Jessica Amber Brierley: The Briar Rose of Gallatin County

Jessica Amber Brierley's favorite color was purple. Jessica Brierley loved Adam Sandler movies. She loved Bone Thugs and Harmony.
 
At the first concert at the new Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, her eyes lit up, when Kid Rock's big ass inflatable middle finger raised in the air, at the beginning of his concert. God, she was beautiful.

“My name is KID! Ba wi da ba, and the bang a dang, diggy diggy, and up jumped the boogey.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OrNS2zbTZg

Jessica Amber Brierley was born on April 10, 1984. Somebody took pictures of Jessica Brierley dead at the Morgue, with other bodies for some reason. Her estate got money for the hospital's mistake on that one. St. Elizabeth? After Jessica Brierley wrecked, they kept her alive for a day. Jessica Brierley wrecked on January 5, 2001, and died the next day, on January 6, 2001. She was 16 years old. 

Jessica Brierley worked at Pilot/Subway with me, as well as going to Gallatin County Schools, around the same time I was being oppressed there. While at Pilot, I recall telling her something about myself, and she related to me, and told me she understood me, because she said, sometimes she drives really fast, not giving a fuck if she crashes or not. I hope her accident was just that: an accident. But sometimes, I wonder. The entire field of Sociology starts with Emile Durkheim's “On Suicide”, where he analyzed many young people who died in car crashes, and he determined, that they weren't just isolated incidents, but that society as a whole, the people and events surrounding the person, contributed towards the young's death. This suggests that those who die young in car crashes, actually killed themselves.

When I think about Tony Gripshover, an uncle of mine, who I never got to meet, who was kicked out of his family home in Union at 17 years of age, for buying a car, a crappy little Gremlin, that was the crime Camillus Gripshover made him pay dearly with his life for. Shortly thereafter, Tony Gripshover kills himself by crashing into a tree; a drunk driving accident, with Mr. Rich, on Richwood Road, Thanksgiving Day, 1973. Tony Gripshover was drinking and driving because he didn't care about his life, and then he finally fucked up. His tires went off the road, and it was all over after that. Ralph Nader would go on to make sure all dangerously made cars, including the Gremlin, would be made safely.

“And friends are friends forever. If the Lord's the Lord of them. And a friend will not say "Never". Cause the welcome will not end. Though it's hard to let you go. In the Father's hands we know. That a lifetime's not too long. To live as friends.”

Tony Gripshover's death was a suicide. His whole family turned his back on him. That must have been hard. Being a part of a group of 10, and then, all of sudden, not having anybody. Especially since, we're all one. We're all connected. But Camillus wanted control and power the most, and if Tony was allowed to buy a car, then the other children will want a car, and they might become free, and not just a bitch ass uncle tom slave to Camillus.

The love of the Oppressor is the love of death.

Since I'm an American Badass https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt84J7U75e0, I changed the game. I breathed life into myself in April 2004, which I did for many reasons, throwing off the chains which still taunt me today. One major reason, was to cut off one of only 2 Deatons who could carry Kevin's legacy out. Now there's only one Deaton of Kevin's loins left. You sure you want to fuck his life up too, the same way you did mine? Like Obi One Kenobi, my sacrifice made his importance absolutely vital to Kevin's legacy, and he'd have to change, regardless. Plus he'd have many folks looking at him closely. There's a method to my madness. As ironic as it sounds, true revolutionaries have great feelings of love.

And like Alfred, I'll hide myself in the bushes, and when I see Kurt's life was good, I'll know that my life wasn't in vain. Shit changed. I did the same for my sisters too. Something none of those fuckers could ever do for me. Sacrificed myself in the alter of the Lord. He gave up his own begotten son, for all of humanity. Shit. Abraham, why don't you just kill all your children, then I bet God will be most pleased! Fuck “god”. That's the reason all of this bullshit happens. The god delusion. It's immoral to lie to your children. It's unethical to force feed them beliefs that are wanton lies, just because it's shit you believe in.

I'm a Cowboy, baby. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glb2U6y-GdU

But enough about me. The death makes us reflect on our own mortality. We're supposed to pray for the dead, and pity the living. I don't know. I just know, I want Jessica Brierley's memory to live on.

