Jamie took the train

It was not a pretty way to check out. It was the only way Jamie could think to achieve her goal. Four years of fighting for justice culminated in her throwing a rope around the branch of a tree in a neighborhood park. She died at 1:00am on August 8, 2009.

Jamie’s case brings up many questions - was she a scapegoat? did she deserve her treatment? was she alone in the wrongdoing? did she even do anything wrong? Unfortunately, no one was willing to listen. So she demonstrated the unfairness in the only way she knew people would hear.

The story appeared one day in two newspapers. Woman Found Hanging in Park. The end of a story that requires no further comment. Jamie was a friend of mine.

At a time when money was flowing freely and loosely and people took it for granted, a recognized accounting firm lost track of a half-million dollars. They decided that someone had to take the fall. Jamie was at the bottom of the totem pole and as we know, it runs downhill.

For the Jamie I knew, dishonesty would have been a laughable accusation. She arrived at work early and left late. I would trust my very soul to her. She was kind, loving, silly, smart, generous, competent, dependable and loyal. She was always willing to go above and beyond.

Yeh, she was a little offbeat. She suffered no fools. She'd had rough beginnings as an orphan and a lesbian in a Mormon city and adoptive family. She rode a Harley and a Vespa. She loved ladybugs and baby-sitting her boss' grandbaby. She was one of the kindest and most amusing people I've ever known.

With questionable representation, Jamie fought to achieve a balanced and reasonable punishment after she pled guilty to a lesser crime and with exceptions. The day before her sentencing, things didn't look good. Serious federal time was about to be handed down.

Jamie packed up her car, called a friend to give her key's location, lined up her cat's food for a new owner and wrote out her instructions. She spoke with people in the park who reported she was friendly and pleasant. She waited for the cover of night and entered her final plea.

Jamie achieved her objective. The pain stopped. The court dismissed the charge.

We held a wake for Jamie. We all expected her to arrive, ready to take over the orchestrating of the event. Her beautiful soul touched me deeply. See ya on the flipside ladybug. t