Rick James original Stone City Band that came all the way from Buffalo New York provided the entertainment. Sadly, Eric’s friend Sammy passed away the night before the event.

On the one year anniversary of the shooting more than fifty people came out at midnight for what will become an annual event to walk the two mile pursuit route and hold a prayer service at the death site in memory of Eric and what was done to him.

Eric Kleemeyer’s cremated remains are buried in a Santa Clara cemetery that is located in the center of the pursuit route. With the cooperation of the Ramirez family Eric was laid to rest in the same plot as his friend Little Joe. They both would have liked that.

John Sherman Watkins

Eric’s Story part two - the apartment

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 17:00:29 GMT

Eric’s Story

Part Two

The Apartment

It was a new year but it was not starting off with any notable distinction. The alarm clock went off in Eric Kleemeyer’s apartment signaling it was time to get up and go to work. He had set the alarm as late as possible trying to take advantage of every minute of valuable sleep time that he could possibly squeeze out of the night. Such luxuries have their price and now he would have to hurry to prevent being late for work.

All in all things were going pretty well with Eric’s job at CostCo. He had recently earned a promotion that was accompanied by an increase in duties and so far he was handling the new work load just fine. This level of dedication and responsibility had not always been the case with Eric but things change, people change, and the very fact that they believed in him and he could see the positive results of his efforts was enough to make him want to really apply himself this time Eric did not want to let this employer down because after all, who really knew how just far he could or would eventually go with this company. Based on what he had experienced so far he was willing to give them the benefit of any doubt because Eric believed CostCo’s actions and attitude towards him had merited in return his respect for them and showing such respect meant being late for work was no longer acceptable behavior.

Jumping out of a quick showerEric was confronted with his drastically dwindling supply of clean clothes. He made a mental note to remind himself that he needed to do some laundryYsoon. His mother had been out of town the past couple of days seeing in the New Year with family and friends in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Paradise California. She had gotten home late last night. Eric had spoken to her on the phone making sure she had arrived home safe and sound. They talked briefly about her trip and then he had advised his mom of the severity of his laundry situation so she was expecting him. Now all he had left to do was to remember to get over there and do it.

It was great finally having his own place. Eric had moved into the upstairs apartment on the corner of Monroe and Manchester avenues with his friend Mike just about a year ago. This new found independence was not really so much a complete jump to freedom as it was a movement towards separation that was actually being accomplished in series of stages rather than one big move. In other words Eric had moved out of his Mother=s house but not necessarily away from his mother’s house because he was still just two miles from her place. This meant everything he needed; from money, to food, to laundry, to a warm hug were always just mere minutes away.

Of course there had never been any real hurry to get away from home because Mom=s was a pretty comfortable place to live. Ever since the divorce when he was just a kid Eric had been the oldest male in the household which by default made him the man of the house. It had not just been Eric and his Mother in the house either. There were his twin brothers Adam and Danny who were only a few years younger than Eric. Even though the twins could be a major pain to help look after he still loved them dearly. Eric knew that the boys looked up to him so it was a relationship and a responsibility he took seriously.

Eric also maintained a close relationship with his two younger female cousins Katrina and Laura who lived nearby with his maternal aunt Cindy. Eric, along with his brothers came to be extremely protective of the girls. His aunt also was divorced so as the oldest and closest residential male many “man of the house” type duties fell upon Eric who was glad to shoulder them. Eric saw the girls almost every day and if for some reason he did not physically see them he always spoke to them by phone making sure everything was alright.

Just as Eric was getting older now and growing into manhood so were the twins. Danny enlisted in the Navy and Adam joined the Marines. They had not only moved out, they had really moved out. Danny was assigned to a destroyer so he was usually out at sea. Adam had been stationed in San Diego until he was deployed to active duty as a gunner in Iraq. The interesting thing was that all three men still had their rooms back home at Mom=s.

