I just got a PM about Tim Luke and I did last night too and I'd like to say something about him.
While I was prevented from posting I followed SI regularly. When I read that I was shocked and called the LAPD to confirm. They did. It is very sad. And I was truly shocked by the way he was attacked here by some people. That was a revolting spectacle. What kind of individual would take pleasure in seeing a desperate man die in such a way? Better for him had he been arrested, and then had some time hopefully with counseling to turn it all around. Like in "Vanilla Sky," when Penelope Cruz's character says, "Every day is a new chance to turn it all around." I believe in that.
I talked to Tim on the telephone many times in the spring and summer of 2001. Though I never met him, he struck me as a decent man. These claims had not too much to do with him, but without going into details I'll tell you that he went out of his way to help - which he did not have to do for someone he never met.
It seems obvious from the reports that he was desperate, that his life was not what he wanted it to be, and therefore he made a decision to end it. I recall from the reports that though he walked into that store brandishing a weapon - crazy, right downtown - but that he turned around. My guess is he knew it would end right there.
This industry has produced such tragic results before. While I don't know Tim's personal or professional history like many here may, and I would certainly not excuse what he did under any circumstances, I do know that though Tim's story made headlines here, Tim was not alone. I wish I had known, even the little I knew him, so that I might have called and talked to him, given him some hope. I post here because there are many more Tims out there. If and when my case begins discovery, let me tell you what I intend to do, on behalf of the many Tims out there: I am going to find out what happened to the victims of this fraud. I am convinced Tim's story will be repeated several times over, perhaps in a different way, but with similar results. Then there will be an accounting - and I hope it will be a very public one, and that those responsible are scorned by decent people everywhere.
So we are not just talking about money here and clever schemes. What the defendants did had catastrophic consequences for many people. Their wealth was built on the blood and tears of thousands. And Berber calls himself Mother Teresa. When I saw that I felt physically ill. Just imagine the hypocrisy of such a man. Mother Teresa did not deliberately set out to destroy others. I don't recall her boasting of her profession on national television.
The saddest part in all this is that most of those who suffered have done so in silence. They're not able to come to SI and hear any of this. And that is the most despicable part in all this: the defendants destroyed thousands; now they use that money to hide behind some of the best attorneys in the country, who have by and large provided them superior legal representation - as you can imagine when unsigned arbitration agreements are enforced. Guess who is paying for their lawyers? We are. Every cent they are paid came from us. They use that, as previously they were confident that no one could or would go after them. I mean, who has the time and/or money after what they did? Answer: just about no one. They were counting on that. |
