Leaving Las Vegas...Gun Violence and Mental Illness

I'm not going to sit here and say that there have been no mass shooters that weren't mentally ill...obviously, there has been. Or that all mentally ill people are not violent because clearly there are some that are. And I'm also not going to say that mass murderers don't have psychological problems. However, those issues usually don't have anything to do with mental illness.What I will say is that media, unfortunately, places a biased and irresponsible emphasis on mental illness when mass shootings occur. Disproportionately so, when you consider the overwhelming epidemic that gun violence has become. The mental status of an angry and abusive man who takes a gun and shoots his wife and kids is never questioned when reported. How does that make sense? How is shooting the woman he allegedly “loved,” and the children that he created with her, loved, raised, and supported their entire lives at close range allow him to escape the mental illness label, yet a man who fires into crowds of strangers that he has no emotional attachment to gets called mentally ill ad nauseum, no matter what the evidence shows or what the truth is? It doesn’t matter if a man kills his family or kills a bunch of strangers, it still is pointing a gun at another human being, pulling a trigger and taking their lives. There isn’t really a difference between the two, and violence is so prevalent that not all violent people are mentally ill.

Mental illness is considered a physical illness. It has to be diagnosed by a qualified psychiatrist, and like every illness, it can take awhile to be diagnosed. There are certain signs and symptoms that leads a doctor to diagnose and treat and it can only be done

For use by psychiatrists
only,

face to face. Also, like any other illness, a history needs to be taken. However, I don't know of many other diseases where media and society diagnose people of having a physical disease because of reprehensible, violent behaviors. Neither psychiatrists nor laypeople can look at just a person's actions alone and make a determination of mental illness. And if a person dies, even if it's a suicide, mental illness cannot be diagnosed retrospectively. There can be signs, sure, but no one can say definitively the person had a mental illness and that is why they committed suicide. Stop just a moment and look at yourself and your life. How much of who you really are do you project to the public? It is probably very little. 

Despite that, when it comes to mental illness, it is casually thrown around by everyone regardless of how it harms people who actually do have a mental illness.

With media's portrayal of mass shooters and associating them with mental illness, an astounding 63% of Americans believe that mass shootings are done by the mentally ill. Which means that 63% of Americans think that mentally ill people are inherently dangerous and that causes fear, ostracization, and discrimination of the

mentally ill. And more people become victims in the aftermath of a mass shootings because of what can only be called willful ignorance. Cable news and social media, with very few facts and too much time on their hands, almost immediately speculate on the shooter’s mental status - sometimes even before that person is even identified. When that happens, they have crossed a line. 

There are people in this country that will continue to suffer because of how media and society view mental illness. The stereotypes presented gives the impression that people with mental illness are

A typical stereotype of
mental illness

horrible people who are violent and can’t be helped. “Mentally ill” people are straight out of sanatoriums running around screaming in straight jackets. So they don’t tell anyone how they feel and they don’t receive the care that they need in order to have a productive life. And they commit suicide. Maybe they were already receiving treatment, but the discrimination and stigma were worse than the actual illness. Words have consequences. If not, Trump’s tweets would not be so dangerous or outrageous. Our society and the media in particular need to take responsibility for their words. The question is how many people are going to die until then?

~Mental Illness and Stigma
~Creating and Changing Public Policy to Reduce the Stigma of Mental Illness from Carter Center Mental Health Program
~Creating and Changing Public Policy to Reduce the Stigma of Mental Illness from Carter Center Mental Health Program

Satira Yusifiy, ex-wife of Omar Mateen, the Pulse Nightclub Shooter, stated that her husband was "bipolar." He was never diagnosed that - she made that claim based on the presumptions, misconceptions, and stereotypes that society gives to bipolar. I actually have been diagnosed with bipolar. That doesn't give me more of a preponderance to do something violent than anyone else in the general population. I take bugs outside and allow spiders not only to live in my house, I name them. I will stand and have a conversation with anything that breathes. And yet because of all the misinformation, and the stereotype given mental illness, I am thought of as violent, among other things. And it hurts.

