Vocal Point : Answers to society’s ills are fleeting as the wind

Yes, Spokanites, there are monsters that live in this city.

Sometimes they disguise themselves as adults who take out their anger and incompetence on the weak, the elderly, the young, the homeless and animals. These pathetic cowards hoist their disdain on those who can’t fight back.

Sometimes they disguise themselves as young adults desperately seeking a connection with a certain color, a select sign and a specific logo then solidifying that link with violence, robbery and murder.

Sometimes they disguise themselves as the wholesome family next door who allow their kids to tease the dog mercilessly then beat it when it rebels, forget to feed the horse for three months or ignore the cries of their ill cat.

Spokane is home to such humans and their worthless baggage. Their stories splash across the front page like water from a community swimming pool on a hot summer day and reappear just as the previous atrocity has settled into oblivion.

With each splash, the community calls for better laws, more neighborhood involvement and an overhauling of the “system.” Retaliation, inclusive of eliminating certain body parts and a swift hanging, spews from letters to the editor.

But the answers, my friends, are as fleeting as the wind.

We can’t be everywhere all the time. Those in the “system” walk a fine line between protection and intrusion. Atrocities will happen no matter how vigilant we are because those monster detection hairs at the nape of our necks don’t always rise particularly when there’s a smiling face before us.

In a recent Spokesman-Review article (Death draws dozens to vigil, March 18) about the vigil for 4-year old Summer Phelps, whose father and stepmother were charged with homicide by abuse, Misty Thelin stated, “I want to know why it keeps happening here. I want it to stop.”

Like Thelin, I want it to stop too. I want answers that will rid the country of the warped gang mentality that’s steeped in violent, egocentric control. I don’t ever want to see another Summer Phelps tragedy, watch a clip of another 81-year-old woman slapped to the ground for money, nor read another animal abuse case. I want the answers that will stop all of this forever. Fat chance, I know because the answers are lost in the breeze of disdain.

But there are those who are a buttress against these monstrous winds.

Steve Groene has throat cancer but that hasn’t stopped this parental buttress where his daughter, Shasta, is concerned. Shasta, the sole survivor of a horrendous murder and sexual abuse crime, is dealing with yet another trial extension of her abductor. Dabbing at his mouth with a handkerchief, Groene and his mechanical voice box emphatically told the judge that delaying the trial is detrimental to his daughter’s well being and if delayed, she may not have a parent to stand by her. This is a parent worthy of the title.

In a recent article (SCRAPS to host annual chocolate festival, March 10) we discovered that many abuse and neglect stories end happily. One case involved an Old English sheepdog that was discovered emaciated last fall.

Patricia Simonet, SCRAPS spokesperson stated, “I just saw her today. That dog required feeding every two hours at first in order to recover. When it was found, it was a skeleton with skin hanging off it, abandoned in a dog run living off apples that fell off a nearby tree. Today it looks great and is living in a happy family.” The voiceless have a voice.

Former gang members appear in schools throughout the country telling kids their stories of gang life, the attraction and the fallout. They’re making a difference and righting their wrongs. The bad gone good.

Hidden in these examples are the answers – teach by example, share knowledge, do to others what you want done to you, protect the innocent, love others as we love ourselves. All we need do is listen. But can these solutions really make a difference?

The answers my friends, are as fleeting as the wind.