This blog was written on 20 July on exto and transported to wordpress on 11 December 2022
The day they shut Mr. De Vries, was a regular Dutch summer day. The sun broke through the clouds in the afternoon and kept shining until late in the evening. The Dutch were enjoying the regular afternoon and evening stuff, meeting on terraces to have a coffee break, doing some groceries to prepare a nice meal, watching TV, to get a notice of how the world turned, etc. Everything looked fine, on the streets, in the parking spots, and on other surfaces. All was well, nothing specific to worry about. […]
The day we read that Mr. De Vries had died, had not been a regular day. The same goes for the ten days that led up to the horrific announcement of the brutal shooting, on broad daylight in the middle of Amsterdam. For, Dutch folks knew that if Mr. De Vries would manage to stay alive, he would never again be able to take a stand and to act for the families and people who relied on his full support, 24/7, all the way. In the ten days that followed the brutal crime, the Dutch folks also came to know that Mr. De Vries not only had fully supported unheard families and people, but he also took care of folks he never met, but whose fate damaged his heart. Nobody had to know, he thought. But we do know, now. […]
There is a saying: “Of the dead, say nothing but good.” I know this is a very complex cliché, so it has been part of my thoughts many times after a loss, because we all have our dark sides. But we do not all live the same public life. So, I analyzed the saying again after the brutal killing of Mr. De Vries.
Ever since Mr. De Vries started to work as a crime reporter and investigator, his quest for justice became his top priority. It is in TV-shows and written in the publications of his continued efforts to work for the parents of dead and missed children and teens, but also for cases that were much more blurred, like the Puttense brothers in law. So, to me the saying: “Of the dead […]” is a fact of life, the life of Mr. De Vries, who offered his own safety, to stand with the unsafe and work for them, continuously, without needing something in return, on the contrary. We have too much evidence about these facts. So, I think it is very necessary to keep his voice, his presence, his legacy alive in the Netherlands and abroad. We need to invest in his work, his heritage, as a sign of courage, boldness, of a Dutch citizen, who taught us, time after time, years in a row, in broad daylight, to his audience of millions, to never give up on fighting for a better and safer world for all, by keeping track on the rules of justice, justice by heartfelt clearness of mind. The mind of a true and unique heart beater, whose death came way too early.
Mr. De Vries? Thank you so much
This blog was written on 20 July on exto and transported to wordpress on 11 December 2022
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Cora Westerink (1965), alumna Tilburg University and Arts Academy
