Community Must Rally for Peace

We are caught in a crisis situation which can either go on to cause more danger to the youth and the innocent, or we can take the opportunity to come together as a community to deal with the recent violence which has either claimed or marred the lives of some of our brethren, our children.

We as a community can no longer be the passive victim so traumatized that we cower in the corner, waiting for someone else to take on the responsibility to make things better.

Fear and anger have incapacitated us to the point where these conditions will get worse as a consequence of our choice to give our power away. Words not intended to be acted upon to make our community safe will only exacerbate a situation festering, a time bomb waiting to burst out with such a power that I doubt anyone will have anticipated.

There are reasons why we have alcoholism, drug abuse, domestic violence, gang violence. We can no longer limit ourselves to looking at topical solutions. We need to look underneath to find the sources of the disease and ask, “Why do these sicknesses occur?”

This is a call for putting down the mental and physical weapons. It is a call for the community to come into the circle and talk. It is a call for peace. Stop the violence.

RICARDO MELENDEZ

El Concilio del Condado de Ventura

Oxnard