Friday, May 2, 2008

LGBT Groups finally getting something right

The murder of 15 year old Lawerence King in Oxnard, Ca is something that is hard for me to talk or write about, the very thought pains me so much. However, justice, not vengeance, seems to be in the forecast for not only Brandon McInerney, his killer, but victims of hate crimes everyhwere.

27 LGBT Groups are calling for Ventura County to try McInerney as a youth, not an adult. McInerney, 14, needs helps, and "justice" must be served. However, too often in our society we
confuse justice with revenge.

Various groups cited recidivism rates, which are insanely high for youth incarcerated at a young age. The California Youth Authority (CYA), now known as California Division of Juvenile Justice (CDJJ) has had recidivism rates as high at 91%. They have also argued that trying a 14 year old as an adult will not make schools safer for LGBT youth.

revenge would be locking McInerney up or even sentancing him to death- children are often tried as adults in America- justice is treating homophobia as a public health and social issue, creating a safe space for children and adults to learn about homosexuality and express their fear and ignorance in a safe setting. lets hope one day that will happen.

The murder of Lawerence King among countless others, represents a deep fear in America, but locking up youth for the rest of their lives is not going to stop this fear and hate being manifested, and a lot of organizations recognize this. Which is a very positive thing.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

i think what they're doin is the right thing. i think that changing a law/rule/situation to cater to your own beliefs and feelings only brings on more bad things...thanks for posting that