WHEN VIOLENCE HITS HOME:
Community, Family and Friends Mourn the Murder of Lashonda Graves

By Kofi Quaye

A few years ago, Arthur "Fido" Huddleston committed himself to fighting violence on the streets of Syracuse. His focus was primarily on 'youth and young adults' he said. Too many young lives were being wasted in senseless shootings involving young people with guns running wild in the streets.

Popularly known as Fido, he knew he had a difficult task ahead, that it wouldn't be easy to accomplish his goal. What could he possibly do to stop the young ones from hunting each other down and shooting at each other?

Streetwise aptly describes Fido. According to him, he has 'been in the streets all my life." He says he knows what's out there in the streets, and that most kids have no idea about the kind of dangers they expose themselves to when they go out into the streets and get involved in activities that either bring them into conflict with the police, or with each other.

He began his task of fighting violence in the streets of Syracuse by starting a list of victims of violence; mostly young lives lost in drive by shootings, and other forms of neighborhood murders. "I went to a lot of funerals, and still do," he said.

Attending funerals was part of what he was doing; adding to the list of lost lives with each funeral he attended kept him informed of the number of lives being lost as a result of violence. He also started collecting obituaries.

"It didn't make sense the number of young people getting shot and killed. It still doesn't and now I have a long list of young men who got killed, who got killed for reasons most of us can't understand," said Fido.

By mid 2009, he had collected several obituaries and was featured in an article in the Post Standard and the City Eagle.

Fido wouldn't have an easy time adding the name of Lashonda Graves to the list of lost lives. The death of Graves represents more than a 'lost life' to Fido. "She's Huddleston," said one source.

Fido confirmed when contacted by CNY VISION that Lashonda Graves is indeed his niece. He has lost a relative to violence. His relative is the latest homicide case for the Syracuse Police Department. "Yes, Shonda is my niece," said Fido.

Sirese Lowrance is her name and she lives in the apartment complex where the body of Lashonda Graves was found. She said she knew something was wrong when she noticed several police cars and police officers in the apartment complex on Saturday. Her fears were confirmed when she was told that a dead body had been found in a car in one of the garages of the complex.

"This is crazy. I don't understand why people do these kinds of things," said Sirese. She added that she wasn't surprised that the body was found in a garage in the complex. "The garages are kind of quiet and isolated," she added.

Is she concerned about her safety in the complex after such an incident? She said the complex has been relatively quiet and peaceful in the past. In spite of the fact that a dead body was found in a car close to her apartment, she feels safe, she said. "Violence is all over the city. Something has to be done to stop it," she said.

According to Fido, he had just moved Lashonda Graves from an apartment she shared with her mother, who passed on February 13. Pregnant at the time, Graves gave birth on February 14, the day after her mother died. "I'm sure she hadn't even really gotten over the loss of her mother, and now she's dead," he said.

Fido describes himself as the man most of the Huddleston family calls when there is a problem. He has transitioned from life in the streets to being a man responsible for a family known to be one of the largest in the city of Syracuse. "We're a large family and we are spread all over the city. "

He said the man charged with the murder was at the apartment the day he helped his niece move her furniture and other household items, and helped with setting the new apartment up to be occupied. "I had no idea this was going to happen," he said.

Fido said he received a call from his sister late Saturday, and rushed to the scene. "The family is in shock," he said. According to Fido, Lashonda has one brother who appears to have been hit hard by the tragedy. "I feel for my nephew. He's taking it real hard. And her father too," he said. Fido added that no one knew about the criminal background of the man accused of the crime.

How did he feel about his niece's murder considering the fact that he has personally committed himself to stopping violence in Syracuse? He responded that this isn't the first time the Huddleston family has had to deal with such a tragedy. One of his nephews was shot and killed in 2003. "This is the second time it has happened to my family. We have to deal with another tragedy all over again," he said.

Fido has been a victim of violence himself. In 1988, he was shot at close range by someone he considered a friend. How he survived 'remains a mystery,' he said. "From that point on, I started my project of doing what I can to help stop violence," he said.

Fido said he feels a sense of great loss with the tragic death of his niece, but he remains committed to the goal he had set for himself to help reduce and stop the incidence of violence in the community. According to Fido, the police continue to do their best to fight crime in spite of the challenge posed by restless youths who lack discipline and are prone to the criminal life as a result.

"If I could say something to the president of the United States, I would suggest that the government draft all these young adults to boot camps and into the army, and train and discipline them. If they want to kill people, they can go and do that in the army, not kill innocent people in the streets," he said.

According to Fido, the new chief of police, Frank Fowler, deserves to be given credit for the part he is playing in reducing violence in the streets. "Chief Fowler is doing his best," he said.