This actually made sense because the process occurring here was really one of people moving on with their lives without so muck moving away from their roots. The bond between this Mother and her sons was remarkably close, loving, affectionate, and supportive. When Eric had a problem he could go to his mother, not as a child but as an emerging adult, and he could talk to her about anything. In sharp contrast to the war zone some teenage infested homes become the house Eric and his brothers grew up in was a sanctuary. All their friends would hang out there, particularly those kids who didn’t exact key fit in easily elsewhere would seem to naturally gravitate towards and feel accepted at Eric’s mom’s house. The truth is that they attracted kids like stray cats, not that there was ever at any time a shortage of strange animals in residence as well. There was many a morning that extra bodies could be found sleeping on the couch or the floor.

Now Eric had his own place, not because he had to but simply because it felt like the right time to do so.

One thing about Eric, he loved to talk on the phone and it was not uncommon for the battery on his mobile unit to be in need of recharging. In addition to speaking to his mother about her trip on Sunday night and his cousins he also talked to Lisa who was a young lady he was currently seeing.

Much like friends, girls had never been at a shortage for Eric. Not only was he tall and fit with wavy blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes, and a bright ever present smile… he was also strikingly handsome. Those good looks combined with the fact that he was a genuinely nice guy tended to make the ladies take notice which was fine with Eric.

Eric and Lisa had known each other for seven or eight years attending both Santa Clara High School and New Valley Continuation high School together but they knew each other only as friends. Then a couple of months ago things changed when Lisa noticed a more serious side to Eric beyond just the immature good time partier she had previously known. Now he seemed to really have his head on straight as tried to make something out of himself. She even went so far as to describe Eric as a “workaholic” when it came to his dedication to his job at CostCo.

On the phone that night Eric told her how busy he was and how he had to go do laundry tomorrow. Lisa had a busy schedule as well working in a beauty supply store, so they made tentative plans for getting together later that week.

That would be fun but that was for later. Now Eric needed to get to work, and then he needed to remember to do his laundry, and then there was about a half million other things he needed to get done before it was time for any fun.

He grabbed a bite of some cold leftover from the refrigerator as he rushed out the door. There was no time for a hot sit down breakfast on this morning. He would have to grab something real to eat later.

Eric grabbed his keys and raced down the stairs. His roommate Mike worked at the same CostCo as Eric did and usually he would give Eric a lift but Mike had an earlier shift today so he was already gone. If Eric walked he might not make it on time. That might have been a problem last year but not now. There was a solution to his transportation problem and it was parked majestically right in front of the apartment, shining brightly as if it was waiting for him in the sunshine of this crisp January morning.

Eric’s Story part three - the Dodge

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 16:58:34 GMT

Eric’s Story

Part Three

The Dodge

Even though the celebrating this year was subdued Eric has splurged a little and bought himself a sort of combination birthday/Christmas present. It was something he had always really wanted, just like about every other young American male, his very own car.

Eric had worked at the Costco gas station and with his friendly outgoing personality it was only natural that he stated getting to know the regular customers. One customer in particular, a Mr. Joseph V., would come in to fill up his vintage Dodge Dart. Eric couldn’t help but notice the remarkable pristine condition of the automobile. Mr. V. obviously had a love and knowledge of cars and over time, as Eric assisted the steady customer with various things the two of them would often discuss their common interest in all things automotive cars.

On one of these visits Mr. V. mentioned that he was thinking about maybe selling the car. Eric had seen the care and time that had been invested in maintenance and upkeep on that car. Even though it was about to be forty years old, almost twice Eric’s age, the car had never been abused or even driven aggressively so he knew the car was in really good condition. There were probably more miles left on this old work horse that was built when they really made cars to last than one of the newer disposable models that probably had been driven into the ground.

Eric told Mr. V. that if he did decide to sell the car that he would be interested in buying it. Mr. V. thought about it and decided that the likeable young man would take good care of the car because it was going to a good home and to someone who would appreciate it. The two men discussed the situation and they agreed on a price cash price of thirteen hundred dollars.

Luckily for Eric Mr. V. was not in any big hurry finalize this transaction because Eric was having a hard time doing coming up with the complete amount. He would save everything he could but it seemed like as soon as he was getting close to his goal some unexpected emergency, usually of a medical or dental nature, would suddenly pop up devastating the acquired funds. Normally Eric could turn to his parents for help with something like this and normally they would be there for him but not this time. Eric had gotten himself in trouble in the past and the young driver already had not one but two Driving under the Influence convictions on his record.

