Repossessor Memorial Day – Fallen Agents Day

On February 25^th It’ll have been twenty-eight years since the unprosecuted murder of Tommy Deen Morris. Since then, dozens more have fallen. Their names mostly forgotten by all except their loved ones and those who worked with them. With so many needlessly murdered in the line of duty, is the time perhaps now to honor their memories?

A History of short memories

For those who are not aware, on February 25^th of 1994, Tommy Deen Morris was murdered on a double assigned account. The police and DA refused to press charges. This was before the internet, but the national press caught on to the story. This wasn’t the first time this happened, but this was probably the first time the national repossession industry was united in it’s shock and anger at the state of things.

So, here we are almost 30 years after the murder of Tommy Deen, and while charges are almost always pressed, agents still continue to die in the line of duty. The names of most have been long forgotten. This has been a sad tradition since the beginning of the industry and often just the unavoidable nature of the business. Regardless, it would seem to me that the men and families of the fallen deserve remembrance.

Historically, the repo industry has tried to simply move beyond these tragedies and forget them, but for every agent killed, there are families whose wounds never heal. Families like those of Will Rivera, John Peters and Tommy Deen Morris and many others. Lives destroyed over a stupid car for the benefit of apathetic lenders whose only concern is the bottom line. Don’t the families, agencies and coworkers of these men deserve better?

Wounds that never heal

A few months ago, I shared on this website the sad story of the 1994 John Peters murder from my upcoming book. Soon after, John’s widow Veronica found it online and reached out to me. I apologized if I had opened any old wounds and she told me that, although they’ve managed to move on with their lives, their wounds never really healed. She was very grateful for me keeping his memory alive and it made me wonder how many other families like that were out there.

There was only one person in the world that I knew who an inkling of an idea had what Veronica and her family went through and that was Tommy Deen Morris’s widow Donna, who I’ve known for many years. John was murdered in Florida just half-a-year after Tommy and had a newspaper clipping of Tommy’s murder in his wallet when he was gunned down. Both eagerly agreed to talk and I left that there as whatever they shared was between them and none of my business.

That was when it occurred to me that perhaps now is the time for the repossession industry to remember. Remember and honor those fallen and their families and co-workers who endure never healing wounds.

A proposal

In that spirit, I am proposing a repossession holiday on February 25^th. So, what does that look like?

Ideally, all repossession companies would close, and like on no other holiday, no accounts would be run on this day, period.

While this is probably a little idealistic to some who are struggling to make ends meet as it is, even small gestures like black arm bands or flags on their trucks would provide some significant level of remembrance.

Whether or not you or your company have suffered the death of an agent or employee at the hands of a debtor, it is a risk that we all know exists every single day. In knowledge of this risk, it would seem to me that in addition to the memory of those who have died, a reverence is owed in respect to those whose lives are always at risk in the field.