I read the article of Danny Dunn's death in a lonely jail cell. I read
it with a lack of comprehension. And inability to understand our
"justice system." And the indifference people show for the grief and
heartache that we, as the mentally ill, and the fathers and mothers of
the mentally ill and drug addicted, go through daily, weekly and
sometimes for years.

When I saw Danny's mother's message of love to her son, I thought of
my son, and all the sons and daughters many of whom we see on our
streets daily their hair matted, their coats stiff with dirt, their
eyes glazed, listening to the voices they alone can hear. We see them
and pass them by until they blend into the streets of Bakersfield, the
forgotten and the faceless.

How can we, the richest society in the world, have so little
compassion and turn our backs on these the most needy among us?

I have suffered from manic-depression for 30 years and I have a son
who has come from the back wards of a state hospital to a much better
place today.

I cried as I read about Danny's death and then again as I read his
mother's beautiful letter of love to her son.

My prayers are with Danny and his family. May he find that eternal
peace that eluded him here on this earth.

There is a day coming when we will all stand before our God and give
an account of our lives. May His loving arms reach out and draw
especially close to Him those who have suffered so much on this earth.

MARY LOU BRUNS
Bakersfield