Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Its Time to Make it Stop

Yesterday we had yet another school shooting.  This one came at a High School in Oregon and claimed the life of a freshman boy.  The shooter then took his own life.

In addition to this, yesterday at 3:30 PM the first student I met on my first day teaching in Newark was shot and killed.  He was 15 years old.  He was a sweet kid who used to come in before school so I could give him piano lessons.  I used to tell my wife about how this kid's smile would light up the room.  One year he asked if I would help him find a job.  He was a good kid who got caught up in the nonsense of our inner cities.

I'm tired of this.  I'm tired of watching our children die for useless reasons.  I'm tired of guns on the street, and inside of our schools.  I'm tired of the fact that we, the greatest country in the world, have created a mindset that seemingly allows this to continuously happen.  I'm tired of the fact that our society seems to not want to stop it.

Where the hell is the anger?  How can we collectively sit back and watch this happen?  President Obama stated yesterday that we are the only developed nation on earth allowing this violence to continue.  Right now the US is averaging around one (1) school shooting a week.  That's insane.

When I met with my mentor group in Newark last Friday, I asked them to make a list of their best characteristics.  Of all the young men in the room five out of five included "I'm smart" as one of them.  They believe in themselves and want something better.

Let's get the guns off the streets and out of our culture.  Let's make our schools and neighborhoods safe for our kids.  Let's make this a priority so our smart, beautiful kids can grow up in an equally beautiful world.

RIP Couba

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