While she was singing on the Choir, it did seem like she was nervous, and who wouldn't be, but it was like folks put her into a position that she felt uncomfortable. I thought she did a great job, and I identify with that loneliness, isolation, alienation. That sadness. It's not Depression. My sadness comes from a very specific place, and in a way, I'm lucky to have recognized it, overcame it, and isolated those variables that were doing me harm, smashed them, or avoided, so I can move forward. I'll never forget how I was pummeled on a daily basis, and then Colin Rankin told me how he hated me so much. I remember that shit. My schoolmates didn't give a fuck about me. Nobody did. It wasn't easy. In fact, I have a death cult still trying to fuck me up. It's all they care about. Since I've been born. So I still have to deal with the bullshit. And mother fuckers tell me to “get over it”. Go fuck your mother, bitch.

I did a google search on Jessica Brierley, and she's nowhere to be found. It's one thing for her to be taken away from us at such an early age, but for nobody to remember her? The Gallatin County newspaper ran an article about it, so it's buried in the microfilm in the archives of Gallatin County's library, but that's all I know that's documented about her.

She wrecked in Gallatin County. On one of the main roads. They said there were cigarette burns on her legs, which suggested that she dropped her cigarette, and burnt herself, and while trying to get the cigarette, she swerved, and crashed. It could have happened the other way too. She could have crashed, and then the still lit cigarette burnt her. It's 13 years later, so we may never know what truly happened on that day.

As the living, we need to keep the dead alive. It's up to us. An old Cherokee proverb says that when you speak the name of the dead, to the Earth, they are still alive. That means collecting stories, videos, pictures, and times we had together.

I do not have many memories of Jessica Brierley. I was working at Pilot, before I graduated, and for a short duration after that. But Pilot was a wild experience. It was my transitional period. After High School, I never looked back. I hated Gallatin County with every inch of my being. Now, as an old man, I see how America is, and it's rough out here. As a youth, my mentality was to just have fun, and have a good time, and everything will just fit into place. Dale Samuel said the point of life was satisfaction. When you life is satisfying, then the having fun part is a million times better. But if we're having fun by not caring about others, then that's toxic as fuck.

At Pilot, there were many folks from Gallatin who worked there. Casey Lynn, Jessica Brierley, Jeremy Pope, Tommy Sullivan, Brian Bono, Justin Beers, David Taulbee, Matt … something. Red-haired Matt. “Squeak”. He was a funny guy. Used to date Tahisha Wiseman, who was always nice to me. Matt took on many of David Taulbee's mannerisms. His squeaks, his faces, his jokes. David Taulbee liked this song: Simple Man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va0PAMNWSis. I remember when I first moved to Louisville in 2010, and I went to a bar, and this song came on, and I just started bawling uncontrollably. Mama never told me any of that shit.

So Jeremy Pope and Jessica Brierley was dating at the time I knew her. She was in High School, as I as going to Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jessica Brierley worked at the Subway station at Pilot. I remember her standing on the Diesel side of the store, where the truck drivers went in and out of, hanging out with Jeremy Pope. That's the lasting image I have of Jessica Brierley. We worked at the Pilot in Richwood, Kentucky, Boone County. The one on the West side.

Here's the inner turmoil I was going through: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU5Xq-ItWxQ

Here's Jessica singing at my Graduation (starting at 2:00 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eejXrn0QQOw&list=PL9A2F8FFAC051A4BC&index=10. Sorry about the video quality, but it was VHS, transferred to digital, not using great recording devices. The song Jessica Brierley sang, with two other folks, is Michael W. Smith's “Friends Are Friends Forever”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ped1jYLFtkA

The Lyrics to “Friends Are Friends Forever”:

“Packing up the dreams God planted. In the fertile soil of you. Can't believe the hopes he's granted. Means a chapter in your life is through. But we'll keep you close as always. It won't even seem you've gone. Cause our hearts in big and small ways. Will keep the love that keeps us strong.”

“And friends are friends forever. If the Lord's the Lord of them. And a friend will not say "Never". Cause the welcome will not end. Though it's hard to let you go. In the Father's hands we know. That a lifetime's not too long. To live as friends.”

“With the faith and love God's given. Springing from the hope we know. We will pray the joy you'll live in. Is the strength that now you show. But we'll keep you close as always. It won't even seem you've gone. Cause our hearts in big and small ways. Will keep the love that keeps us strong.”

Here's an Honest Graduation song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOncsnYp7Ic

Jessica Brierley smoked cigarettes. That's the image I have of her. She was cool, but always seemed to be at a distance, like her mind was a million miles away. She was beautiful. Gorgeous. Stunningly gorgeous. Ah yes. An angel was taken away from the world on January 6, 2001. And she shall remain forever young. She went before her time. She was really skinny too. I respected her and Jeremy's relationship, but I wonder, maybe I could have done more. That does suck, that a person I like, I stay away from, because I don't want to insult another person I like. But we should be able to be friends with each other. I do not feel like it was my fault, but knowing who I am today, when she told me her suicidal thoughts, of driving really fast, and not caring if she died, I would have recognized it was the red flag that it was.

