Volunteer to help teens

I would like to ask the citizens of Spokane a few questions:

What are you doing to ensure that what happened to the World War II veteran does not happen again? Are you a mentor for troubled teens? Are you walking around at night through Spokane’s ghettos handing out fliers about Crosswalk or other free services for teens? Are you willing to volunteer your time to sit and listen to what these “thugs” have to say; hear their story?

Don’t just say “These kids are bad. They’re 16 and they have a criminal record.” Why do they have a record? Where were the adults in their lives; the social worker, parole officer, teacher, judge or parent? What part did you play helping these kids go straight? Sitting back watching the news, making judgment after the fact?

Do not get me wrong. By no means do I condone murder or violence. The accused will be punished in a court of law. It was a senseless violent act, and a man lost his life.

So I am going to ask you again Spokane: What are you going to do to make sure that this does not happen again? Cast the first stone?

Patricia Shropshire

Spokane