Another teen is murdered and we have to ask why and how can this be stopped?

This last week another teen was murdered during a drive by in South Phoenix. The gal was 16 and clearly had come to Phoenix to do better with her life circumstances and see amazing things happen. Instead she has now become a statistic for some researcher to talk about the impact of gang violence. Why would anyone bring a gun and shoot someone in another vehicle as it drove by? Doesn’t anyone fear the consequences of such an action? Doesn’t life have any value at all? Does getting even or making a point overrule another person’s existence?

I tire of seeing all of the RIP’s on Facebook. Reality check, that person who you post their picture is dead because of a revengeful hideous act of violence. What’s going on in today’s society that life no longer has any value?  The consequences of such actions seem to not stop many from doing this type of senseless violence. The obsession of video games and violent movies seem to give us a false sense that when someone is shot they can start over and everything will be ok. Just visit the trauma unit at any of the local hospitals and you will see the look on doctors and nurses as they attempt to bring someone back to life after this type of shooting.

My mom would always tell me that two wrongs never make a right. That violence always begets violence and that some times the best thing to do is to walk away and not respond. I struggle with the response of most when I tell them that once you quit fighting back that the violence can stop. If you choose to pick up a weapon or get a bigger friend the situation will only end up with someone going to the county morgue.

There was another teen with the same first name that was killed a couple of years ago because she was at a house party. There was a fight between different individuals that saw someone drive by and unload an automatic gun in the midst of those standing outside. The teen that was killed wasn’t the one that was the intended target. My wife happened to be on call that weekend at the Trauma Center as the chaplain where she saw first hand the teens that were shot. It was devastating to see the result of anger in the form of this shooting. 

What has to happen in order for this type of revengeful murders to stop? There aren’t any simple solutions but clearly this has to start at home. We have to reinstall in kids, teens, families and ourselves that all life has value. We can’t allow the revengeful mindset to go unchecked. Yes, it isn’t easy to take a risk to call the police, open our eyes and remember what happens. If you or I don’t do something then this rampant evil will continue.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. (Love this quote from Edmund Burke.) It’s time that we stop watching from the sidelines and choose to get involved with being a positive force in our society where we choose to make a difference in our family, neighborhood and city. I don’t want to see any more RIP’s on Facebook or texts!