Re Nick Reiner, I’ve seen this movie before.
A kind, thoughtful woman called Kathleen Hatcher came to my memoir writing class at what was then Ryerson. She wrote about her love of quilting, her work, her past, and her three beloved children. But mostly, she wrote about the heartbreak of her son Colin, who struggled with drug addiction, homelessness, and violence. She wrote about packing sandwiches and a thermos of coffee and going to Yonge Street night after night, looking for him.
Later, when we reconnected, she told me he was much better, and she was happier than she’d been in a long time, had made many quilts.
And then, in February 2021, I opened the newspaper to see her face. She’d been murdered by Colin.
How to comprehend an act so brutal and senseless and vile?
I go with what Neil Young said about the Reiner murders:
“Don’t give me that corporate spin about ‘fate.’ Rob and Michele weren’t safe. They were living in a war zone in their own living room. We all saw the scars. We saw the battle they fought for that boy, Nick. They gave every piece of their souls, burned every candle they had to save him. But sometimes … sometimes the damage is just too deep to fix.
“I see the cameras and the news anchors dancing around the truth. You want to talk about the ‘struggle’? You want to talk about the demons? Fine. But what about the parents? Who’s gonna sing the song for the ones who tried to stop the bleeding, only to drown in it themselves?
I’m not here to judge—we’ve all got rust on our souls—but I am here to protect the truth of my friends. They shouldn’t be remembered as victims of a tabloid story. They were warriors of love who fought until the lights went out.”
You were warriors of love, Kathleen, Rob, and Michele. May we learn one day how to handle the tragic, destructive demons of male rage, drug addiction, and mental illness.
One response to “Warriors of Love: in light of Nick Reiner, honouring Kathleen Hatcher”
Oh yes. Every word.