Naomi Johnson Seeks Justice for Her Son

Naomi Johnson Seeks Justice for Her Son

BY Christina Gillham  |  Friday, Oct 12, 2012 1:30pm  |  COMMENTS (2)

Naomi Johnson, the mother of Deshon Johnson (left), who was killed by a NJ Transit bus in July, wants to prevent more tragic deaths like those of her only child. So she has started a petition on change.org seeking to bring justice to Deshon by ending “the abuse of the NJ Transit bus drivers.”
Deshon, 22 and an Essex County College student, was killed when he was running to catch a bus in Bloomfield to get to his job in Clifton.  According to the petition, Deshon was patiently waiting at the bus stop to go to work when the bus came speeding around the corner, never stopping. The bus jumped the curb and knocked down Deshon, then dragged him “50 to 100 feet to his death.”

Naomi Johnson, the mother of Deshon Johnson (left), who was killed by a NJ Transit bus in July, wants to prevent more tragic deaths like those of her only child. So she has started a petition on change.org seeking to bring justice to Deshon by ending “the abuse of the NJ Transit bus drivers.”
Deshon, 22 and an Essex County College student, was killed when he was running to catch a bus in Bloomfield to get to his job in Clifton.  According to the petition, Deshon was patiently waiting at the bus stop to go to work when the bus came speeding around the corner, never stopping. The bus jumped the curb and knocked down Deshon, then dragged him “50 to 100 feet to his death.”
In the petition, Johnson states that she would like it to implement safety awareness and jail time for reckless bus drivers. She also asks for a memorial at the location where Deshon’s life ended or a street adopted and named in Deshon’s honor.
In August, friends and family of Deshon, who lived in Montclair, staged a protest in the spot where he was killed, dissatisfied with the way the town of Bloomfield and NJ Transit have handled Deshon’s death. An email to Baristanet that month stated:

The family has seen video from the accident and feel that there was obvious negligence on behalf of the town of Bloomfield, the bus driver, and nj transit. We also are not satisfied with the investigation effort being given by the Prosecutors office. Deshon’s mother has only heard from nj transit once, which was 1 day before the wake, being very demanding to meet with her and never once at least said sorry. The intersection has also been under construction for a while and was still under construction when the event took place, and is now all brand new and fixed, what a coincidence.

Deshon was the breadwinner in his family, supporting his mother, who was disabled in a 2007 car accident. To read or sign the full petition, click here.