R.I.P. J-Hood (Robin Hood of Alexandra Park)

[POBoyKarrSt]

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Just a few metres from the alley where he was shot to death, there is a rapidly weathering shrine to Yonathan Musse: Flowers have been jammed into a chain-link fence, and there are hundreds of plastic ribbons, each hand-lettered with a message of love and loss. "You were the only person that treated me with respect," reads one. "You will stay in my heart forever."

Mr. Musse, known as Jonathan, was not your average drug dealer. After a long night selling crack and ecstasy, he would head back to the apartment he shared with his mother and buckle down to his schoolwork, sometimes going at it until dawn, dreaming of the day when he would became a lawyer. On the weekend, while his fellow dealers slept past noon, Mr. Musse was up before 8 a.m., ready to chauffeur local kids to a basketball game.

More than 500 people showed up for his funeral two weeks ago. There were homeboys who had shared the back of a police cruiser with Mr. Musse, as well as senior citizens whose groceries he carried. The church was filled with tears for a young man whose life defied easy categorization - Mr. Musse had played many roles, including criminal and neighbourhood hero.

He grew up in Alexandra Park, a housing project sandwiched between Kensington Market and the Entertainment District. There, he occupied a unique position in the social hierarchy. He sold drugs to the yuppies who flocked to the club district, then redistributed most of his profit to his community, like a ghetto Robin Hood. At 19, he had emerged as a respected elder statesman among local youth.

"He was always there for us," said Issa Ibrahim, 18. "He stood up for us, and we loved him."

Alexandra Park is no stranger to violence, but Mr. Musse's death has been uniquely painful. "This has ripped a hole in this community," says Adam Vaughan, councillor for Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina. "It's been devastating for a lot of people."