John Jett and I shared many conversations. He joined with me in facilitating human development seminars. He was an active participant at the Mutuality Center for Creative Living and a frequent lecturer at the People United Freedom Forum that was held at the Center each Sunday afternoon. (This writer was director of the MCCL and moderator of PUFF).

I recall that on the Sunday afternoon following Wednesday April 29, 1992, the day the Rodney King riot began, people gathered at  the Mutuality Center for the forum. There was no electricity in the building and the building next door, completely destroyed by fire, was smoldering as was the Church of the Living God, a block away, that had also been destroyed by fire.

A month earlier the topic selected and advertised to be discussed at the forum was "The Black Response to Soon Ja Du's Killing of Black Fifteen Year-Old Latasha Harlin and Judge Joyce Karlin's Failure to Send the Murderer to Prison." The principal speaker was Tut Hayes, facilitator of the fourm's Roundtable Talkback.

About two months earlier Hayes had been arrested for picketing Judge Karlin's home. Soon Ja Du had shot and killed Latsha Harlin when she was leaving her store without paying for a bottle of orange drink. The black community was enraged over this killing by a Korean woman, and now the brutal beating of Rodney King by several Los Angeles policemen that was televised around the world had happened.

Following Hayes' lecture, during the Roundtable Talkback, the discussion focused on the Rodney King Riot that was still in progress. I recall it was John Jett's leadership, his plea for nonviolence and message on healing the community that prevented activists from joining the mobs that were firing weapons and burning buildings. There is no doubt in my mind that he saved lives that would have been addd to the 40-plus people who were killed during the Rodney King Riot.

John Jett was a good man. A good man who is not great is a thousand times better than a great man who is not good.

WHAT I KNEW ABOUT JOHN JETT

John saw and heard
                          with his heart.

John exuded empathy and love.

John gave generously of himself.

John helped others
                        want to  be better.

John's ideas were creative
                        and encouraging.

John's presence illuminated
                           and made glad.

John had gifts most people
                   only dreamed about.

This is what I knew about John.

John and I were friends.

Copyright 2010 by Uriah J. Fields