inspiration

for me, inspiration often comes from music and drumming.
or friends.
or something i read, or a joke i hear.

while inspiration is often closely linked with joy, it can also bring (or result from) saddness.

my friend Jerry Tang, now missing 13 days, is an inspiration. people from around the world are involved now, in ways big and small, in the search to find him.

here is an example.

now that the holidays are upon us, there are dinners and dances and parties, and celebrations galore. year-end recaps, best-of lists, and looking back with nostalgia on the year that we've all shared. though approaching that state, i'm not quite there. while i'll still partake of the holiday cheer around me, weighing on everything in my head right now is the search for Jerry.

crystal clear, however, is the fact that Jerry truly inspires the very best in us. he is a great man and a true friend.

Jerry: i am praying for your safe return to family and friends.

my friend Jerry Tang is missing in SF

If you are in the SF bay area, please keep an eye out for my friend:

(click image to enlarge; right-click to download it)

links:
an english/spanish version of the flier

local SF tv news report from Sat night, Dec 3rd. good video coverage. (as Noni points out, they could have shown more pictures of Jerry.)

website organized by Jerry's friends, where you can read the latest updates, add comments of suggestions or moral support

jerry is listed on the national missing persons site

please pass this on to anyone you know in the San Francisco, CA area

thank you to everyone for your encouraging words, and your love and support

what you do

what do you do when someone you love dearly has up and gone?

it seems that jerry is still kicking about san fran.

i can only hope. from what i hear from my friends in SF, it seems to be the case. several reported sightings of him today (sat, 2 dec). god that is heartening.

the worst case scenario seems to be if he had a seizure and keeled over, or something like that, without someone around to pick him up and get him to a hospital.

best case scenario is that he is found, and gets on with his life. he is sa uch a beautiful human, i can't think of this not being the case.

so what do i do, so far away from SF?

i email all the folks in my address book. i send on their regards to my friends in SF who are helping coordinate and conduct the search... and who are doing the candle light vigil... and who i miss terribly.

and i cry because i love them all so.

and listen to music that helps me get through it. just now that happens to be led zeppelin. and the tune "ten years gone" makes me cry.

a man cannot truly figure out good and evil. they happen, they are. they duke it out. we sit by and reap the benefits.... or we deal with the shit.

when you love someone, you inevitably ache for them. they are a part of you. nothing you can do about that.

so when they up and are missing, you try to figure out how to find them. when you think you know the general (or specific?!) area they may be in, you look around there. and/or try to get as many people as possible to look around there. you brainstorm how you could find them, how you can enlist others to help.

and, i think, you pray.

praying seems to imply that something is out of one's control. well surely in this case, jerry is out of my control.

which sucks. but i have to live with it.

so i get on with it. and i am amazed at the outpouring of support and goodwill.

i've been emailing all my friends and family and coworkers, and finally broke down and sent a post to a drumcircle facilitators email list i've been lurking on for a YEAR. you know, an "off topic" post which is essentially spam. and spam is like the devil - people HATE it. (personally i despise, loathe and abhor it) .. and the moderator agreed to post my plea for help to find jerry (with the understanding that i post to the list when jerry is found). that is pure, unadulterated heart.

JERRY TANG UPDATE: Fri, Dec 2, 2:20am Pacific time

From my friend Steve in SF wrote this morning:

I wanted to get you an update, (apologies if you are
receiving multiple updates and don't wish to).

Sincere thanks to each of you for your support and efforts.

Here's the highlights.
The network of people who have been alerted and are focused
on helping has already increased greatly. Today we conducted
a vigorous search of Golden Gate Park and surrounding areas
and got our flyers out to more and more neighborhoods and
started to show up in the City's media.

- The National Parks Dept. has been notified.
- The GG park staff have been notified, and notified...
- Jerry should now be listed with shelters city-wide.
- He is now listed with the state as a missing person.
- The Examiner should be running an article tomorrow.
- More media information is in Joyce's mail and others have
said they are considering stories. (It appears that
continued rallying of each the news outlets is beneficial.)
- Supervisor Bevan Dufty requested Mission and Park Stations
to be on additional alert.

I've attached the newest PDF with more complete information
for posting and forwarding.

thanks,
~Steve

415-793-6251

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dear all: I could not figure out how to link to a darn PDF file, so have posted it on the jerry tang seedwiki site. See the link in the left hand navigation there called "page files" (I've also posted some recent photos of Jerry there).

STILL LOOKING for Jerry Tang

UPDATE from Joyce (Jerry's wife), Thursday, Dec 1, 11:15pm Pacific time

We would like to update you regarding the search for Jerry. We have not yet found him, but remain very hopeful.

There were several more sightings of Jerry in Golden Gate Park on Wednesday – giving credibility to the groundkeeper’s story of having seen Jerry on a park bench.

Friday morning we will organize to conduct a police-led citizen search. We do not know at this point what form that search will take. It is being coordinated by the Inspector assigned to Jerry’s case and search experts are being consulted.