The resulting suspension of his driver’s license meant he had to complete a series of alcohol education classes before he would be legal behind the wheel of a car again. He had one class to go and until he was straight with the court the idea of either of his parents helping him buy a car that he was not allowed to drive was out of the question. It didn’t matter that it was the deal of the decade and that he would never have an opportunity of getting a car like this again. Eric’s parents knew all about their son and his good intentions. They also knew about his susceptibility to temptation. There would be no compromise this time…no license equals no car.

Eric however was an adult so his parents couldn’t stop him from getting a car on his own, they just wouldn’t help. Mr. V., unaware of this situation, saw Eric struggling to come up with his money. Perhaps it was pity, perhaps he was just tired of waiting to get the car off his hands but in either case Mr. V. relented and agreed to let Eric have the car for $700.00 down and he would receive the remaining $600.00 as soon as Eric could come up with the. It was now late November, just in time for his birthday that Eric took possession of his very own car. The busy Christmas shopping season was almost upon them so earning the balance due should be no problem at all.

Now the Dodge sat there waiting, serving no purpose, a wasted resource. Eric knew he was running behind and taking the car to work wouldn’t really hurt anything. He just needed to remember to drive carefully and not draw any unwanted attention to himself. Eric unlocked the door and slid in behind the wheel. That simple motion still felt great. He turned the key and listened to that old Dodge engine roar to life. Oh how he loved this car.

Eric’s Story part four - CostCo

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 16:55:01 GMT

Eric’s Story

Part Four

CostCo

Eric did make it to work on time. As he walked through the store he was greeted by just about everybody who worked there because just about everybody who worked there knew who he was and liked the young man who was always smiling and always ready with some new awful joke to pass along.

That Eric got along well with his peers was nothing new but there was something different about his job at CostCo. Eric was finally starting to have positive relationships with people who had power over him. Not only did his managers and supervisors like him and the job he was doing, Eric liked and got along with his supervisors and managers.

As he was growing up Eric never had much use for people in positions of authority and he didn’t mind letting his lack of respect for them be known. Here’s the funny thing. Eric was generous to a fault and would always be there to help a friend out but you had to ask him or at the very least just show a little respect in order to get his cooperation. If someone made the mistake of ordering Eric around or telling him that he “had to” do something they would elicit a response from him alright, just not one the person probably had in mind.

Thiswas because Eric was one of those rare people who lived by his own individual code. When he gave his word he meant it and if he was your friend he stood by you no matter what.

The problems came when people either tried to bully him around or they somehow let him down by lying or not following through with something when they said they would.

It was not that Eric was apposed to doing any particular thing. He just wanted to know the reason why he should it. The most unacceptable reasons for doing anything for anyone were “because I’m bigger than you” and “because I said so!”

Respect and honesty meant a lot to Eric and to him respect was something that you didn’t just out to everybody that thought they deserved it. Respect was more than a fancy title or position Respect was something a person earned over time and then continued to earn through their words and actions.

What this all boiled down to was the more someone who had not earned Eric’s respect attempted to control him the harder the ensuing rebellion would be. This sort of behavior is not at all uncommon with male children from families of divorce. Usually however, with any luck, after the turmoil of a turbulent adolescence these boys mature into and simply grow out of it. Unfortunately that process of growing out of can be quite painful for everyone involved.

Nobody knew this better than Bill Chapman who was the principle of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />New Valley High School where Eric was a student from 1998 to 2000. Principle Chapman had to deal with Eric more often than he cared to due mainly to truancy problems and anger issues.

Principle Chapman never observed Eric being violent towards anyone but he did witness his temper on more than one occasion where Eric would blow up and yell insults at the staff. The principle initially did not like Eric at all because of this disrespectful attitude towards his teachers.

One time things got so out of control that he had suspended Eric when Eric had called principle Chapman himself a “fxxxng Axxxxxxe”. Eventually Eric went on to finish high school at Wilson Adult Education in Santa Clara.

Principle Chapman represented the ultimate symbol of authority as an uncompromising disciplinarian. He was the culmination of everything Eric Kleemeyer hated all rolled up into one person. After asking Eric to leave the school principle Chapman thought he had seen the last of the rebellious young trouble maker so he was surprised when Eric came to see him in early 2002.

