News photo spotlights reality of violence

BY MATT LAWREY

It is one of the worst things imaginable. The violent death of a child is the sort of thing a person never recovers from.

It seems to me that for anyone who faces such a horror, life would, for many years, become little more than an exercise in pain management.

Troy Minto's parents face such a future after their 22-year-old son, himself a new father, was shot dead in the Maitai Valley two weeks ago.

For many, the image of Troy lying dead in Branford Park published on the front of this paper on Monday, November 16, was too much.

The photo taken by Patrick Hamilton showed Troy lying in the grass, a passer-by holding his hand.

Blood was splattered across his arm and another Good Samaritan stood beside them. Troy's face was not visible.

It's understandable that angry letters were written to the editor decrying the publishing of the photo – their outrage is partly a reflection of people's concern for Troy's family and loved ones.

It was also interesting to note that in this conservative town other writers were quick to defend the photo.

There was debate when the issue came up at the pub the other night.

It's impossible to really know how one would react if placed in Troy's family's position and I hope I never find out.

However, if I ever do, I like to think I would support the publishing of such a photo.

Why? Because it says so much that is important in ways that words can't.

When I first laid eyes on the Mail the Monday after the shooting, it was the photo that stopped me in my tracks. More than the stories, it was the picture that impressed on me the shocking nature of what had taken place; the appalling waste and the madness that it could happen in a Nelson park in broad daylight.

It was the photo that made me think about the impact on Troy's family. It made me feel greater sympathy for them and relayed a sense of the compassion of the passers-by who stopped to keep him company.

If anything like that ever happened to someone I loved, I would hope that strangers would do the same thing, and if they did, I would want people to know about it.

The photo also sends a powerful message about the consequences of violence.

There is nothing glamorous about it. In a world where brutality is constantly glorified, it confronts us with the ugly truth of where it can lead.

The fact the photo has got people talking about how Troy died is a good thing. I may not belong to the same generation as the young men involved in this tragedy but I'm young enough to remember what it felt like being their age.

If I had seen a photo like that of someone of my generation in my town when I was in my early 20s, I know it would have made me think about the reality of violence. It would have made my mates think too.

More than anything, though, Patrick's photo shows Troy respect in death. It does this by humanising the story of his terrible fate and making it impossible to turn a blind eye to what has taken place in our community.

It also makes it virtually impossible to dismiss Troy's killing as being the sort of thing that happens to other people.

What's the bet thousands of people studied the soles of Troy's shoes and thought "I've got sneakers like those" or "I know someone with trainers like those."

I know I did.

Without the photo, Nelson could not have sensed the scale and horror of Troy's death in the way it has.

- © Fairfax NZ News