WHERE IS THE VILLAGE?

Our Guest is our Teen Co-Host Ms. Dee Beamon Tell about her life growing up and the pain she faced as a child Re: Commentary on topic "Where is the village?" by Ms. Meagan Harris Contrary to popular belief the village hasn't gone anywhere and is in fact still raising your children. What's changed is the villagers. There was a time when people not only looked out for, but KNEW their neighbors. We live in a society today that is all about egocentricity and survival. The nice, older lady who you could trust to babysit doesn't live down the street anymore. Instead the dopeman does, or a crackhouse is there, or a house frequented by gang activity. If you don't like the way things are, change them. If there aren't enough police, start a writing campaign, get people to register to vote, make some noise. Don't sit around talking about how your vote doesn't count, no one cares what happens to you anyway, etc. That kind of attitude is exactly why nothing will change. I grew up and currently reside in Northern California. I grew up in an area that had/has every kind of addict one can think of gangs with better weapons than the police officer (not to mention the fact that they outnumber the police), and went to schools with out of date books, and some that were just so old we had to spend an entire class learning how to get the mold out of the books without destroying them. However, I remember people who didn't allow themselves to be intimidated, who didn't allow these addicts and criminals to make them prisoners in their own homes. We had a neighborhood watch, we annoyed politicians until they were forced to do something, no matter how small, I remember participating in (as a child) a drug free march all over our side of town, straight through what we called "the turf," an area ripe with gang violence and drug activity, and not being afraid. Start youth groups at the church. Stop letting fear and apathy dictate your actions. Take your village back.