I grew up a few blocks over from Liberty in PR and I remember him from all the way back in elementary school. He was a couple grades higher, but he was hard to miss because he was the only kid in the sixth grade with long hair and a mustache. I remember him cruising around in his metal t-shirts and I distinctly remember being certain that he was going to beat me up and steal my lunch money if I got to close to him. If he didn’t get me, he had an older brother that looked just like him, only bigger with longer hair, who would.
Those were some scary dudes to a naïve fourth grader! It wasn’t until years later through skating and some mutual friends, that I really got to know Liberty, other than just a passing whats up at Grazianos, Thriftys or Luckys, and had come to realize how wrong I was. When I told Liberty about being afraid of him as a little kid, he laughed at me and called me a wuss. I told him he was right and to stop picking on me, and we laughed some more.
I remember like yesterday a time when we were swimming in my parent’s pool- just sitting around enjoying the summer, and this bee landed on his shaved head. I said Dude hold still, there’s a bee on your head. I approached cautiously, ready to flick it off when he stopped me and replied, No man, just leave it alone. I stared right at him for the next minute or so, just waiting for him to get stung. Sure enough, after resting for a few moments while Liberty patiently allowed it, the bee lifted off and flew away. Now, this story may seem uneventful, but when you understand it in the context of who Liberty was, and who his friends were, you can fully understand its relevance.
Liberty had friends who would eat bugs, just for the hell of it. Liberty had friends, including myself, whose personal beliefs were in stark contrast to his own. Regardless, Liberty’s wisdom proved far beyond his years and he loved his friends, and people in general, unequivocally. With Liberty, you could discuss or debate anything under the stars or beyond without any fear of judgment or provocation. I learned great things from Liberty- not by words alone, but by his actions, by the way he treated people and his environment, by who he was. Liberty was content, despite strong convictions. Liberty was patient, despite an utter sense of urgency. Liberty saw things that required his attention, and he did not hesitate in tending to them. He was always calm, cool, and collected and I too, like Jake, never heard him raise his voice in anger to anyone. He was a rare and unique individual and I was privileged to know him.
After he got back from Berkeley, I only saw Liberty once or twice and never really got a chance to hang out with him and catch up. I always figured that I would run into him somewhere and he could tell me about all the great things I knew he was working on. I always thought that I would have the chance to learn more from him as he doubtlessly gained more knowledge and wisdom. This tragedy strikes so many chords on so many different levels, and we must take something from it. It must not be in vain. Time is most certainly limited and must not be taken for granted. Mortality is imminent for all.
Some memories that come to mind would have to include swimming all summer- late night missions in the buick-getting pulled over in DB - shooting pool at Liberty’s house, UB, and other pool halls- - Star Wars pinball- hacky sack- shows at cup of j, showcase, glasshouse, claremont, koos etc- Kellogg mansion, the nature trail and water tower- cliff diving in San Dimas- graveyard in P-town under the 57 - trying to sneak into Raging Waters and getting chased out by a gang of homeless transients in the woods- samosas- late night skate sessions- local hikes- drivin with the edge xxx–cheap movies at the indian hills mall- and of course listening to music-
Thank you Liberty for the indelible mark you made on my life in such a short period of time- you will not be forgotten- my prayer is that we will meet again so that we will have that chance to catch up.
Paulie
Don’t be foolish and naive like I was. I went years without shopping around my insurance rates, and one day it dawned on me.. All I had to do was take 5 minutes and get some free quotes and boy, did I ever save some major $$ 