The next time you sit watching and smiling as your little boy or girl sits playing with the new toy, or you’re cheering for your strong, young son on the ball field, or you look in on your child before going to bed, and you feel those special feelings welling up inside you that only the one who created that new life can have. Now think of the toy with no one to share it, the empty space on the players bench, the empty bed, the mother’s day or father’s day card you’ll never get. Do we have your attention now?
Emily Kern, Riley’s mom, and Michele Campione, Joshua’s mom, have a message for our Readers. Here’s their letter, a plea from two mothers who have to live with the loss of their sons, every day living the pain, the doubt, the loss, and much, so much more.
Remembering when…
Dear Readers:
This is a long overdue, much needed and well deserved statement that I should’ve written long before now.
Since my son Joshua’s death on June 9, 2020, at Peebles Island State Park in Cohoes, I have learned a tough lesson: Grief does weird things to people who lose loved ones but losing your child, your son, is such a heart-wrenching pain there are no words that I have that can describe it.
In the 80s, when I was growing up in the Albany area, we were always taught to respect and sometimes, to fear law enforcement. We learned that the police had and held the power to treat people any way they chose. They could lie, they could cherry pick who gets away with things, who would get justice, who wouldn’t, who would get held accountable for wrong doings involving breaking/violating laws and who would go Scot free. It was always about who you were and who you knew. The poor, broken and less educated about their rights and the laws were always left at the bottom of the list. It’s sad, but most people didn’t, and still don’t know their rights. You would think after all these years our justice system, which was is put in place and should be available to serve and protect the people would’ve made great strides, and that the nepotism would have diminished at least to SOME EXTENT. But it’s only gotten worse.
Most people still fear even questioning law enforcement, much less call them out for their wrongdoings, lies, or even to point out mistakes. When it comes to blatant disregard, negligence, misconduct, abuse of power, lack of integrity and professionalism, Who is there for the people of Albany county? Who can you go to for help? As citizens, the same people who either voted for these officials and pay their salaries and, as human beings who have rights under the same moral and Constitutional laws that they as public servants swore upon solemn oath to uphold.. Who is there to protect us? Who do we go to when we are treated unjustly and unfairly, or with abusive indifference? Who is there to hold these county officials accountable?
As two mothers who just lost their young, promising, healthy sons, both Emily Kern (Riley Kern’s mother) and I found out the hard way.. NO ONE!
Emily and I both came forward and questioned the circumstances involving our sons’ deaths, the circumstances surrounding their deaths, the hasty and careless investigations, the incompetent and misleading rulings by the coroners, and causes of our sons deaths determined by an uncertified pathologist. The “ongoing investigations” into their deaths that provide no answers, no closure, and then get quietly closed. And there’s so much more to be told.
Both Riley Kerns mother, Emily, and I wrote pleading to Albany County officials, Senators, Assemblymen, Judges, the DA, and all local media. We were lucky to get a canned response, if any at all. Do you know how discouraging that is? Do you know how it feels to be treated as if you’re invisible, a nothing?
You start to feel despair, you feel defeated and the thoughts of stopping your fight cross your mind all the time. It would be easier just to curl up in a ball and give up.
This could happen to ANY ONE of you, your loved ones and/or even you, yourself, so don’t sit there thinking you’re not vulnerable. We thought we’d always have our sons but we learned the hard way.
This is not just a fluke, something rare that happens once every ice age, and to only 2 mothers whose sons died tragically for no good reason, for no important cause. They died suspiciously!
These are frightening issues that need to be addressed and resolved so they aren’t brushed over and ignored for tomorrow or in months or years to come. The possibility of something like this happening to you — or it has already happened to you, and you were lost as to what to do — should be frightening, astonishing and very, very real; it’s not just a possibility, it’s likely to happen
The only people that were willing and able to immediately help both Emily Kern and myself were the Editor and bloggers here on this SMALBANY site. Immediately, they sprung into action. They made it clear from the very beginning that they will not publish hearsay. They firmly stated that I had to provide FACTS AND PROOF OF THESE FACTS. The SMALBANY Editor and bloggers are well educated, diligent, and extremely thorough, and provided both Riley Kern’s mother Emily and me, Joshua Abood’s mother, with the guidance and knowledge about our rights. Sadly and thankfully they have conducted more of an investigation in both of our son’s deaths than ANY AND ALL “trusted” elected county officials, so-called public servants, and law enforcement.
They have not only been the Guardian Angels in Albany County against corruption and darkness. they have been the ONLY ones to put time and effort into all aspects surrounding our two sons’ untimely deaths and the circumstances, including all aspects of the so-called “ongoing investigations” that are going on in somebody’s inbox.
What happens when we lose our loved one’s and realize “facts” just aren’t adding up from the information provided by the officials in whom we place our trust and even our very lives, on whom we relied for their knowledge and training and expertise? We get nothing short of indifference, negligence, and sometimes even abuse. What do you do when there is no one willing to help you? (I pray this never happens to you). When you are treated like you are invisible and made to feel like your son or loved one’s death meant nothing; when he’s treated just like so much road kill?
Why wait until you, your children, your grandchildren or ANY family member has to endure the unbearable pain and suffering that penetrates your very heart and soul, numbing you, avoidable suffering that is caused by the long standing corruption in Albany County and the self-serving elected officials, public self-servants, and lazy law-enforcement
Click to view slideshow.WE AS PARENTS, MOTHERS, FATHERS, GRANDPARENTS, BROTHERS, SISTERS, FRIENDS NEED TO STAND UP FOR OURSELVES AND EACH OTHER! We need to educate ourselves and our loved ones on what we are entitled to, deserve and what our rights are as citizens of not only Albany County, but as citizens of the United States. Where is our greatness when we act like frightened chickens? We need to show support by subscribing (FOR FREE), following and sharing this site, whose only goal is to help us and bring hope to the hopeless.
Click to view slideshow.I on behalf of myself, my family, Joshua’s loved ones and friends, and my deceased son, Joshua, or at least in his memory, want to personally thank the EDITOR and bloggers here at SMALBANY for all of their hard work, time, effort and compassion. Since my son was killed or died — no one is quite sure which — I have not even briefly encountered the genuineness that SMALBANY has shown not only in my son’s case and in Riley’s, but also in so many others as well. The simple fact that their goal has always been to educate and restore hope in people like myself, who have fallen victim to our damaged and corrupt system, all for FREE with no ulterior motives, give me strength and hope.
We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re not asking for something you can’t give. We’re just asking you to show some compassion and do what’s right. We raised our sons to be good human beings, good men. Our sons deserve better than being treated like a case number.
As Joshua’s mother and someone who almost gave up several times, and was thrown a life line by people with sincerity, values, and a mission, I am eternally grateful, and I want you to know that I wouldn’t have been able to come this far without your help as readers and subscribers, as followers of this site.
SINCERELY,
Michele Campione, Joshua’s Mother
Emily Kern, Riley’s Mother
[Editor’s Note: Michele and Emily have graciously consented to allow us to publish their contact emails, should any of our readers like to contact them privately. Just click the links above.]
… The message remains unfinished, incomplete.
Some Related Smalbany Articles
Riley’s Mom Responds: A Mother’s Perspective
Politics, Power, Patronage and Conflicts of Interest: The Albany County Coroners Office
A Response to Lorin Marra. re: Office of the Albany County Coroners
The Cover-up Continues… A Mother’s Despair