On June 25, Brendan Tevlin, 19, was murdered by Ali Muhammad Brown, a Muslim terrorist, at a West Orange, New Jersey, intersection. Brown was finally picked up almost a month later and eventually confessed to shooting Tevlin eight times as an act of vengeance for Muslim deaths in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. This incident serves as proof that domestic terrorism is alive and well in the States. A few short months later, Tevlin's parents have set out to make sure no one forgets their son, and Seton Hall Prep has decided to rename their athletic fields in his honor.
The school has been home to two generations from both sides of Tevlin's family, and two of his uncles visited with school leaders to discuss building a memorial in Tevlin's honor. The school has agreed to help raise funds to refurbish its athletic fields and rename the complex in memory of Brendan.
According to Michael Tevlin, Brendan's father, "We knew we wanted to do something for Seton Hall [Prep]. Brendan loved it there, he really loved the school and the whole experience ... We wanted something there so people in future generations might come by and be curious about who Brendan was. We didn't want him forgotten."
"The field is in the center of everything," he continued. "So much bad happened right there, we want the field to be something good. To us, it's a symbol that good is going to overcome evil. We took something terrible and made something good out of it."
In the last three months, Tevlin's family has received an overwhelming amount of support from the community and also from local radio personalities who have attempted to push local authorities to realize that a real problem — jihadist activity — is in their backyard.
Do you think that after Tevlin's killing the idea of domestic terrorism has been taken more seriously in the U.S.? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.
