Fighting Gangs in Los Angeles

This latest “task force” that Los Angeles is bringing into combat the drug problem sounds like it will cost our government a whole lot of money. How about spending an equal amount of getting to the very bottom of the problem? Spend it on education. I don’t mean 30 second TV spots by famous people saying “learn to read.” I mean teach our citizens to read and write so that they can read for themselves about the dangers of drugs, and know what is happening in the world.

The majority of drug victims are just doing all they know how to do to survive. If we educate people, they will be too busy working and learning to buy the drugs brought into our country. We need to make absolutely sure that not one more child gets past 3rd or 4th grade without having skills of literacy.

Do you want to cure many of the ills of our city and country? Teach the children to read. Make sure that every illiterate adult has every opportunity at their disposal to go back to school and learn the basics of education.

How “free” is a system that creates the non-citizens as it does? Our prisons are overcrowded with people who can only survive through crime. We have young children making life unpleasant for the rest of us with their violent gang activity. Talk to a few of them. Most don’t have necessary skills of the English language, even though they have lived here all their lives. Few can fill out a job application. We have people hungry in our streets, even whole families. These people aren’t all crazy. These people want to be productive members of our society. They are not stupid. Many simply lack the necessary skills of survival that you have to have in order to live in this age of mind-blowing high-technology and very complex daily life. People also can’t vote if they can’t read an election ballot. Do we really want that?

Let’s put our money at work on the real problem. Some may feel that we need this task force and high-tech equipment, but it really won’t solve anything. I live in the midst of the crime element. I also work with people from this area. Illiteracy is a big concern and unless you live close to it, I think few realize just how catastrophic it really is. We need to solve it now. No more five- or 10-year plans. Teach our citizens to read.

SUSAN EMGE BLAIR

Wilmington