There were so many other factors in Mateen's life that weren't symptoms of bipolar that contributed to his abhorrent actions. He appeared to be radicalized...he told others that his family was linked to al-Qaeda and he had joined Hezbollah. The night of the attack, he claimed he pledged his allegiance to ISIS (al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, and ISIS are not on friendly terms.) He was racist, he was physically abusive, verbally abusive, and investigated twice by the FBI after he was flagged for a terrorist watch group list - and cleared. And according to his father, he was very homophobic.

With mental illness so casually used by media without thinking of the consequences. And it really does hurt the mentally ill - both diagnosed and undiagnosed. It's hard to recover when you are treated differently than others. For others that have yet to be diagnosed, there is a good chance that they will choose not to get treatment for fear of getting stigmatized and ostracized. And the longer they go without treatment, the more likely that they will be to commit suicide. Considering just bipolar, half of all people who are diagnosed with it have attempted suicide. 34% have suicidal ideation while anywhere between 15% - 25% of people with it successfully kill themselves. Out of all mental illnesses, bipolar has the highest occurrence of suicide. As a person with a mental illness, it is so discouraging. Besides the actual

disease, I deal with judgment and discrimination every day. I have been treated with condensation like I'm stupid, If I hold my ground, I get told that I'm irrational. Or people don't believe me - I'm faking it, just want attention, or lazy. My every emotion and feeling is scrutinized like I am not entitled to them. They belong to an illness I have. I'm not allowed to even own human emotions. Diseases don't have feelings, humans do. It's not just about individual people. It's harder for the mentally ill to find housing, jobs, and even health insurance that covers what is needed. People are placed in cycles of inpatient, outpatient, inpatient. They use up the number of days they have on their insurance for outpatient care before they are ready so they end up back in the hospital and will attend outpatient when they are discharged. And it repeats. People can't get the treatment they need to get better when that is what they have to do to survive. Others can't afford any treatment and end up on the streets. When society fails to responsibly talk about what mental illness really is, people suffer and die. 

There is one category that mentally ill people are more violent - self-harm and suicide. Suicide by gun is higher than homicides, and the gap is widening. It is a major cause of death in this country, and society doesn't want anything to do with it. Even when it comes to our military. Active duty soldiers and veterans commit 22 suicides a day. Sure it's mentioned every once in awhile in the media, but that doesn't help them get the help they need. Every single suicide committed by our service members and veterans is another soldier our Veteran's Administration has left behind. We should be ashamed of any suicide. It's preventable.

The people a person who committed suicide leave behind are devastated. They wake up every day wondering if they missed any signs or didn’t take time out to talk to their loved ones. They blame themselves for not doing enough or maybe for something that happened. I’m not generalizing the grief that losing a loved one brings. It is not my place to say how someone else should grieve. I can only send love and prayers when someone I care about is

affected. However, all of those “what ifs” and blame add-on to a family’s grief. And family and friends usually suffer in silence because there is also a stigma surrounding suicide. It’s understandable if the person had a terminal illness, but generally, people at the very least think that the person died went to hell and/or was a total screw-up. They place blame on the family as well. People are cruel. So families and friends won’t say anything for fear of being judged. No one should be made to feel like that because of how someone they loved died. And again, society must change to reflect that suicide isn’t a sin. It happened because a person was in such a bad place that they couldn’t see any way out of it and the pain was so great that they couldn’t take another minute of it. Instead, families need to be embraced with warmth and comfort, assured that they didn’t do anything wrong.

Humans have always been violent, and it is no different now. Every day someone is killed or injured by gun violence. Whether by a person who kills one person or 58, or walks into a church and kills 26, they are still violent. They have still taken a life and they have adversely affected the friends. family, and communities of the victims. Most of the time, the killers are family or friends of the victim. When a husband kills his wife, he isn't considered mentally ill. He's violent. When someone in a gang does a drive-by shooting that kills young children, they are not considered mentally ill, they are violent.

