Every year we set aside the last Monday of May to celebrate, remember and pay tribute to the military who gave of themselves for our freedom. This day of honor brings out a lot of emotions. We cry for the loss and sacrifice of close friends and family. We reminisce, remember, laugh and tell stories, that even though we’ve told a dozen times, we still like to tell. I like to think telling the stories of those gone by helps to keep them alive. Memorial Day is also the start of summer and gives everyone an excuse to dust off the BBQ and get some sun. At least this is all of what Memorial Day used to mean to me.
The beginning of this year I took over as new owner and publisher of Cuffed and Wanted, Los Angeles County’s only crime specific newspaper. I’m very grateful for the sacrifices made by our veterans but I question if we are really doing their sacrifice justice. We still have senseless murders happening on a regular basis to good adults and innocent children. Many of these murders are done in broad daylight with lots of witnesses that refuse to come forward. Domestic violence, drug and alcohol arrests are on the rise but our jails are too full so many of these offenders are only given a fine. Burglaries are on the rise all across our county. Neighborhood residents want to hide in their homes and hope and pray they aren’t targeted next. The Long Beach Police Department recently said home burglaries are up 35% for the first quarter of this year with a record 711 break-ins in only 3 months.
What kind of message do we as adult Americans send to our youth when we encourage them to join the military and defend our freedom but are too afraid to stand up for our own community. The good citizens outnumber the criminals in every city and neighborhood in our county. On this day of remembering our military, I send out a challenge to the good citizens of Los Angeles County to stand up and come forward if you have any information on a crime. What good is our freedom if we are afraid to enforce it?
