2004, my husband was randomly shot in the back with an assault rifle in front of a church. As the police arrived, after-the-fact, they disabled on lookers trying to place him into a car to take him to the hospital. He was left for dead on the street.
This has been an emmense loss to myself, our family and countless others.

Omari was a very complex person. He
never ceased to amaze me! The simple
luxuries of life was his passion for
driving. He was meant to be a stunt
car driver. He was never scared to
try anything. He would spin in
circles, get sideways, do figures
eight's, all while he has one leg and
his face hanging out of the window!

He was a very well rounded person and
enjoyed learning anything and
everything he could. One book he
made me read and affected us both
was, Pig. He made me read this thing
to make me understand what a pig was
made of and what is in pork. I'll
tell you, it sounds silly but it's a
powerfull book. He passed this book
onto many and it always leaves the
reader turned off to pork.

Oooh, Omari loved his R&B! His all
time favorites were Marvin Gaye and
Mary J. Blige.

Omari was a very artistic person. He
actually had his own music group,
H-I-T or Highly In Toxicated. He
produced and rapped. He was such a
perfectionist when it came to his
craft, this is just one of many.
Such a detailed ear for the beat of
the snare, or pound of the bass and
so on.

His all time favorite movie was Night
of the Living Dead. His father used
to take him to see these flicks,
growing up.

As I've stated, Omari was very
artistic. He rather be the poet
rather than the reader. One of his
most powerfull lyrics was "Black
Heaven on Earth." We listened to
this rap that he finally turned into
a song over and over in a trance just
dazed in the soul of this song.

Twin Peaks. Whenever we would step
outside, regardless of where we
where, went or was going. Somehow we
would always find our way there. He
always thought it was such a serene
place. He loved the city and to be
sitting on top of it all just invoked
such a positive energy in him.

Omari, though he was as skinny as
could be, could eat us out of a house
and a home! I remember when we first
moved into our house, all we had in
the fridge was mustard and hennessee.
The only thing I was ever able to
make us was egg sandwhiches. I would
hook them up though. Even after we
started doing okay, he would crave
and wake me up, 2-3am, and beg me for
an egg sandwich!

He was a master in craps (dice), pool
and dominoes. Pure skill. We used
to have days when we would go out and
go bowling, play miniature golf and
things like that, and until he
won...we weren't going home!

He yearned to travel but we just
weren't in the position to do so,
comfortably. He started to collect
foreign currency so when we were able
to get out, we would be prepared! He
has a vast amount of currency from a
multitude of countries.

He was actually very into
horticulture. He just thought is was
a beautiful thing that plants were
living things, the move, eat and so
on. He liked all plants and flowers
in general but his favorite has got
to be the Red Rose.

Omari was a drawer himself. But as
far as artwork, he enjoyed paintings
that exemplified strong black women,
children playing a animals. He
thought animals were so majestic,
just looking at these complex
creatures, he used to always say,
"There's no way anyone can doubt
God!"

Another one of the simple pleasures he
always enjoyed was football sundays!
After a long day of me cooking (his
egg sandwich and lunch) he would
always step up and create something
for dinner. It was always good!
Then we'd settle down and he'd pick a
movie and we'd crash on the couch. He
would wake me up and we'd have what he
called a "midnight coverstaion." This
is where we'd reflect on our week and
what was come, he'd tell me jokes the
kids told him and we'd just laugh and
really just enjoy each other.

Omari had big goals and he even had
bigger aspirations in how was going
to achieve these goals. Ultimately
he wanted to start open a
rehabilitaion center assisting to get
addicts off the street and back to
their families or where ever the were
destined to be. He also loved
children and somehow we wanted to put
a park and rec together or build a
safe park for children to go and feel
safe and get the community together.
And when his dreams finally came
true, he always imagined a portrait
of he and I over our mantle for our
great, great, great grandchildren to
view and know where it all began.

Currently, he wanted to get back into
school. After a couple of years out
of school, his school kids were
asking him where he would be in 10
years. And upon a child's inquiry,
it really made him look at himself
and he realized that he couldn't just
preach but he had to be an example.
He's always wanted to go back,
ironically for Telecommunications -he
loved putting things together and
wiring was something he wanted to
master, but until just then he was
putting it off. He was going to go
back in 2005.

He always wanted me and his
grandmother to be proud of him, he
wanted to be a good person and he
wanted to be able to make sure
everyone was taken care of and we,
his family, didn't want for
anything. ...if he only knew. While he walked
this earth, we were never more proud
of him in anything he seeked to do!
He just felt he had a lot to do.

He wanted happiness for everyone on
this earth. He wanted to live life
how it was meant to be lived. He
wanted to travel and see the
pyramids, have a litter of children
and grow old with his brothers.
Omari means God the Highest and in this tribute I'd like you to end this little peak into his life with a poem I wrote for him and I hope, in it's essence, you will be able to have a little more understanding in his worth and all of the vibrant souls here and gone... "Omari" GOD the Highest - In all that is righteous. Virgin soul from the purest soil as from Genesis. Creation is he, what was meant to be- the Greatest of intentions. Each exhale expels a miracle beyond the ordinary's comprehension. Complex, the test that devours the flesh. Yet, still he rises from the passion of his drum humming in hypnosis to the sun. He shines, he sets- In the midst of prime meridian transcends a glorious light. And all his black beauty trines, warming rage, weakening fury while embelleshing convections of happiness... exposing the jagged journey of a king. Heavy is the head that bears the crown. Each breathe reveals the immaculate redemption in the release of his remains. Infinite blessings. Forevermore he reigns, Victorious! In the arms of all that is HE, and in he, magnificence, we all shall be... GOD the HIGHEST.