A history of violence is not a requirement to be diagnosed with a mental illness. Why? Because violence is inherent throughout human history. Archaeological evidence supports this. The story of Cain and Abel shows this. The Bible literally has rivers of blood and religions still to this day spill it regularly. There has never been a time in the history of man on this planet that was peaceful and harmonious. There never will be. We were born to be destructive, and we are the only ones that do this. Animals don't gather to commit war because the other side has more food. They act mostly in defense. Protecting their homes, young, and themselves. Only domestic animals, and those kept as pets, exposed to violence and mistreatment by the hands of humans, will commit unprovoked attacks. Usually out fear and the need to hurt before they are hurt. The only exception would be wild animals imprinted by humans.

From the beginning of time, people have committed violence
in the name of their Gods.

Violence is an intentional decision to act on and not a behavior, or a symptom of a disease. At some time awhile back, Stephen Paddock made the decision that he was going to commit an act of violence, and he began stockpiling his weapons and ammunition. He cased out locations in at least two other cities and was staying at another casino resort in Las Vegas days before the shooting that was also near an outdoor concert. He consciously put cameras outside his room to see when the authorities were coming. He even wrote down the trajectory that he would use to target the crowd. He was meticulous and suffered from no apparent mental illness. The only indicator that he may have been violent was domestic violence.

It appears that a lot of mass shooters do have a history of domestic violence. Though that can be the result of a personality or psychological disorder, it is just as likely to be caused by low self-esteem, extreme jealousy, and an inability to control their anger. They may feel inferior with their partner and their education, salary,

or their socioeconomic background. Or hold "traditional" beliefs that men are superior to women and they have complete control over them. Possibly growing up in a violent household taught them that violence was accepted and considered the norm in regards to conflict resolution. Boys learn that women are to be devalued and not to be respected. Abusing alcohol and drugs can lessen any restraint on a person's violent impulses.  Or they just may be violent, period. There is never any excuse for it under any circumstances, but it also clearly shows that it is most likely a learned behavior, as there are plenty of people who come from violent backgrounds that make conscious decisions to not be violent.

Now, let’s flip this backward and look at people who are violent and have a diagnosable mental illness, because, yes, if someone who is pathologically angry, and has a mental health issue like a personality disorder, depression, PTSD or alcohol abuse disorder tend to engage in risky behavior involving a gun. Dr. Jeffrey

Swanson, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University, specializes in gun violence and mental health. Between 2001 - 2003, he conducted a study where he asked if anyone who had anger issues also owned guns. Almost 71% responded, and out of those, 1 in 10 admitted to owning firearms and having problems with anger.  Statistically, they were more likely to be younger men who were married and living in the outlying areas of metropolitan centers. They were also more significantly to the meet the criteria for a vast array of mental disorders such as depression, bipolar and anxiety disorders, PTSD, intermittent explosive disorder, pathological gambling, eating disorders, alcohol and illicit drug use disorders, and a range of personality disorders. 

In 1993, the Brady Act was passed that forbids people who have been involuntarily committed from owning a gun. The law is ineffective because only 8% - 10% of mentally ill people are hospitalized, and just a tiny portion of them are admitted involuntarily. In homes with a firearm, there is an 80% increase that a gun contributes to an increased risk above and beyond other risk factors like substance abuse, depression, or a history of self-harm.

What can be done to make sure that guns don’t fall into the hands of a mentally ill person that shouldn’t own one? First of all, take the involuntary commitment bit out of background checks, or placing the responsibility on mental health professionals to predict that someone is going to be violent. Instead, check for indicators such as convictions or charges pending for violent assaults, domestic

violence, restraining orders, drugs/alcohol abuse, multiple DUIs, even misdemeanor charges. Violent crimes should not be sealed or cleared off of any record, in the case of juveniles. Instead of checking for a mental illness that only carries the possibility of being violent, look for a pattern of behaviors that are known factors of future violence. A 2011 study indicated when there were more strict gun permits and licensing requirements, suicide rates declined. The Brady Law also lowered suicide numbers by requiring mandatory waiting periods, and when Washington DC banned handguns from 1968-1987, the suicide rate sharply declined and it wasn’t attributable to any other reason as there wasn’t a decline in any neighboring counties or states. And finally, California, Indiana, and Connecticut have all passed laws where authorities can confiscate a person’s weapons temporarily if the person is acting erratically and can pose a threat. That, also, has prevented people from committing suicide.

