- Wayward youth on the streets;
- Issues of busing kids to school or not;
- Drama at the Bus Hub downtown;
- Truancy of kids to school;
- Juvenile delinquency;
- Depressed parents and children.
Somehow, restricting buses so youth can’t use them and / or get to school, feeds into wayward youth, truancy, and juvenile delinquency.
We should not be making it harder for students to get to school because:
- They will become wayward
- They won’t get an education
- They won’t be employable
- There will be more crime and drug issues.
So really, the Mayor should be concerned; the Superintendent should be concerned; the Juvenile Court personnel should be concerned; State Rep. Plummer should be finding useful strategies, not punitive ones.
Our children are our future. If we restrict their opportunities and place more impediments upon them and parents, we are hurting the larger community.
I expect this transportation problem for ALL Dayton District students to be resolved as soon as possible.
- Carol J. Holm, Dayton
On July 24, a deranged individual ambushed and shot two human beings in Lorain, Ohio as they ate lunch. Their only “offense”? Being police officers. When a third officer responded to the call for help, he was also shot with a high-powered rifle. Officer Phillip Wagner died from his injuries. Officers Brent Payne and Peter Gale were seriously wounded.
I’m angry about the typical reaction from many elected officials: the all-too-familiar “thoughts and prayers.” I’m calling it out — enough.
Congressman Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio, issued a statement saying: “We’ll continue our work in the Judiciary Committee to make sure we always support our police officers.”
To the Congressman I ask: What work?
You’ve had H.R. 1551 sitting in your committee since February. Keep your platitudes and pass the damn bill. Maybe even become a co-sponsor, like so many of your colleagues already have.
Gov. DeWine said: “This situation reminds us that those who work in law enforcement risk their lives every day for the safety of their communities. We are so very grateful for the men and women who willingly and bravely serve and protect.”
Governor, while Ohio’s law enforcement community appreciates your words, what we need is action, not acknowledgments.
Under current Ohio law, the two surviving officers are eligible for treatment for post-traumatic stress through Ohio Workers’ Compensation because they sustained physical injuries. But the officers who responded — those who witnessed the bloody scene, pulled their brothers from shot-up vehicles, and rushed them to the hospital — will suffer PTS, too. Yet they aren’t eligible for treatment.
We have been asking Governor DeWine and the Ohio Legislature to fix this for years. A simple change in Ohio law would do it. But it’s fallen on deaf ears.
- R. Michael Taylor, Retired Police Officer and Chairman of the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police Legislative Committee
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
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