Forgiveness part of legacy left by slain cabbie

A passenger in the stolen Chevrolet Avalanche that killed taxi-driver Tony Lanzellotti just over a month ago laughs about his death on a police interrogation video.

"He had to die sometime anyway," the 16-year-old girl says when she's told what happened to the 55-year man who was driving the taxi.

"Wrong time, wrong place.

"It's not like it's a big deal anyways."

On hearing that, Provincial court Judge Ron Meyers -- sensing it could represent more than ganginfected bravado -- ordered a psychiatric report.

Of course for most of us the reflexive reaction to the callousness of the girl's comments is less probing and analytical.

We're simply outraged.

So you can imagine how Tony Lanzellotti's family reacted when they heard.

Or maybe you can't.

. . .

As it happened, on the day before the story broke about the girl's videotaped rant I spoke with someone who has a profoundly different feeling about Tony the taxi driver and what happened to him.

Actually Rev. Greg Glatz, who cohosts CJOB's GodTalk show, initially contacted me the week before because he was looking for Tony's family.

Glatz had an idea.

He wanted to create a scholarship in Tony's memory. But first he needed the family's approval.

The scholarship, after all, would be for inner-city kids.

The kind of youngsters Glatz works with in his after-school mentoring program at Central Baptist Church on Ellice near Wall.

The kind of kids who, if they aren't helped early on, might end up joining a gang. Or stealing a car and killing someone.

The idea of honouring Tony's memory came to the 43-year-old former disciple of Harry Lehotsky after reading Tony's obituary.

Tony seemed like an "everyman" to Glatz.

"I just thought, we've got to do something to remember this guy."

By the time I reached Glatz on the phone this week he had already spoken to some of Tony's family.

"They love the idea," Glatz said.

But the family wanted to meet with him and get a better idea of who he was and what he wanted to do.

Coincidentally they all sat down together on the day the story broke about the teenage girl's laughing and shrugging off Tony's death.

If Glatz was concerned that the girl's comments might cause the family to back away from helping inner-city kids in Tony's name he needn't have been.

Tony's family will be at the Prairie Theatre Exchange tonight when Greg Glatz formally announces the scholarship at a church fundrasing event.

Yes, Glatz suggested, of course the family was disturbed -- even disgusted -- by what girl said.

But, on reflection they were understanding, too.

"I think they were seeing beyond the behaviour to the root cause," Glatz said. Surprised?

Well, there's more where that came from.

First, though, you should know a little more about who Tony was.

"He was a hippie," his younger brother Al told me when I asked who Tony was . "He grew up listening to the Beatles. John Lennon and peace. He loved the '60s. His hair was hippielike to the end."

But Tony's life was also strewn with what Al called "hurdles." Al didn't want to get into the nature of the obstacles. Suffice it to say that those of us who have struggled and suffered tend to be more understanding of others.

Which might be why Tony was so good with the kids who hung out at the pool hall that he and his dad owned for about 20 years.

Las Vegas Amusements was in the basement of a building on Vaughn Street, across from The Bay. It was the kind of place that attracted tough inner-city kids.

"A lot of them were gang members in the '90s," Tony's younger brother Al told me. "And he tried to steer them down the right path."

How tragically ironic then that it was a kid travelling the wrong path at 138 kilometres an hour who would kill Tony.

How fitting, though, that some of the kids he reached out to during those pool-hall years sent cards of condolence. "Thanking him for his support," Al said. "For his friendship, for being a role model, a mentor."

No wonder the family loves the idea of a scholarship in Tony's name that will help inner-city kids.

Maybe that explains why, despite their deep sadness over losing Tony, the family seems to be trying to be so understanding of the kids who were involved in Tony's death.

"We're in the process of forgiveness," Al said, speaking for the family.

"We're looking at those kids as troubled. There but for the grace of God go a lot of us."

"You have to forgive," he said. "You have to forgive."

Then Al suggested why the family is trying so hard.

"I know Tony would feel forgiveness for that kid who hit him," he said. "And compassion."

. . .

I wonder what that 16-year-old girl thinks about Tony now. More importantly I wonder what you think of her now.

What I mean is this: If Tony Lanzellotti would have forgiven the kid who killed him, and if his family is trying to offer forgiveness and compassion... Who are we not to try, too?

gordon.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 3, 2008 $sourceSection$sourcePage