Eric told him he was having a hard time dealing with his friend Little Joe’s murder. He broke down and cried while describing what had happened that terrible night. Hurting and in need of support Eric was turning to his former arch nemesis for help. Principle Chapman grew to be quite fond of Eric and believed he really had a chance of making something of himself.

This was an opinion shared by his managers at CostCo. For a “show me” person like Eric actions always spoke louder than words. It was one thing to say that he could make something of himself but as the saying goes talk is cheep. CostCo had really stepped up to the plate and put its money where its mouth was by sending Eric to management training school. It showed Eric they really did believe in him.

As it turned out that first Monday of the New Year was pretty much the same old business as usual. Nothing exciting or particularly interesting happened during his shift.

Around 7:30 Eric got a call from his father in Washington. Eric’s dad had been down to visit in October and he usually spoke to Eric at least once a month. He was calling because he had just found out that Eric’s brother Danny, normally considered “the mature one” of the three boys, had suddenly gone and gotten married. Eric’s dad wanted to know if Eric knew anything else about this.

Eric’s father was glad to hear that Eric sounded like he was doing alright and not having any problems. Eric really seemed to be getting back on track. Eric had told him that he was paying his fines off and than if he stayed clean he would be off probation in February or March at the latest.

Then he would get back his driver’s license. He had been doing everything the court said he was supposed to so even though he was officially still on probation he no longer was required to report in.

His father had concerns when he found out that Eric had gone ahead and bought the Dodge Dart. That was some big temptation to take on. His Dad gave what he felt was the obligatory father/son talk about the dangers of driving the car without a license but deep down his dad also knew being 700 miles away it probably didn’t do much good. No matter what wisdom he imparted over the phone Eric was inevitably going to be Eric. He proved that when after his father told him not to buy the car in the first place he went right ahead and did it anyway. What made him think telling him not to drive it now would bring about any different results. He didn’t think it would but he told him anyway and then he asked Eric to please be careful.

Eric said of course he would be careful but was still working when he took the call so the conversation was short. Besides, the battery on his cell phone was getting precariously low and Eric reminded himself to charge it as soon as he got home.

Mike got off work at 8:30 but Eric still had a half hour to go. This last half hour always seemed to drag on endlessly and Eric tried not to clock watch because that made it go by even slower. When he was sure it was 9:00 Eric checked his watch. It was 8:43.

At that very moment clear over on the other side of town forty-four years old James Earl Trisler of San Jose California was out walking with a companion. James and Eric did not know each other, had never met, and didn’t really know each other even existed. They did share a personality trait however that James was about to exhibit and that action would cause the two strangers to have something else in common that would forever link them together. The common link they would share is that neither one of them would live to see the sun rise again.

Eric’s Story part five - Jim

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 16:53:09 GMT

Eric’s Story

Part Five

Jim

James Earl Trisler and Eric Kleemeyer did not believe that all of the laws and rules that politicians forced onto the public were passed with them in mind so therefore they didn’t feel the need to comply with the ones that didn’t pertain specifically to them. They understood why we needed laws in this country. Basically some people were not very smart and they needed to be told exactly how to do things for their own protection and safety.

On the other hand if you were relatively sharp and could take care of yourself you didn’t really need all of those laws intended for the dumb people.

A prime example might be suspending someone’s driver’s license for a long period of time. This must be intended for people who did not understand they did something wrong and the length of suspension were so they had time to learn. What if you got the message in less time than anticipated and you could better serve society by having a job and becoming a productive, contributing citizen rather than another liability. It would seem then that driving a little early was really not such a bad thing. The only down side would be if you got caught because sometimes probation officers and judges were not smart enough to see people as the individuals they truly are. They aren’t capable of making the punishment fit their real needs and instead they dole out a simpler “one punishment fits all” inefficient form of justice. True, there are giant holes in this way of thinking but if you are young, inexperienced, and you really want to drive your new car you can just about convince yourself of anything.

Perhaps a better example would be something simpler such as jay walking. It is a crime to cross the street except in a marked crosswalk while obeying any traffic lights or signs. This law was obviously made for people incapable of judging oncoming traffic and getting across the street by themselves such as little old ladies. Jay walking is the kind of law any capable person should be able to disregard so long as there are no police around. They will write you a very expensive ticket that has nothing to do with your safety but is really just another way the government gets their grubby hands on your money. At least that was how Jim Trisler saw things.