Please begin to arrive at 828 Ashbury Street around 10:00 a.m. Joyce and Jerry’s neighbor across the street has kindly offered her garage for us to gather. The house has scaffolding around the outside.

Please forward this email to anyone you forwarded Joyce’s email to last night. Also forward it to anyone else you think may be willing to help us tomorrow.

We appreciate all you are doing to find Jerry and bring him home safely!

Here is the first news article we’ve seen about Jerry:

http://www.cbs5.com/localwire/localfsnews/bcn/2005/12/01/n/HeadlineNews/MISSING-PERSON/resources_bcn_html

Also on Thursday night, there were stories on the Chinese news station at 10pm and on NBC11 at 11pm.

Here is a website being organized Jerry's friends.
http://www.seedwiki.com/wiki/jerry_tang/jerry_tang.cfm

Also the national site is:
http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200503708S

Peace and love,
Joyce

Again, THANK YOU to all of you who have written, forwarded my emails to others, and offered to help in the search or put up flyers!!

Here are some recent photos of Jerry, from Oct 2005 (you can click to enlarge):

HELP - Jerry Tang is missing!!

Hello everyone,

My dear friend Jerry Tang has been unidentifiably missing since Tuesday morning, Nov 29. The text below is mostly from an email that my friend David (in Boston) sent out to friends and family. I will post updates here as often as I get them (and have access to a computer and am awake). PLEASE PASS THIS INFORMATION ON.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Regardless of what happened or what could have happened to Jerry, we know one thing without doubt - he is missing.

Therefore, there is clearly only one thing to do for us. We must find him.

Jerry lives at 799 Ashbury Street, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Here is the flyer that friends have put up around San Francisco. (PDF, 525kb)

Here is what we know:
9:00am, his wife Joyce left the house with kids, said goodbye to Jerry
9:40am, Jerry sent email from home computer to boss at work stating that he would not come in today because he wasn't feeling well.
10:00am, verified last phone call either in or out of 799 Ashbury Street (most likely the phone call to his sister Audrey). Joyce spoke to him on the phone last at 10am that morning.

-He left without medication (Jerry has a seizure disorder and needs his medication. He does not have any medication with him.)
-He had his wallet
-He may or may not have his cell phone on him (at any rate, it is not at his house and he doesn't answer)
-Credit card transactions came up negative (that is, none made since his disappearance)

Here is what has been done:
-Registered with Nat'l adult missing persons list
-Police report with case #051347730, inspector assigned to his case Angela Martin
-Contacted the Golden Gate Bridge Authority
-Covered all hospitals, called e-rooms, clinics, shelters...
-Contacted the city medical examiner
-Hung missing person flyers in Haight-Ashbury, Golden Gate park near Stanyon, Cole Valley, Ocean Beach, along the N-Judah line, as well as many other places that have been thought of as possible places that Jerry may have, does frequent or would have any reason to go to.
-Email notification of people in his address book
-Friends emailing their friends

It can't be assumed that the police will do as much as is needed to locate him. In fact, according to Ingrid, she and Steve and Eric and the immediate community of San Francisco is way ahead of the investigator, Angela Martin. The fact is, Angela doesn't love Jerry like we do, and therefore, she can not be relied on to put her heart into this search.

I want to say that essential to finding Jerry is pulling together as a community and combining our resources and brains and energy and love and thoughts for him. No matter what level of work you are doing to help him, and we know that some of us are farther away physically than perhaps we'd like to be, we can all still do something. At the very least, holding Jerry in our thoughts while putting out the energy to having him be well and located is one of the best and most important things that we can do.

It is certainly important to support the local team of folks in San Francisco that are doing a lot of the ground work. They have been doing as much as they can, given their energies and supporting Joyce...etc...send some love their way, too!

What else can be done:
Share some of your knowledge. We got talented and creative people in the community who might have creative ways of getting the word out...Let's start a brainstorm session here.....

-How about flyers hung in local Post Offices, libraries, restaurants around where he works
-How about getting his photo on the city and state Missing Persons Notice boards (internet)

I am willing and able to be the conduit for communication with those in SF so that they are not flooded with calls. That way they can concentrate their energy.

Feel free to call me at 617-431-5091 (home).

Hopefully,

David

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

If you are on the West Coast, you can also call these people if you have any ideas or leads:

Steve and Ingrid = 415-793-6251 (cell)

Joyce Tang = 415-596-5659 (cell)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

UPDATE I received from David, around 9am West Coast time on Thursday, Dec 1:

On the massive search that is taking place today by our dear friends in CA, a grounds keeper in the Golden Gate Park said he definitely saw Jerry.

It seems that one of the search party members had shown the grounds keeper a picture of Jerry and he immediately had recognized him, saying something to the effect of "I've seen him. He was crying and very sad."

20 folks are in the park now looking for him.

We await more news...

Stay tuned.

David

I called David, who further explained that the grounds keeper apparently gave Jerry a blue umbrella.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As mentioned, I will post updates here, instead of emailing all of my friends and family.

Jah,

Joel