(Sources for study: Guns, Impulsive Angry Behavior, and Mental Disorders: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication

Gun violence not a mental health issue, experts say, pointing to 'anger,' suicides)

Despite all the fuss and outrage over mass shootings and mental illness, only 4% of violent crime is committed by a person with a mental illness. The focus needs to be on mentally ill people using guns to commit suicide, not predicting who can become a mass shooter.

And most definitely there needs to be gun reform, make no mistake about it. It needs to be a federal endeavor. It is obvious that local laws aren't effective. In the case of Chicago, they passed tough laws against guns which were made ineffective when people went to Indiana and Wisconsin to purchase them. The state of Illinois put the final nail in the coffin when it passed laws that superseded Chicago's local laws. 

Personally, I would like to see federal registration, as strict as cars and on each gun owned. On top of a stricter background check that factors behaviors and gets more of a person’s history, there should be a learner's permit, a written and practical test to get a license. A photo ID will be issued and has to be renewed. The license needs to list what guns people are qualified to handle. When a gun is

purchased, it must be registered and renewed every year and gun owners have to purchase insurance for their weapons in case of any accidental deaths. Like car insurance, there could be discounts for multiple guns, keeping the gun properly stored, (Gun in one locked safe box, ammo in another in a different part of the house,) antique gun collections or buying guns that have advanced safety features - for example, intelliguns, where you have to scan your finger before firing the weapons. That would incentivize gun companies to create guns with more safety features like the automobile industry has. Create a safety commission to rate which gun is the least likely to be used in accidental shootings or in the case of a gun that is stolen.

Striation marks should be linked to serial numbers before they even leave the factory. And there should be more than one location on the gun where the serial numbers are stamped that can't be reached to file off in case they are stolen. I know that this is nothing but a pipe dream, but some things can be implemented.  Loopholes need to be closed, People with violent felony convictions and a history of domestic violence should not be allowed to own guns, or people on the Terrorist Watch List, for that matter. Buyback or trade-in programs should be initiated. There should be some sort of national database that keeps track of weapons and ammunition purchased. If someone exhibits unusual activity or goes over established limits, a red flag should be raised and law enforcement should investigate. And it should go without saying that no military type weapons,

Gun ranges can provide military
style weapons to shoot.

high magazine clips, silencers, or things like bump stocks be allowed. There is no practical purpose for these guns in either self-defense or hunting. If people want to experience shooting military-style weapons, then they should be able to at gun ranges. The CDC should get the funding they want to do a comprehensive study on why there is gun violence and what can be done to prevent it, not just keep statistics. Currently, not only are they not receiving funding, but they are banned from doing this research. Congress and President Trump need to get their heads out of the NRA's ass and stand up to them.

But nor should there be broad-sweeping restrictions. There was an Obama-era policy that singled out the “seriously mentally ill” that was reversed by Trump. Mental health reform, stopping mass shootings, or making people safer isn't what Obama did when he instituted a policy where Social Security had to report mentally ill people who needed a fiduciary to handle their finances to the National Instant Criminal Backgrounds Checks System (or NICS.) It was similar to what the Dept. of Veterans Affairs has been doing since the Brady Act was passed. Basically, it is depriving a specific group of their Constitutional rights to due process in a very general way. Not being able to handle finances does not equate to how dangerous a person is. If the government wants to put possibly dangerous people on a list banning them from getting guns then there should be a judicial hearing to adjudicate it. Under both the VA and the SAA, mentally ill placed on the NICS list can request a review and have the decision reversed. However, this takes awhile, can cost that person money, and there is just something that rubs me the wrong way about a person having to request a review to gain back rights that they were entitled to and shouldn't have been denied in the first place. If a person is going to be deemed incompetent, it should be done by the judicial branch and not a bunch of bureaucrats. Under judicial review, all necessary documents and privileged records can be submitted for consideration in the case. The Judiciary is the only branch of government to determine if our rights should be taken from us after reviewing a preponderance of the evidence.