All Jim wanted to do was simply cross the street while he stood with a friend by the bus stop in front of the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Moonlight Shopping Center. The only thing between them and their destination was six lanes of traffic on the usually busy El Camino Real.

Standing on the sidewalk Jim looked left and right. There were crosswalks in both directions but they were at the very ends of the very large parking lot. Jim and his companion stood right in the middle of them. Due to the size of the shopping center it would be over a long blocks walk to the crosswalk no matter which way they went and then it would be another long block walk back to where they wanted to go.

It was such an easy decisionthat they never even really considered making the long walk and they started across the street without a word of discussion on the matter. It was almost fifteen minutes until 9:00pm and traffic was light.

The trip across the street could be seen as divided into two distinct and separate actions because there was a large, raised, and landscaped meridian in the middle of the street that could act as a half way point. You crossed three lanes of traffic and then you were on this little base where you were safe. Here you could catch your breath, get your bearings, and then cross the remaining three lanes of traffic.

The two friends reached the concrete sanctuary without incident.

When Jim turned to say something to his companion he stepped off the median and directly into the path of an oncoming green 2000 Honda Accord. The little car had no time to brake and it struck Jim Trisler with a tremendous thud.

His body flew forward and left through the air landing in the adjacent lane where it was run over by 2003 silver Toyota Corolla.

Police, medical, and fire units were immediately dispatched but to no avail. Jim Trisler was pronounced dead at the scene. It was too late to learn that perhaps jay walking laws did serve a purpose and needed to be obeyed by everyone after all.

The coroner was called and the roadway was shut down for the impending investigation. Traffic was diverted through the Moonlight Center Parking Lot. One of the involved drivers had failed to stop so the investigation needed to be thorough taking even longer that the typical traffic fatality investigation. It was obvious that El Camino Real was going to be closed for hours.

Eric’s Story part six - roommate

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 16:51:07 GMT

Eric’s Story

Part Six

Roommate

Eric finished work for the day and went home to their apartment. He had hardly eaten anything all day so he was starving. He took off his CostCo badge that said “Eric” on it and put it in his pocket. As he plopped down in his chair he called to Mike “where them naughty axs bxxxxs at?”

“Coming right up” Mike said as he grabbed two cold beers from the refrigerator. The beer of choice around the apartment was Naughty Ice 5.5. The 5.5 referred to the higher alcohol level contained in this brand and Eric had renamed it “Naughty Axs Bxxch Beer”. It was by now an old and stupid joke that still never failed to make the boys laugh.

Mike tossed Eric the beer that he tried to catch gently but it still squirted him the face and overflowed when he popped the top. He didn’t care, it had been a long day and the cold beer tasted great.

For dinner they had some meatball sandwiches and some more Naughty Axx Bxxxxxs. Afterwards, as usual friends would drop by, hang out, and take off.

. Just prior to <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />ten o’clock Eric’s cousin Katrina called on her cell phone to see what he was doing. They were extremely close, more like brother and sister than cousins, so it was not at all unusual for her to call and they spoke almost daily. She asked him what he was up to and he told her he was just drinking a beer and chilling with some friends at the apartment. Not very exciting so they said goodbye to each other. The call lasted only about two minutes.

Eric was getting good and relaxed and could have dozed off but he felt he was forgetting something. Wasn’t there something he was supposed to do?

Laundry! He was supposed to go to Mom’s and clean his clothes. He got up and gathering up his dirty things from the various places they had landed while simultaneously trying to figure out if he couldn’t postpone this chore until tomorrow. He could probably get by one more day but it seemed like there was something else he was supposed to do tonight… but what was it?

Then he remembered “Oh sxxt, I was supposed to go visit Sammy!” Sammy was a long time friend who had been stricken with Leukemia and continued to battle against the ravages of the deadly disease. Eric visited him as much as he could but he had been so busy lately he had fallen behind and he had promised Sammy that by Monday at the latest he would come over to see him and here it was with Monday almost over.

