‘We Have to Find a Way to Make the World Better’

March has been a violent month in the region. From March 8 to 13, 13 people were killed in the Los Angeles area in 11 unrelated shootings. As more than 300 students sat in the Inglewood High School auditorium Monday, Principal Adriana McNally spoke to them about the weekend shooting death of Jermaine Deandre Simon, their classmate. According to Inglewood police, Simon, 18, was killed during a dispute outside a Jack in the Box restaurant in Inglewood. Placed on the stage of the auditorium was a chair, draped in Simon’s No. 3 football jersey, and a football. A 2000 All-Ocean League running back, Simon had been scheduled, the morning of the assembly, to register at a community college in Fresno. The following is the text of McNally’s talk.

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Young people, at times like this, we ask ourselves “Why?” What if? If only. The problem is in finding the answer to what we do now and dealing with our grief.

I have seen so many sad students on campus today, especially young men. Let me tell my young men that it’s all right to cry. Crying is a sign of strength.

There are other ways to express your grief too. Some of you may want to talk. Others--as I had a young man do earlier this morning--may want to write a letter to Jermaine.

Now there may be some of you who may say, “Oh, that’s stupid!” But while the body is not here, the spirit is.

Still others of you may prefer being alone. And that’s all right. Just do what you must to give yourself some sense of peace.

Many of you are searching for an understanding. It will come, though it may take a longer period of time.

At a later time, we’ll find a fitting memorial for Jermaine. But as a group, we have to find a way to make our world better.

I don’t think that you young people know the pain we as parents, administrators, coaches, teachers feel as so many of the young die violently.

A young man said to me this morning, “Jermaine is not my first homie to die. He won’t be my last.”

But I don’t want you so cavalier about violence. We must find answers.

I don’t know why this happened. “Why?” is not in the equation. “It’s not fair” is not in the equation.

Whatever you hold on to as dear, turn to it now. We are all in this together. This is not the time for independence; this is the time for interdependence. I want you to focus on what you know as positive, on what will propel you forward.

I knew Jermaine for a short time. What I remember about him was that he was always respectful toward adults and that he was always happy. Hold on to those memories.

I leave you to your thoughts. Talk to one another. Hug one another. Today, you are sad. That’s all right. But joy does come in the morning. We are here for you. We’ll be with you. And so it is.