Violence In Oxnard

Remembering Lawrence King failed to address the issue of violence in south Oxnard. The death of Lawrence King is a horrific example of intolerance in our society. However, the fact is that there have been numerous shootings, knifings, and murders in the area surrounding E. O. Green, Jr. High and Hueneme High School. It is not just gay children who have been targeted. It is a terrible tragedy in our society that we have not learned to get along with each other or taught our children to learn to resolve their differences without resorting to violence.

Both of my sons attended E. O. Green, Jr. High School. My older son was beaten up in the locker room during a P.E. class by an older, larger student. The attacker repeatedly slammed my son’s head into the lockers, and nothing was done. My younger son refused to continue attending the school, when the school secretary, knowing that his father was not allowed to be alone with him by court order due to domestic violence (which was on file at the court), allowed his father to walk up to him and talk with him. Again, other than harassing me, nothing was done. The issue of violence at E.O. Green and South Oxnard extends beyond the terrible tragedy of Lawrence King’s death. His death is just the latest in a series of incomprehensible murders that testify to our society’s inability to resolve our own problems. -Julianna Krolak