“What time is it?” It was already past eleven. Maybe Mom would be up late and he could stop by Sammy’s for a quick visit, hit Mom’s and then home to bed to be fresh for work. It seemed like a workable plan.

Mike told him to calm down. He had a little pxt and put it in a pipe. Mike held up the empty bag and asked “You got any sxxt?”

Eric shook his head, “I’m tapped.”

Mike lit the bowl and took a hit. “You got any cash?”

He got the same answer, “Tapped”

Mike handed the pipe to Eric and told him “well this is it.”

Eric took a hit and handed it back.

Mike asked if he gave him some money could he pick up some stuff since he was going out that way anyway. Eric explained he was on a tight schedule and he would do it if he was sure it could be done quickly.

Mike sucked one more time on the pipe and said “toast. No man, it will be fine. I’ll call right now.”

Eric took a load of clothes down to his car and then went back upstairs just as Mike was getting off the phone. “No problem, he’ll meet you in the parking lot outside of Moonlight Lanes. That’s where you’re headed anyway, over to Sammy’s aren’t you?”

That was true. The Moonlight Lanes was one of the few bowling alleys left in the Santa Clara area and was four miles away located on the corner of Kiely and El Camino Real. Sammy lived just two more blocks from there so it shouldn’t be a problem.

“Here, better take a hundred” Mike opened his wallet and counted out five twenties. “And don’t take all night.”

“HEY, I got sxxt to do too other than your stupid errands. You’ll see me when you see me and like It.” and with that Eric gathered up the remainder of his clothes and headed out the door.

Eric’s Story part seven - wasted time

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 16:48:36 GMT

Eric’s Story

Part Seven

Wasted Time

Eric drove the four miles to the Moonlight Shopping Center finally driving up Kiely Blvd. and making a right into the parking lot. There was nobody there waiting to meet him which to Eric was more annoying than it was surprising, It seemed to him that some people didn’t believe other peoples time had any value all so of course they couldn’t care less if you were inconvenienced. The idea that you might have other things to do is irreverent.

This is typical behavior of people who are the business of selling their wares in dark parking lots. The reason they do it is because they can. It doesn’t matter, their customers always wait

Eric waited fifteen minutes. He sat there in his car getting more and more agitated. He was fairly conspicuous just sitting there all alone so he drove from the side parking lot into the major parking area that ran in front of the stores along the El Camino Real.

There was nothing there but a few parked cars. He thought how much this really sucked and how he didn’t have time for this bullshit. He looked out towards El Camino Real and saw that there was a lot of activity going on. There were police cars and fire engines and emergency lights all having to do with something on the far side of the street. Either it was one hell of an accident or due to the number of fire engines something had burned up. What ever it was it seemed pretty clear that someone was starting the New Year off on the wrong foot.

He went back by the bowling alley and parked. Still there was nobody there. Why are pot heads always flakes? He was starting to get really mad. How did he let himself get talked into this sxxt?

Eric took out his cell phone to call Mike and ask him what the hell was happening. He started pushing the buttons only to realize the battery had gone dead. He had forgotten to put it on the charger that was just great he thought, what else can go wrong tonight.

A little more time slowly passed and Eric had about all he was going to take. He had no intention of spending the entire night here waiting for nothing. Some people worked for a living and he needed to get home to bed. He had already used up his time for visiting his friend Sammy and probably blown doing his laundry tonight and to top it all off he had nothing to show for it.

It was getting close to midnight. Five more minutes he thought and no matter what, I’m outta here. He waited impatiently and finally started the car up to drive away. Taking a final drive around to do one last check he looked over and spotted a familiar figure walking across the vacant lot. It was about time!

Eric drove up on the guy and rolled down his window. It was a clear, crisp night.

“What the fxxk” said Eric?

“What the fxxk do you mean what the fxxk?”

“Where the fxxk has you been. I’ve been sitting in this crxxxxy parking lot for almost an hour!”

The guy motioned with his head towards the emergency vehicles on El Camino Real. “What are you…stupid? Half of Santa Clara’s finest are sitting right over there.”

Eric looked over at the numerous police vehicles but there were fire engines and an ambulance there as well. “So whets the big deal, they’re all busy with whatever they’re busy with, they don’t give a sxxt about us.”