Casey Marie Lynn told me about some of the times I mean-teased her. One time, I was going to use a marker to write on her face, and another time, while on Johnson Hill Road, Casey and Jessica were sitting behind a bus, waiting for the kids to get off the bus, and I playfully bumped her car with my bumper. It was mean-teasing, and I didn't express myself very well as a youth. I only meant to be fun and playful, because to me, fun was all that mattered in life. It isn't. There's so much more than just fun. Fun is great, do not get me wrong, but how much “fun” can a homeless person have, without a house? How much fun can a Palestinian have without their family, or their limbs, or when they're cut in two because of wyte Amerika's bombs?

There were other suicides that happened in Gallatin County. Chris Kinman, Mia Knotts, and John Booth all killed themselves, all in one month, in 1999, I believe. Many locals protested the schools, and the Nazis hated them doing that. In hindsight, those protesters were absolutely right. The schools teach oppression, just as child-beaters in Amerika teach oppressor. In fact, teachers love it when they know you are getting your ass kicked at home, because that means they have a tool to use against you. “You better be my bitch ass uncle tom nigger slave too, or else, I'll tell your mama!”

The moment I got to leave Gallatin County was pure joy. I went from living in Beatontown, and got to finally see Amerika. Nobody ever talks about this shit, but it's important to talk about. I was glad Chris Kinman died, because he was a bully. But that's from my personal vantage point. Another part of me, wonder why he was like that. He was just a kid. How come he was such a bastard? Was his dad a dick? Was his dad too loving? Was it school? What the fuck was his problem? Why he feel the need to be such a prick to me? Kinman broke up with his girlfriend, which is always devastating for a man, and then he crashed his car. If he's being oppressed by his father, and by the school, and now, the only thing he loved, rejected him, and then he had a car wreck... holy shit. Suicide, or running out west, eating grass and berries, like the Saponi, is really the only logical option after this.

John Booth wrote a letter, that everybody wanted to keep a secret, because they wanted to protect John Booth's father, and wanted John Booth's legacy to die. It was more important to cover up daddy's lies, than to speak the truth. That's the mentality that killed John Booth. Killing yourself is a very selfish thing to do, but there's another element to it too. When one kills themselves, they are saying that their situation is absolutely hopeless, and there's no hope or escape from the life they are living. Why would everybody make these folks feel this way? So many people cried about Chris Kinman, but if they truly gave a fuck, they would have loved him before he put the gun into his mouth, and blew his head off. Afterwards, all I saw was fake ass 2 faced mother fuckers, acting like they were good people. Boo hoo! We loved him so much. No you fucking didn't. Shut the fuck up. If Kinman was loved, he wouldn't have thought his only option was blowing the brains out the back of his head. Same goes for Mia Knotts and John Booth. In their minds, they were in impossible situations, and there was no way out. All they needed was one person to truly care. Just to ask, "Hey, are you okay?", and to mean it. Maybe it's our culture. 1 person did finally ask me if I was fine, a few years back. I just wanted to burst into tears. I've had my struggles, sure, but she (Osha) asking me if I was okay made me realize, that NOBODY had asked me that. Ever. Yall loved Chris Kinman? Kiss my Black ass.

Mia Knotts. I remember her being young, and having dreamy eyes, when she spoke about how she wanted to be a teacher, and to teach children. I only got to see her once, at the Elementary school. Then she was dead. Why? Nobody knows. Nobody cares. I bet that was the reason. Nobody cares.

Mia Knotts, John Booth, and Chris Kinman all died for the same reason: Oppression. At home, and at school. They weren't allowed to be themselves, and an Oppressors love, is a love of Death. They just did what their parents wanted them to do. Plus we live in a dog-eat-dog capitalist nation, filled with bloodsucking fascist totalitarian psychopaths.

I will not say that Jessica Brierley's accident was a suicide, because I didn't know her well enough to really say one way or another.

Why did Jessica Brierley die? Only God Knows Why: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DQup4hd1_o

Free Bird: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np0solnL1XY

Kurt Cobain's “Underneath the Bridge”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDyvClUsCJU.

“And friends are friends forever. If the Lord's the Lord of them. And a friend will not say "Never". Cause the welcome will not end. Though it's hard to let you go. In the Father's hands we know. That a lifetime's not too long. To live as friends.”