Category Archives: Stories About Marcus
The Journey to Justice
Today marks the end of one journey and the start of another for our family. Today Manuel Ray Villarreal was sentenced to 17 years in prison for his part in the stabbing death of Marcus Lynn Snowden. Although this sentence provides some relief we are still in a period of healing and will be for quite some time. We hope we have done the memory of Marcus justice, we hope we have provided everyone with some insight of how violence effects everyone because when lives are taken in such a violent matter, everyone suffers and everyone is a victim.
We will continue on the mission we have set forth and will now offer peer support to families who are dealing with the tragedy of losing loved ones to violence. If anyone would like to join us please feel free to message our page or fill out the contact form on our website; www.togetheragainstviolence.com
We also want to thank the all the first responders for the work they do every day, the Fresno County Sherriff’s Office, the Fresno County Office of the District Attorney, Kerman Police Department, Victim Witness Services, Central Valley Crime Stoppers and our family and community for all their love and support.
We also wanted to share a poem written by Marcus’ sister, Kendra Snowden. Her poem sums up a lot with only a few words and we thank her for allowing us to share it with you.
Two Young to Fall
Two people gone
One alive one dead
But not one got ahead
One lifeless
One soulless
Both young and intellectually unfed
The fight that ended both lives so they said
War against another all in vain
Now there are only chains
Chains on the soulless divided
Chains on the lifeless never to be reunited
Diversity a beauty and a beast
The separation between you and me
Like the serpent between God, Adam and Eve
Who are we?
Both the hearts stained blue
So sad alone and looking for the truth
Do not fear for our time should soon be here
Rise and fall
We do it all
One in the same so who’s to blame?
~ Kendra Snowden
#life #love #loss
#life #love #loss
Life
Despite the two years of memories that have filled our lives since you were taken from us, there is not one moment that cannot be eclipsed by the darkness we felt that night. The night that is just still, too much to bear. We have tried our best and hope that we have done your memory justice. Too many victims have had their lives negated by the people who took their lives. Victims are subjected to an indignity in life and also in death as their assailants often point fingers at the deceased, disparaging them in their foolish attempts to thwart the legal system. We hope and most sincerely pray that this does not happen to you.
No matter how much things change, how many good people we meet and we have met many because of you, no matter how much good news we hear. Life is just not the same, the zest and zeal are gone, will it ever come back? We really don’t know, no matter how much fun or laughter there is. We look around at each other and you are not there, life doesn’t get any easier, we just learn to manage better, we put on the happy face more often. We fool more people, more often.
Love
Love is the burden we will always bear, no matter how far away from the tragedy we are. We cry because we care, we try not to waste the precious time we have, we fill it to the brim…just like you did. You lived for the excitement, stress and heartache and were more than happy to pick yourself up and do it again. Then one day you were able to find that happiness and we could see the love and sincerity all over your face but it was short-lived, within a few weeks, you were gone. Love is the burden we carry like no other and we will always do so.
Loss
How do we manage the loss of you, we listen to music that reminds us of you. We like the things you liked, we tell the jokes you told, we dance the way you danced. We hold each other tight, we tell each other “I love you” more often, we see each other more, and we pray for you. We’ve become closer to God. All these things we have to do to make up for the loss of your presence, we try to capture the essence of you, manifested through each of us. It will always be there, they may have taken you from us, but not one person can take away the memories and love we have for you. These things are not lost and one day when our time comes, we will meet again. It will be like you never left, it will be like that night never happened.
Justice for Sarah Roberts
We wanted to revisit the story of Sarah Roberts, Sarah was a young mother from Kerman, CA and the victim of a random act of violence on New Year’s Eve 2011. Over six months have gone by without any arrests and leads are few and far between. Police believe she was the unintended victim, caught in the crossfire of a nearby shooting in Fresno, CA.
As with many other crimes this case remains unsolved due to of a lack of witnesses willing to come forward with information. Valley Crime Stoppers has issued a $2000 reward for information leading to an arrest in this case. Anyone with information is urged to call Valley Crime Stoppers at 559-498-STOP (7867) or Detective Chris Serrano at 559-621-2452.
This crime is a reminder that anyone can be a target, there are far too many innocent victims to turn a blind eye. It is of the utmost importance to report any suspicious activity in your neighborhood. Many people these days allow apathy to take over and adopt the “I just don’t want to get involved” mentality. It is sad and dangerous, reporting a possible crime before it happens could mean the difference between life and death.
The habit of reporting crime and suspicious activity needs to be ingrained into the hearts and minds of our communities. Don’t ever hesitate to call police if you think someone needs help and make an effort to find out the non-emergency numbers for your local law enforcement officials as well. These elements are key in achieving peaceful communities
for you and your families.
Together Against Violence 