“You can’t be too careful these days my friend.”

“What’s that supposed to mean”

“It means the candy stores closed for the night.”

“You mean you don’t got no sxxt”

“Not till tomorrow”

“I’ve been waiting an hour.”

“Hey, just 'cause you want to get arrested don’t mean I want to go with you. I said nothing till tomorrow, comprendo?”

Eric was fuming. “Yeah, thanks for nothing” he said and stomped down hard on the gas pedal for effect. To his surprise the car didn’t just take off quickly as he intended but actually broke traction with a loud squeal and white smoke billowing out of the spinning tires.

Holy cxxp he thought. This car is almost forty years old and it still has some balls on it. He let off the gas, gained control and turned towards the driveway exiting the parking lot.

As he began his right turn onto El Camino Real he saw a policeman approaching him from the other side of the street. The policeman held up his hands and said “Stop”.

Eric’s mind was racing. He could probably explain how he didn’t mean to screech his tires but he couldn’t explain not having a driver’s license. What was the big deal anyway? First of all he was on private property, and second of all what was the deal with the cop yelling at him like that. That wasn’t a real or official “must obey” way to stop somebody was it? Even if it was, what was the cop going to do about it, run after him just for pealing out. Eric knew two things, this was chicken sxxt and old car with gas beats cop on foot every time.

With just a moments hesitation Eric continued his turn and started down El Camino Real. He stared straight ahead as he passed by all the other police officers. There were a lot of them. He continued down the street looking more and more in his rearview mirror. He fully expected to see the lights of a cop car come on and start chasing him but it didn’t happen. Maybe he had lucked out. He thought that if they arrested every young man that ever peeled out in a car they would have the entire population behind bars.

It would be safer to get off this main road all the same. The first chance to get off of El Camino Real was the San Thomas Expressway and Eric made the right turn and quickly accelerated to the fifty miles per hour posted limit.

He continued to monitor his review mirror but so far so good. He drove farther and farther away with no sign of any police cars he began to relax. That had been way to close for comfort but Eric had no reason to notice the SUV that had turned onto the expressway behind him because it had come from the other direction on El Camino and it sure didn’t look like any police car.

Eric approached the intersection with Forbes Avenue and got into the left turn lane. When the light turned green he hesitated for a second. Should he continue going straight on San Thomas and then circle back to the apartment or should he turn left and go by his Mom’s house? Chances were she had already gone to bed. On the other hand if there was a cop car after him it would be wised to hang out at Mom’s for a while. A big SUV pulled in behind him in the turn lane.He needed to move so he decided to go by Mom’s and he made the left turn He drove the two blocks to Los Olivios Avenue and turned left traveling a few more blocks to Serra Avenue. As he turned right he noticed the SUV was still behind him but whoever they were they were not in any hurry because they had fallen well behind him by over a block.

Two blocks in front of him, facing him to his right was his Mother’s house on the corner of Serra Avenue and Clara Vista Avenue. He slowed down and looked at the dark house. Just as he expected she had gone to bed. It wouldn’t be a big deal to wake her but she probably had work in the morning too and needed her sleep. He checked the rearview one more time. The only other traveler in sight was the slow moving SUV. From the look of it and the speed it was traveling it was probably some soccer mom out for an emergency diaper run or something similar. Eric always thought those little moms in their great big SUVs looked so funny when they came in for gas at CostCo.

Eric decided it was probably best to just let mom get her sleep and he headed home to his apartment. From Serra Avenue he turned a right onto Scott. With all the excitement over Eric began thinking about Mike again. As he drove along he could already hear Mike whiney voice bitching about him coming home empty handed. The smell of his dirty laundry only served to make him more irritated.

The way Eric figured things he had wasted an hour of his time, blown off visiting his friend, he still had dirty clothes, and to top it all off he could have been arrested.

The road changes names from Scott to Newhall when it crosses Saratoga Avenue and as he drove on crossing Winchester Blvd he knew he was almost home. He had stopped checking behind him every second concentrating more on how he was going to deal with his very real confrontational roommate than any imaginary police force out to get him. Eric made a silent vow. If Mike said one word, just one negative word about him not getting Mike’s sxxt then Eric was never going to do another favor for him again…ever.