I don't like guns much. Okay, I don’t like guns at all. However, I like having the rights I enjoy under the Constitution of the United States. And if any of them were denied to me because I have bipolar, I would be furious. Especially if it was a broad sweeping action that includes everyone with a mental illness. If one

Constitutional rights extend to EVERYONE.

Constitutional right is denied because of a mental illness, a precedent is set. Who is to stop a political party to decide that the mentally ill are all irrational, unstable, and incapable of making a sound decision, so, therefore, they shouldn't be allowed to vote so they can guarantee a victory for themselves?  

Then there's the fact that not one of the "safeguards" currently in effect would prevent a mass shooting. IF a mass shooter was to even be diagnosed with a mental illness. For most mass shooters to be put on a list, they had to have had a mental illness so serious that they apply for disability benefits, and for Social Security or the VA to declare them incompetent to handle their own finances. If a person knows that by applying for benefits, they may get placed on a list, literally called

"Mentally Defective," that would prevent them from their full rights, they will probably avoid applying. And those affected are just a very tiny drop in the bucket. There are many more people diagnosed with mental illness that are not on disability benefits, can handle their own finances, and actually lead normal, productive lives, have jobs, and own property. And of course, there’s no record for the FBI to check in that case. They would breeze through a background check. And even if someone was approved for Veteran or Disability benefits, they have to be in a position where their money is handled by another person before being placed on any list that would prevent them from purchasing a firearm. Finally, these laws aren’t going to do anything until loopholes are closed like gun shows and internet purchases to buy guns are shut down. What use is shutting down one way to get a gun when there is more than one way to purchase a gun legally? Or they can just get them illegally. It isn’t hard to find guns on the street.


Many states have passed laws that require mental health professionals to report if one of their patients could...could be violent. Psychiatrists are medical doctors trained to diagnose and treat mental illnesses. They don't have any special degrees that say they can see the future and predict how a person is going to act. If a mass shooter is seeing a psychiatrist, they are going to have enough sense to not mention to their doctor that they are making plans to shoot multiple people, or even themselves, if their mind is made up. Of course, that is even if they are diagnosed and seeing a psychiatrist. Really, the only role psychiatrists can play is giving their opinion in the aforementioned hearing to determine a person’s competency in regards to being allowed to own guns.

People against reversing these Obama’s Executive Action maintain that suicide and homicide rates will increase if people on these lists are allowed to buy weapons. I disagree with this as well. Yes, guns are used for suicides, but if a person is receiving money and can handle their own finances, or aren’t receiving benefits, they are legally able to buy a gun. The law that Obama passed would not stop them from purchasing guns. And while guns are the most effective, they aren’t the only way to commit suicide or homicide. I see very little change, if any, that Obama’s law would keep guns out of hands of the mentally ill people who actually do pose a risk.

Banning weapons for the mentally ill isn't the answer to decreasing gun violence. To help mentally ill people,  TRUE mental health reform needs to happen. One that addresses treatment, support and acceptance. A media blitz campaign about stigma and how harmful it is with meaningful dialogue needs to occur. Media needs to start portraying mental illness correctly and not follow negative stereotypes. News media also needs to stop blaming every atrocity on mental illness. Mental illness needs to be separated from any form of violence. TREAT THEM.  Give them the health care they deserve and treat them with the respect and dignity that every person should be given. Be aware of what comes out of your mouth and the consequences they have.  Make sure that avenues are open to them in terms of employment and housing. There are large areas in this country that do not have ANY psychiatrists and more than 60% of adults with mental illness do not have any way to get ANY treatment. It doesn’t help that only 4% are graduating medical school and going into a psychiatric residency. We are leaving a lot of people behind and the demand is much greater than the supply. We are decreasing the chance we have to prevent ANY violent mentally ill people from committing any form of violence. 

