Allow me to share with you about how my older brother was murdered, right here in the District of Columbia. He was a merchant, owner of a floor sanding and refinishing company located on upper Georgia Avenue, N.W., in Washington, D.C.
My brother was three years older than me. The family was so proud of him. Leon started out as a high school dropout. He quit school to work, to help my mother and father out, after moving to the area in 1964.
First, he worked at a drugstore, then he was hired to do floors, he learned how to sand and refinish so well that he was promoted to the role of foreman. His growth continued, and he began to acquire his own customers. Gradually, he began using his car packed with his own sanding machine and other equipment and started his own business part-time, in the evenings.
Though he had worked all day, many days, he would work a second shift for himself. This is when his growth as an entrepreneur began.
His business grew over the years, and he was able to hire a full staff, and purchase trucks and other equipment for his office located at 7323 Georgia Avenue, N.W., just a few doors away from McGuire Funeral Home, in Ward 4.
Though Leon had made a lot of money in his business, and several cousins and family members came to work for him, they too learned the business and several of them started their own businesses as well. This growth was like a family enterprise.
One day, Leon’s partner hired a secretary for Leon, while he was away, but she was not working out for him, so eventually, he fired her. This young lady worked there long enough to learn about his vault, where he kept cash on hand to pay the younger brothers he hired to have summer jobs, so they too could learn the business. Amazingly, all the boys’ names rhymed, they were Elton, Dalton, Shelton and Felton.
The young secretary was unusual, most people who get fired move on. But this young woman set up a plot for her friends to rob my brother. Whether they meant to murder him or not, we don’t know. They did shoot my brother, in his neck, above the bullet proof vest, and in front of plain clothes cops, my brother received a fatal shot.
Leon heard about the plot and went to the Fourth District (4D) police station on Georgia Avenue. When the police learned of the plot, they came up with a plan to use him as a decoy. They gave him a bullet proof vest and asked him to wear that vest when he went to the bank the next day. He did as he was instructed. However, once the young man fired his gun, my brother was rushed to Washington Hospital Center, and he died about an hour later.
That happened on July 21, 2024, and several family members are still in business today, especially Dalton Grant, who lives in Los Angeles. He is making millions of dollars doing the floors of Hollywood celebrities, and all by word of mouth. They all love his floor work so much that they tell others. His clients have ranged from Sidney Portier, Lucille Ball, Barry Gordy, The Lakers, hotels all around the country, and the list goes on.
Where does forgiveness come in? I met the woman who set up the shooting. She was working with a community group at my church monthly. I had no idea that she was coming to my church every month. We did not know each other, of course, but I did know her name. My pastor asked us to give out flyers to announce our Women’s Day, and one of those months I decided to stay for a meeting and invited them to join us for worship.
It was at the conclusion of that Women’s Day worship that this woman asked to talk with me, she even asked me to sit down with her. It was strange, but at that moment, she informed me that she was the woman that worked for my brother that had him murdered. She said I went to prison, served my time, and now I’m working in my church too!
Thus, the reason why I’m calling this column ‘The Power of Forgiveness!’ It was hard, but I did say to her, “My brother is gone, we cannot bring him back. I forgive you, now you need to forgive yourself!”