Kathleen Doyle’s response to Ann Donnelly’s opinion about Kevin Peterson Jr.’s death is about as spot-on as it gets (“More questions need to be asked,” Our Readers’ Views, Jan 5). Focusing on Kevin or his parents’ responsibilities detracts from the bigger issues that our democracy keeps failing on: the availability of guns, the creation of “demand for illegal benzodiazepine sales” (and other drugs) and our disempowered youth for which addictions and violence are too often the end result.
Research continues to show that putting money into preventive programs is what makes a difference. That translates into a different kind of policing (community-oriented policing), more early childhood education (educational and mental health), more apprenticeships, more mentoring, more funding to support new parents, more funding to support grandparents/relatives raising kin, and maybe even implementing a national civil/military service expectation like the Civilian Conservation Corps. Our country provides extensive support for military and technology. It is time to get back to supporting our humanity. Just think of what our country could be like if more children/people were supported in reaching their full potential.
