Yes, the shooter last Friday in Santa Monica was unemployed, had a history of mental problems, and lacked the money and family organization to get medical help, as I had guessed.
He went to Santa Monica High School (as two of my kids did, three years younger than my youngest) and then to Olympic High School, a continuation school for students who can't make it at SMHS.
The LA Times reports that four-year-old John Zawahri did have access to preschool but was an emotional wreck even by that time.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0611-santa-monica-shooting-20130611,0,1490078.story
"It was obvious to me that there was violence in the home," reported little John's pre-school teacher, and on at least one occasion his mother sought help when his father threatened them with a knife. If only he could have spent 40 hours a week out of that home, in a quality pre-school, starting at age 2.
What steps can we take to prevent this type of violence?
--a ban on assault weapons,
--a boost in availability of Headstart-type programs,
--access to low-cost mental health care for those who need it.
There was another shooting in Santa Monica four days after this one. Two young men were attacked by three others, probably gang-related; one youth is dead and the other in critical condition.
A Vigil for Peace and Healing in Response to Violence will be held on Saturday, June 16, in Santa Monica, starting at the site of Zawahri's shooting of his father and brother and then walking to sites of the other killings, all within an eight-block area.
On the following Thursday, June 20, there will be a town hall meeting on violence prevention.
The international angle to some of these shootings is notable. Both Zawahri parents were immigrants from Lebanon. Perhaps they had experienced violence there, as the Boston Marathon bombers' family had been refugees from problems in Kazakhstan. Gang problems in southern California are also related to international gangs controlling distribution of cocaine and marijuana.
It's a small world after all.
We may feel unconnected to poverty and violence occurring elsewhere in the world, but we're in this together.
He went to Santa Monica High School (as two of my kids did, three years younger than my youngest) and then to Olympic High School, a continuation school for students who can't make it at SMHS.
The LA Times reports that four-year-old John Zawahri did have access to preschool but was an emotional wreck even by that time.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0611-santa-monica-shooting-20130611,0,1490078.story
"It was obvious to me that there was violence in the home," reported little John's pre-school teacher, and on at least one occasion his mother sought help when his father threatened them with a knife. If only he could have spent 40 hours a week out of that home, in a quality pre-school, starting at age 2.
What steps can we take to prevent this type of violence?
--a ban on assault weapons,
--a boost in availability of Headstart-type programs,
--access to low-cost mental health care for those who need it.
There was another shooting in Santa Monica four days after this one. Two young men were attacked by three others, probably gang-related; one youth is dead and the other in critical condition.
A Vigil for Peace and Healing in Response to Violence will be held on Saturday, June 16, in Santa Monica, starting at the site of Zawahri's shooting of his father and brother and then walking to sites of the other killings, all within an eight-block area.
On the following Thursday, June 20, there will be a town hall meeting on violence prevention.
The international angle to some of these shootings is notable. Both Zawahri parents were immigrants from Lebanon. Perhaps they had experienced violence there, as the Boston Marathon bombers' family had been refugees from problems in Kazakhstan. Gang problems in southern California are also related to international gangs controlling distribution of cocaine and marijuana.
It's a small world after all.
We may feel unconnected to poverty and violence occurring elsewhere in the world, but we're in this together.
No comments:
Post a Comment