One Monrovia teen is suggesting her friends wear white Tuesday as a way to promote peace. The quote on a MySpace page devoted to the cause says this: "save our YOUth support the fight for peace in the 626 "
Here's another excerpt from the MySpace page, which can be found here:
As you all know we have been through quite alot these past few weeks.The Monrovia/Duarte gang shootings have left four dead and many injured. We have all been affected by this issue believe it or not, wether you live in Monrovia, Daurte, Arcadia, Pasadena or any other neighboring cities throught the 626 / SGV area ,youve probably head about the shooting. And now, finally farther cities have been informed about our issues.Many of us have lost friends and family memebers.Today I went to visit my probation officer & she asked me what I do with my spare time,(since I only attend two days of school) and I simply replied "nothing really, just wasting time away with friends".She told me "Wasting time,I bet your friends who were killed by the shootings would be very upset to hear you are "wasting time" ".And then issued me 40 hours of community service.So I came here and thought about how I could do a service to my community.Then this idea came to mind.My community is suffering,my peers are dying & our youth is doing alot of "wasting".I got as many of my friends together & told them to spread the word. WE the youth are going to stand strong for each other.
Good job!!! our youth are our future and I will wear my white tomorrow and so will my family.
I will also wear white on tuesday ,Im A resident from Claremont
That youth's parent spoke up about the page at the MUSD meeting this evening at Santa Fe Middle School. Sounds like a good use of a media outlet that kids like to use.
My prayers have been answered with Kathiana's message of peace! I can't tell you how troubled I've been to see so much hateful content happening on Myspace, how parents have chosen to be unaware of what their children are doing online... how there are NUMEROUS student athletes with Myspace pages containing images of hate-- burning bandanas of their enemies, posing with hand signs while in football and volleyball uniforms, using the N word to no end, and threatening the community with future acts of violence... it's not just a few students but DOZENS... I was so shocked by what I have been reviewing on these Myspace pages that I've written some 30 emails this week to police and city officials. And guess what folks? It's all going to end. School counselors will be pulling in students to discuss these pages and inform their parents, the police are studying these sites to penetrate information, and this information will be used to round up the thugs.... because guess what gangstas... your friends list has become a six-pack... you've identified every member in your crew, and if you think you can dump all your content, think again because the Myspace server backs up its data, and a bunch of parents have made copies of your pages, too, and they're being turned over to the school board... and know what? You're your own snitch! Not so with it and sophisticated after all. Neener, neener, neener...
It just goes to show how there ARE NO MISTAKES in life; what goes around comes around. Each action has a domino effect!!! Community coming together, Wearing "White" and the documentation of "my space" have shared how actions come back to us ...We shall wear WHITE today as Well! KEEP ON KEEPING ON....!!
Great idea let wear white every Tuesday to show are support to our City and Youth.
Reading and participating in these posts about the outburst of gang violence has offered me some personal insight. It has come as no surprise to me that there has been a ‘lost’ generation for some time, children raising children, the family unit break down, so on an so forth….I have very little understanding as to the meaning of gang signs, have yet to figure out how someone can walk with their pants below their ass or if there is a significant rationale as to the code of the gang dress attire other than the red rag vs. the blue which is probably old stuff. What I believe that I have touched upon is to feel the emptiness and anger that these groups harbor & the lack of direction. What I seem to see are kids that were robbed of their youth and innocence. What I have to acknowledge for myself is that I didn’t step to the plate a long time ago by being involved in community services and politics until this ‘action’ came too close to home; You kind of figure that the “other” person is doing the job. Well, it’s all backfired on each one of us as the community will take a back lash until harmony is “somewhat” restored. The good news is that there’s no need to point fingers at anyone else, because it starts by looking in the mirror! And I’m in awe at all the groups that have always been “in-place” working to make a difference for troubled families. This site, the subject matter and each and every post, (no matter how it was worded) gives me a better perspective of my community…for better or for worse…
Berta, I love you! What a beautiful heart you have!!! I, too, feel responsible for not stepping up to the plate sooner... there was a police officer at last night's MUSD meeting who shared about how easy it is for parents to get sucked into their work and return home, too tired to make the effort to stay involved with their children's worlds, but if we push ourselves, we can always find a way to make the time, and it's not just important for our own kids but for the entire community. Every little bit of involvement helps.