Victim to armed robbers: Turn yourselves in and I'll pay for your college

[UglyGreed]

Dr. Victor Ho lives in an upscale Houston neighborhood. He never imagined he’d be a victim of a violent crime. But that changed the day he came home to find himself face-to-face with two armed robbers.

However, instead of feeling anger towards the young men who threatened him and his family’s safety, Ho and his wife, Arielle Lawson, instead threw them a lifeline: the offer of a free education.

“We thought, how can we show our children how to make a good situation out of a bad situation and be a better person than the person who did this to us?” Ho told TODAY.com.


http://www.today.com/news/victim-robbers-turn-yourselves-ill-pay-your-college-1D80319366

[Oktober]

1. What a waste...

Give it to someone who deserves it and will make use of it...

I understand his process but it's throwing good money after bad people...

[UglyGreed]

2. It's his money

teach a man to fish.....

[Oktober]

3. Absolutely...

However, one can have all the skillsets in the world but if there is no will to use them... No point...

[UglyGreed]

4. Well you don't know if

you don't try, just sayin"

[Oktober]

5. Odds of success I suppose...

[UglyGreed]

6. If the victim is willing to take

that chance I say go for it. Perhaps if people had a chance to improve their lot in life many would do the right thing instead of doing whatever is needed to get by.

[FarPoint]

11. They probably won't get a job after college...

They will have a felony record. Background checks will shut down job opportunities.

[MrScorpio]

7. Something tells me that you completely missed the point of Les Miserables nt

[Lefta Dissenter]

12. Darn!

You beat me to it!

[JonLP24]

8. Smart man

"And we realized, if they’re caught, they’re just going to go back out on the street.”

I doubt they'll turn themselves in but he is offering them an incentive to do so, it could turn be a net gain but the sentence that comes with an armed robbery would probably lead to lasting psychological effects (i wouldn't turn myself in if I were in their shoes though I wouldn't bring a gun to a robbery if I were to do a robbery which I wouldn't do in the first place--in that case it would be a burglary).

Given the circumstances, I think he is trying to make the world a better place.

[UglyGreed]

9. +1000

It takes more of an effort to love then it is to hate.

[RiverLover]

10. Whst are the chances of Dr Ho's kids growing up to be armed robbers?

This is one of the ways poverty effects all of us.

Great story/post. Thanks UG.

[ileus]

13. I'm sure their SAT scores were/would be great.

[NJCher]

14. Did you see this paragraph? Hilarious:

It soon became apparent that the men were amateurs. They pushed Ho against a wall, but didn’t tie him up. They took the money from his wallet, but then gave it back to him and just took his watch. Even when they eventually did tie Ho up, they did it ineptly.

Maybe they'd get a sentence on the lighter end (still has to be a pretty tough sentence since it's armed robbery), and they can still take advantage of his offer. I would assume the education will be after they serve their sentence?

Anyway, nice thought, Dr. Ho. I hope somebody finds a way to make it work.



Cher

p.s. while I don't know if I've ever had any armed robbers in any of my classes, I know for sure I've had drug users and small-time dealers. I have had students who were in prison and didn't say what it was for. Some can be highly motivated. The last one I had got an A.

[Turbineguy]

15. They could become

investment bankers!

[secondvariety]

16. He's lucky

and not particularly bright, IMO.