Children in Harms Way

 

The Child in Harms Way

I was in the turn lane, waiting for the light to change and my chance to go. When the arrow turned green, I had to wait for a small boy to cross before I could safely move ahead. As I waited patiently for him to cross, I couldn’t help but notice how loaded down with books he was. His backpack looked very heavy. He even had books in his arms! Is that a lunch sack?  

He was all of seven or eight years old, maybe, a little chubby but the sweetest thing I’d seen in a while. He looked over at me and smiled. I waved and smiled back at him, then gave a nod of my head, indicating he was safe to cross, no rush. Probably the last few days of school for him, I thought.

As I watched him, I didn’t think about my days in school and how carefree it all was back in the day. The days of worrying if I would ‘fit in’ and be liked. If I had enough lunch money or could remember what I had learned the day before. The days of being concerned about a ‘pop quiz’ or if I studied enough for an upcoming exam are long gone. Gone are the days when a red apple for the teacher was a good thing. Now it’s become a cliché.

I didn’t think nostalgically as I watched him saunter past me, careful to watch for other cars and be on his way to school. No. I thought about his safety. My thought turned to sadness for the kind of stress this young boy must have on his shoulders along with his backpack heavy with books. At his young age, I can only imagine the concern he must feel and the worry and pain his parents endure knowing they’ve sent him off, alone, to the questionable safety of his school.

When I was in elementary school, we didn’t have the worry of shootings or stabbings. We never concerned ourselves about stranger danger, drug deals, and being taught subjects a young mind is not ready to comprehend or know. My parents never had to worry if we were safe as we traveled to school or while we were in school. The only fear we had was bringing home a failing grade. Learning should be fun and full of exploring the unknown. School should be where the free flow of ideas, creativity, and knowledge flourishes. Not the uncertainty of dying at the hands of a deranged person. Our children should feel safe and secure in the halls of learning without thoughts of being a soft target. Likewise, grocery stores, movie theaters, shopping malls, churches, synagogues, mosques, or public outings like concerts. Life is stressful enough without these worries. What a world we live in now, huh?

There has been much talk of defunding police these days. I don’t happen to feel that way.

I apologize in advance if any of what I’m about to write triggers some of you. I feel we should increase funding for the police. There, I said it. All policemen and policewomen are not bad. After all, they are human, and since when did being human become a bad thing? Of course, you have your bad actors, Derek Chauvin comes to mind, but most are called to serve and are part of our community. They are para-military and need the appropriate tools to do their jobs the best way they have been trained to perform them. Most are not the careless, thoughtless twitchy-fingered criminals we have been led to believe. Most bravely rise to the call to protect and serve.

I heard a former policeman say the following, and I paraphrase: For policemen and women, training is important, a mental health assessment is important, effective tools are important, and understanding the laws of enforcement is important. Also important are rotating schedules, shorter shifts, increased pay, and safety tools such as bulletproof vehicles and body cams that activate by voice and allow clear video. Protective gear and tools to de-escalate a situation are essential. Unnecessary use of force is an issue; to be sure, not every situation requires the use of a gun. Tasers are not the only equipment an officer can use to subdue a suspect. But these things cost money. The pockets of city revenues are not as deep as some would think. We also have to do our part in learning how to comply. In any situation, both officer and suspect want to live to see another day. We need to remember that law enforcement officers have the right, by law, to use whatever force necessary to contain a situation. If that requires the use of a firearm, they will use it.

Wellness in mental health is another issue. 

We don’t have the mental health facilities we used to have. Please reference my blog titled ‘Whatever Happened to Belleview?’ to read my opinion about the lack of help we so badly need these days. The sentiments remain the same today. There is a strong need for mental assessment and facilities for those seeking help. These are either lacking or not funded at all.

We live in dangerous times today. When seconds count, police are minutes away.   

Think about that. In my opinion, the call to take away our rights to protect ourselves is ludicrous. As Americans, we have the right to bare arms. Yes, and many argue that that is an archaic principle that no longer applies. I’ll let the politicians and the supreme court ferret that out, but in my opinion, in times of chaos and mayhem, we need police in the worst way.

I hate guns, but criminals love them. Criminals have a knack for finding ways to harm us. If not a gun, then by some other means. Great Britain has a problem with machete attacks, and they’re not alone. Criminals will use a knife to cut our throats as easily as brushing their teeth.

I did a ride-along with a police officer once, and let me tell you, it was not for the faint of heart. I remember the officer saying that if someone wanted to do harm to me, they will. It’s not the gun, knife, or bat that harms us; these are only tools. The person wielding the gun, knife, or bat is the problem. Regardless of the security system you might have in place at your home, the kind of dog you have, or protection of any kind, if a criminal wants in your house, take your purse or car; they will. They will use a crowbar, gun, knife, machete, brick, bomb, or even your garden rock to hurt you. To be defenseless is to be very naive. When faced with danger, you must meet it with equal or greater force.

Short of that, a deterrent is the best defense we have.

We all know that thieves and criminals are less likely to view us as targets if we are prepared and offer some form of deterrent. We arm ourselves with defense classes and personal protection. This shouldn’t stop at our schools. There seems to be a war on children in this country. It seems children being shot is a way of life, and it shouldn’t be! Since Columbine, nothing has worked to stop the carnage. I think that maybe it’s time to look at this from 30,000 feet to gain a better perspective.

In my opinion, I think security personnel should be mandatory at every school, college and university. I think police protection should be mandatory at all locations considered ‘soft targets.’ School doors should be locked at all times, and an alarm should sound if propped open. No admittance should be allowed without proper clearance. It should be encouraged to allow any school official, teacher, or administrator, properly trained, have a concealed carry permit. It should be mandatory to have active shooter drills like the standard fire drills in every school. Inspection of safety protocols should be enacted and maintained. Criminals lie. It should be forbidden for a person with a mental illness or criminal history allowed to obtain a gun. But they do, and they can because of bureaucratic laws. This should be changed. Taking away our guns leaves law-abiding people defenseless. Criminals will and do find a way to get one – that’s why they’re “criminals.”

I know the situation sounds insurmountable and the ideas lofty. However, I think the principle is sound.

What I’m suggesting is not a way of living in fear but a way of living confidently with assurance, knowing we’ve done all we can to be safe. Every child in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and cities in between, all states should have measures in place that leave every parent free from the worry of their child not coming home safe and sound from school or the playground.

We live in a different time, folks. There are more of us today than in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. There are too many of us today with far fewer mental institutions, and our coffers are too low to build up instantaneously. It will take time.

We can send our men and women to fight to protect our freedoms, but we have few resources to protect ourselves here at home. We can send billions of dollars to foreign nations when they need our help, but we can’t help ourselves somehow? Something has to change. Our children are those we leave behind when we are gone. They are our legacy.

The young boy who traveled alone to school that day - still haunts me. 

~ DaMarie

Photo Courtesy of Element5digital