Johnny Hurley was 40-years-old when he was gunned-down by a stranger who had taken an oath to protect others. Johnny’s death cannot be undone. But it can be learned from.
We can learn from and be inspired by Johnny.
Johnny chose to take action. His love of others meant that he sought to protect them.
According to Matt Agorist at The Free Thought Project, “Johnny Hurley was an outspoken activist for freedom and peace and he spent the last decade or more of his life seeking those goals for the world.” Involved with We Are Change Colorado and other endeavors, Johnny’s Facebook profile includes pictures of him enjoying nature, smiling with The Creature From Jekyll Island author G. Edward Griffin, and a humorous take on the don’t-tread-on-me meme:
Though his life was tragically cut short, Johnny’s impact was positive and pronounced.
We can learn from and not repeat the failure of Johnny’s killer to critically think.
Johnny’s killer arrived on the scene and acted thoughtlessly. And right now, that person is very likely feeling deep remorse. Certainly it must have been a tense time, but that doesn’t negate the permanence and injustice of his actions.
Might having an open conversation help to deter this type of thing from happening again? Certainly training methods that encourage a shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later mentality, being inculcated in a culture of fear and suspicion, and legalese that purports to remove personal responsibility, do nothing to bring-about thoughtful action. Would a moment of mindfulness have prevailed, Johnny’s life would not have been extinguished. Hopefully others so-employed see through their programming and take this to heart.
We can learn from the incident the importance of asking questions.
Though the killer is well-known to the local police — because he is their colleague — his name has yet to be released. Why?
The “authorities” know the importance of being “authors” — of controlling the narrative. Any authority they have is given, and can be withdrawn. Shielding wrongdoers because they too don a badge may work in the short term but a legacy of it has caused a gulf between police and those they claim to serve. It’s time to engage, not circle the wagons. It’s time to see each other as individuals, not through some collectivist veil.
Legacy media outlets have largely whitewashed the cause of Hurley’s death. Consider the obituary written by someone employed The Denver Post, which notes:
On June 21st, when a gunman entered the Olde Town Square in Arvada, CO and shot a policeman in the back, many witnesses say Johnny “didn’t hesitate” but ran toward the shooter who had returned to the square ostensibly to kill others. With clear presence of mind, Johnny downed the shooter, and in the ensuing moments also died.
Why so cryptic? Why not give a complete recount? Why deflect attention from the responsible party? Fortunately, some non-legacy media may weigh-in. Word on the street is that Ford Fischer, who lists “Cinematographer, Filmmaker, Storyteller” among his skills, is creating a piece about Hurley. Keep an eye out. update: the aforementioned documentary was released on July 23, 2021, here it is:
We can learn to lessen our own fear.
Certainly, when Hurley decided to involve himself in the fray, fear was present. But he acted according to a higher ideal — love of others, of the human organism. So can we. This interconnectedness is visible in the GoFundMe that a friend started for Johnny’s family. Its goal was 8,000 Federal Reserve Notes, and as of this writing, has been met ten times over.
Rest In Power John “Johnny” Michael Hurley 08/09/1980 – 06/21/2021
Henry David Thoreau wrote of his motivation to “Act deliberately.” That is as critical today for each of us as it was for Throeau when penned.
