Stepping Up
Ethan Esparza has not been forgotten. Not by Randy Bekendam.
In Tuesday's Daily Bulletin, Staff Writer Monica Rodriguez brought us the inspiring tale of a Rancho Cucamonga man who couldn't, and wouldn't, let the memory of 3-year-old Ethan die.
After Ethan was gunned down in a drive-by outside his parent's home almost four months ago, he asked himself a hard question
"Does my life really make a difference?"
Out of than came Operation ETHAN, or Everyone Together Healing All Neighborhoods.
He says it's a call to action, and we agree.
Bekendam wants to bring people with business skills to help someone learn how to manage a budget.
He wants to create community gardens where young and old can meet and share the fruits and vegetables of their labors.
He wants to keep kids off the streets and give people hope.
It's in the good idea stage now, but Bekendam is giving the community a chance to making a real difference.
Don't think one person can do anything about gang violence?
Think again.
Comments
Why is there gang violence? I think the answer is simple. Ignorance and poverty. When we look at who is pulling the trigger its just another kid. Most of the time they are under 18. They grow up with a mother thats been to prison and a daddy thats doing time for selling dope. When daddy gets out of jail, what chance does he have to get a job? What skills does he have to give his family a better life? NONE! This kids grow up thinking you live by the gun and you die by the gun. When people are in prison they should really be rehabilitated and send out to the real world with a fighting chance to survive. They paid thier debt to society, now they should be equal, not getting screwed over and over again by the same fu**ed up system that is trying to put them behind bars again so that they can pay correctional officers 35 bucks and hour and 0ver 65 an hour for overtime to sit on thier ass and look over the prisoners. Can an ex con go out and get a job that pays him 65 and hour to do close to nothing? I think not. Yet the high school bully with sh#+ for brains can get the job so he can continue to be a bully to grown men ina contained enviorment because they can't continue to be bullys out in the real world. There is no wonder that when the prisoner gets out of prison he is pissed off. Best job he can pick up is at some warehouse making less that minimum wage and still getting punked by the boss, because he knows all he has to do is call his parole officer and he is back behind bars over some BS charge getting treated like crap by the COs. Once the system starts treating everyone how they would want to be treated we will see peace. Until then the criminals are just a product of the system that labeled them a criminal.
Posted by: Rene Cerna | May 7, 2007 4:09 PM