STOPPING the VIOLENCE

What's on my mind? This morning that is an excellent question. For the past two weeks, I have pondered what can be done to help our young men and women understand that violence is not the answer. Two Fridays in a row, our community has lost TWO young men ages 21 and 17 to gun violence. Senseless destruction of families, friendships, community and the sense of peace that one gets living in our community.

Guns have their place in our society -- law enforcement, the military, etc., but not in the hands of our juveniles! When guns are used for violence, they do not destroy just the person that got shot, but the shooter, both families, AND the communities in which both the shooter and the victim were participants. TODAY, my shout out is a PLEA to the young men and women in Mount Rainier, Brentwood, and North Brentwood. PLEASE PLEASE stop the violence. Let's find other ways to resolve our differences.

I am organizing a mediation program in Mount Rainier to address some of the differences and the disputes that young people are having with each other. For many of you, the skills were taught at Mount Rainier Elementary under Mr. C (Mr. Cantano who started the peace parade at Mount Rainier Elementary, and carried on by Ms. Reid the current principal at Mount Rainier).

Some how we have forgotten to respect life -- ours and that of our neighbors. We have walked away from values, such as honor, integrity, honesty, working for a living, helping one another, choosing right over wrong. Moral values are the standards of good and evil, which govern an individual’s behavior and choices. Each of us are born with it and our religious beliefs, government, community, family, friends and associates all work together to define those values.

I am ashamed to be a part of a community that says it is alright to shoot and to kill for pleasure, for things, and for no reason at all! This is Mount Rainier. This is our HOME. Respect it.