Features

BHS Grad Honors Slain Colleague Through Film

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday August 10, 2007

Community Hosts Sunday Fundraiser for Canon Jones Memorial Scholarship 

 

Canon Christian Jones’ MySpace profile sits untouched since the cruel April night he was shot to death outside Tuskegee University in Alabama. There have been no updates from him. No instant messages.  

But his friends at Berkeley High School have found new ways to keep his memory alive. One heartbroken teenager remembers him in her prayers each day. Another mentions him during conversations in class. And Berkeley High senior Mahaliyah made a movie about him. 

Mahaliyah’s movie, If Concrete Could Speak, will be aired Sunday at a fundraiser for the Canon Christian Jones Scholarship at the Berkeley Marina. The film sends a powerful message to communities all over America to take a long hard look at the issue of gun violence among teenagers. 

In one scene, images of Oakland gun fights fill the frame as these words fill the screen: “The rate of firearm death of youth under 14 years old is nearly 12 times higher in the United States than in 25 other industrialized countries COMBINED.” The next shot cuts to Canon’s mother crying over her son’s dead body at his funeral in Richmond. 

“We can’t live in denial anymore,” said Canon Jones Sr., Canon’s dad, who is still shaken from the cold-blooded murder of his son. 

“Gun violence among the youth has reached troubling heights. These teenagers don’t just take away family members from us. They take away their own lives. This movie is a great way to drive this point home to all of America. Killing someone for a pair of tennis shoes or for being in the wrong block or because of their color means nothing. As a country we have come so far and yet we can’t hold a community together.” 

Quentin Motez Davis, 18, of Macon County and Romanita Michelle Cloud, 18, of Tuskegee, are charged with robbing Canon of his wallet while he was walking from his dorm to a grocery store. When Cloud accidentally spoke Davis’ name, Davis allegedly shot Jones for fear of being identified. Davis and Cloud will stand trial today (Friday) in Macon County. 

 

Canon Jones Scholarship  

Fund Raiser and Barbecue 

Noon-4 p.m. Sunday at Cesar Chavez Park at the Berkeley Marina, with Canon Jones, Sr. at the grill. Sponsored by the Canon Jones Scholarship Committee. To donate, make checks payable to Berkeley Boosters/Pal (memo line: “Canon Jones Scholarship”). For pre-orders, donations or questions, call Kathryn or Michael at 524-9097.