Another Senseless Death...

What appeared to be an exciting Friday night out, tragically turned into a night that many students, parents, residents, and staff will never forget at Wilson Classical High School in Long Beach, CA. It would be the night that Melody Ross an Honor student at Wilson would become the victim of yet another sensless act of violence.

As I pulled into my driveway, my daughter received the tragic news that 3 people had been shot leaving the Homecoming Game. Two people sustained non life threatening injuries, and the other person was in critical condition. We hoped that the caller was repeating a rumor, but once we entered the house and turned on the television our hopes for a rumor were derailed by the news report of the death of a teenager leaving a Homecoming Game in Long Beach, CA. For some reason, we still prayed that the news report was only repeating a vicious rumor.

As night turned into day, more news reports surfaced about the senseless death of this Honor student. It was tragic. Our entire house was silent, especially after discovering that our daughter and the student were in the same AP Psychology class. My daughter commented on Melody's cheerful personality. My daughter shared how Melody always greeted her with a smile and a hello before engaging in conversation. My daugher repeatedly stated, "She didn't deserve this type of ending." Seeing her pictures flashed across the major networks, although I did not know her I also could see the cheerful and beautiful personality of this young person whose life was cut down by a stray bullet not intended for her.

Watching the local news that night and the next morning, one parent's words echoed in my head the entire day. The parent stated, "This wasn't suppose to happen at Wilson." Sadly, violence is everywhere. This is why it is imperative that we live by the words of the African Proverb, "It takes a village..." We all have to be responsible in educating our youth, especially in the area of violence prevention and conflict resolution. We need to teach all youth that they need to stop and think before they pick up a gun to settle their differences. If we fail to teach the meaning of conflict resolution, more senseless deaths are soon to follow. Let's be proactive. Let's teach young people to stop and Think 5 before acting. Just think, it may just save your child or my child's life. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and loved ones of Melody Ross. Let's be proactive, let's stop the violence.