ED'S DEATH SHOULD SPUR US TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST CRIME

THE EDITOR:

Re: 'One of God's good folk,' Oct. 23 Times.

Two acquaintances of mine were killed last week - same day, same
place, same time. Although I knew them both, they had never met prior
to the moments before their deaths. This was no accident. Two very
different lifestyles collided that tragic afternoon.

I first met Ed Schellenberg at Camp Squeah in 1978 where we were part
of the church camp summer staff. The campers loved Ed and it was clear
that he cared about them. Even back then Ed was a man of integrity who
was on a mission to make his world a better place.

The woman who became his wife was also on staff that summer and
together Ed and Lois have touched countless lives both in their church
and their community.

I met my other acquaintance five years ago when he was serving his
sentence at a youth custody centre.

He had so much promise - a very bright, young teenager with strong
leadership skills.

What I remember most is his mother - a loving and caring single
parent, a recent immigrant who worked two jobs to support her young
family. She had watched helplessly as her gifted son drifted into a
negative peer group. Not knowing where to turn for help, she had hoped
that jail would be the deterrent he needed to change direction.

To help him, she was making plans to relocate her family to another
community upon his release from jail. But the jail experience was not
a deterrent and he only became more entrenched in his criminal
behaviour. Any programs that may have helped this family were cut back
when a new government took over.

My two acquaintances met Oct. 19, a violent meeting that resulted in
six deaths. If it wasn't for Ed and another innocent young man, this
would just be another sad story about the violent lives of drug gangs.
But because of Ed, my level of frustration with our criminal justice
system explodes. How is it that groups of young thugs, all known to
police, are able to establish themselves into criminal gangs who
terrorize our communities?

Answer - no deterrents, no consequences. Beginning with the
"toothless" Young Offenders Act, which has allowed teenagers to become
very established in their criminal lifestyle, and very useful to drug
gangs. Even if they get caught, their consequences are minimal.

We can blame the judges who pamper repeat offenders through the
revolving doors of their courthouses and the lawyers we hire to help
these kids avoid taking responsibility for their criminal activity.

We can blame our government for cutting the funding to vital programs
focusing on high-risk youth. Or we can be really brave and blame the
cowardly drug bosses who recruit these young people into their web of
destruction.

Perhaps our anger should be aimed at the casual drug users who are
ultimately responsible for creating these monsters.

But it's all just talk until we are angry enough to get
involved.

The loss of Ed's life seems so senseless but perhaps it will spawn a
movement within our community to get involved. As individuals we may
not be able to dismantle the drug gangs in our community. We may not
be able to affect changes in our criminal justice system but we can
become proactive in addressing the social problems that lead to gang
activity.

If this makes you angry, do something about it. The real tragedy would
be to sit back and do nothing.

Dave Kropp,

Abbotsford