Griffin Speaks

A LIFE SAVING MESSAGE

On August 29, 1976 I left my Raleigh, North Carolina home headed to Morehouse College to begin my freshman year. As I walked out the door my mother said: “remember son, always be in before midnight”. I have remembered her warning and shared it with many people over the years.

I can only imagine the number of people who would be alive today if they respected the midnight hour. It doesn’t matter where I am, when midnight arrives I try to be home. My parents raised me to believe that nothing good happens after midnight. Many of our young people want to hangout in the wee hours of the morning. It is cool to come in after midnight. The sad thing is its also very dangerous.  

After the midnight hour a completely different culture is out on the streets. You have your real low lives, thugs and crooks. Midnight is a very troublesome hour when it is very difficult for many people to be moral citizens.  

When news of tragedy arrives at our door it is usually something that happened after midnight. On Monday morning when the weekend traffic fatalities are reported the majority occurred after midnight. So what is it about midnight?  

We have all heard the superstitions surrounding the midnight hour: 1.) When a cock crows at midnight the angel of death is passing, 2.) If a cow moos after midnight—death is coming, 3.) Farm animals are said to kneel in homage to Christ at the stroke of midnight, 4.) A stranger at your door at midnight always brings bad news, 5.) To meet a cat at midnight is to meet Satan himself, 6.) Animals can talk at midnight on Christmas Eve, 7.) Ghost comes out at midnight.

I recall learning of the tragic death of my Morehouse brother, Ennis Cosby, son of actor/comedian Bill Cosby. He was shot and killed on January 16, 1997. Ennis had been traveling north from West LA on the 405, to meet a friend in the Valley. He had a flat tire on his dad’s sports Mercedes. Ennis pulled off onto the exit leading to Mulholland Drive, and while he was changing his flat on the west shoulder of the road, a stranger shot and killed him for absolutely no reason. An 18 year old white thug, wannabe gang member from Orange County, Mikail ”Michael” Markhasev was arrested for the crime. He was convicted and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. The crime occurred at 1:45 a.m. (AFTER MIDNIGHT).  

If you want to give your kids a real good piece of advice that can prolong their life advise them to always be home before midnight, because nothing good happens after midnight! 

In the words of my dad, Dr. Melvin J. Griffin Sr. “I am going to keep a certain amount of ignorance in me, because folks aren’t going to walk all over me. I will get them told!”

Greg Griffin is a free lance writer. You can read his previous articles by visiting his web page at www.greggriffin.com or write to him at P.O. Box 250194 Montgomery, Alabama 36125-0194.