A Boy Named Pierce
There is a new intersection in the road of my role as an arts activist. It now meets the world of family law.
Through my work as Managing Director for Anna Deavere Smith Projects, I have gotten to know Judge Abby Abinanti, Chief Justice of the Yurok Tribe. During the spring of 2022, Judge Abby and I were having breakfast when she suddenly broached the subject of me being a resource to a lawyer who was representing a young Chinese American mother.
Since I am hard-wired to lean in and help, I immediately said yes even though I had no idea how my CEO/arts background could possibly be of help to someone within the court system.
Little did I know what I would discover. Through attorney Lorie Nachlis, I was made aware of a tragic story involving a young boy named Pierce. In the words of his mother, Lesley Hu, his “love of life exuberated out of his sparkling brown eyes and braces-filled smile. He loved his friends, his school, playing Roblox, Top Gun, traveling to foreign countries, skiing, telling jokes, making people laugh, dancing, chocolate mousse, shopping in the toy section of Target, and eating ice cream while taking a bath, just to name a few. He loves his family, his twin cousins, and especially me, his mom. Pierce is a mama’s boy.
Pierce, my little mama’s boy, was tragically taken from us on January 13, 2021. He was murdered by his father, my ex-husband, while he slept. Pierce was shot in the heart with a gun and then his father cowardly took his own life. Pierce’s beautiful beating heart, which was loved by so many, never had a chance. My heart and soul were taken away from me that day, as well as from all those who loved Pierce - which are so many children and kids from around the world.”
Pierce was caught in the midst of a bitter custody battle. “Bitter” is being kind. An excruciating recap of Lesley’s journey was recently highlighted in Atavist Magazine:
https://magazine.atavist.com/sins-of-the-father-san-francisco-vaccines-murder-suicide/
Over the past year, I have come to know Lesley as she has brought me into her Team Lesley circle to take soul-crushing grief and convert it to powerful activism - to bring my fabulous networks together, and your spheres of influences, to take a bold step towards a national policy change.
Here’s how: Team Lesley has created a movement called PIERCE’S PLEDGE. Initiated by one idea: as a prerequisite for representation, family lawyers would require clients to disclose the weapons that they have and to pledge to lock them up in a third-party location. Nationwide, gun storage locations have already been confirmed by PIERCE’S PLEDGE with a goal to build a larger database in the months and years ahead.
Taking away deadly weapons during an impulse, psychotic break, or angry moment, could prevent horrendous tragedies such as the one that robbed us of the joy of knowing the man that Pierce Hu would have become.
I invite all of my lawyer colleagues, those of you who know lawyers, and anyone who is in law school aspiring to become a lawyer to join us in taking PIERCE’S PLEDGE.
Not a lawyer? Sign up and take the pledge and learn other ways in which you can help (reference the “Call to Action” section).
https://www.piercespledge.org/
For Pierce, and for the children we might save…..thank you.
