Christmas Past and Present

At an elementary school in Wilmington, where I work as a speech and language specialist, like at most schools the week before Christmas, there was a flurry of Yuletide activities. Art projects, plays, programs and songs lent a festive spirit to this school in a neighborhood where gang graffiti spreads its threatening message to all. This past week I witnessed some ironies of life in a city where the grip of crime is ever tightening and threatening to strangle us all.

One morning this past week, the schoolyard assembly began with the shrill sound of a long bell telling the children to drop to the ground for a drive-by shooting/sniper drill. As the children lay flat and silent, a voice over a megaphone warned them of the consequences of raising one’s head should the situation be real. The assembly closed with everyone singing “Peace on Earth.” The following day a young man, who was once a student at the school, came as a volunteer Santa Claus to distribute candy canes and good will to the children. While he was delighting the children his car was broken into and his radio and tape deck stolen.

The sad irony of these events cannot escape any of us who live in a city of increasing crime. We must all work to change this sad state of affairs.

HELEN V. OGDEN

Manhattan Beach