Increasing medical care should be something that people are jumping at the bit to pass, considering the percentage of fear that many people have of mentally ill people. I would also think that Congress would act on true mental health reform in light of these statistics, but nothing will change.

Society’s treatment of the mentally ill will reflect on the well-being of our children. It’s a frightening and sobering thought. A recent mental health advocate spoke of doing a presentation in front of school-age children. When she asked if they had a support system, most didn't. They cited they couldn't trust friends and were afraid their friends would tell others or reject them. They couldn't go to their parents because they were afraid that their parents would be disappointed with them, and teachers or other school authorities? Again, a trust issue. Teachers should be trained to be able to spot kids that are having trouble and there should be a safe place for those kids to discuss their feelings and problems. Mental health should start being taught early on with a stress on having a support system in place and safe places they can call, like a hotline. It is important that kids know that their problems are important to their parents and that mom and dad won't be disappointed. Kids should not be ashamed to admit that they are handling more than they can chew. Teachers and parents should work closely together, with a mental health professional, if needed, to help kids. It’s not a “have to pull themselves up and learn how to handle it because it’s life” situation. This kind of intervention could very well help when they are challenged to take drugs, drink, or have sex. It might also recognize rage, anger or anything else that might lead a child to lash out physically. It might not even be a “mental illness” issue. It was hard to be a child when I was a child.
Now with the internet, kids have to learn more things earlier. They need to do well in school, deal with peer pressure, take every textbook home to do homework that will take hours, participate in extracurricular activities and do everything perfect. Middle school and high school are particularly hard. Not having a person that they

feel safe in saying “I need help.” when things pile up may lead to numerous problems including withdrawal and behavioral problems, all the way to committing suicide. Is holding on to myths, stereotypes, misconceptions, and perpetuating them really worth the lives of our children and our future?

A Crisis Officer at a mental health center in Madison, WI

All police should be required to take courses in psychology, especially in crises management and receive training on how to handle different situations they might encounter. It is estimated that 25% of all police shootings that caused death involved a person with a mental illness. Often times, police are the ones that are called in by a family member or friend who are trying to get help for loved one. There is a certain degree of trust that the police will be able to de-escalate the situation and transport the person to a hospital. If that person is a threat to themselves while in crisis, they are probably holding a knife or a gun, and are suicidal. Officers need to be able to read a situation and act accordingly. If they are suicidal, they may start trying to force a situation where they are really trying to kill themselves via suicide by cop. It is easier to do that then it is to actually kill themselves. That needs to be considered when confronted by someone who wants to die.

An Officer de-escalating a situation.

Alarmed by the number of people with mental illness killed by police, the Phoenix police began a program that is focused on calls involving mentally ill people (details here:  Phoenix Police Institutes Crisis Intervention Team) The county I live in has a separate court for mentally ill people. If they commit a nonviolent crime, they are sentenced to community service and mandatory treatment and/or hospitalization. If they go against the court order, they then are sent to regular court where they will officially be charged. If they follow through, however, the court releases them without a record. 

What is known is that current protocol does not allow officers to

Officer Stephen Mader
with his mother.

read a situation and choose to de-escalate instead of the use of force. In Weirton, WV, Officer Stephen Mader was fired for not shooting an alleged armed man. He was called in on a domestic call. Ronald Williams Jr. was outside, holding a gun. However, he was not pointing the gun at anyone, and appeared despondent and

suicidal. He kept on asking to be shot. Officer Mader, a former Marine, assessed the situation and began talking to Mr. Williams in hopes of calming him down and getting him help. Only Ronald Williams Jr. was shot by another officer who came on the scene and reacted within seconds. The gun that Williams Jr. had was not loaded. As of May of 2017, Mader was working as a long-distance truck driver to support his family and suing the police department.

Ronald Williams Jr.

If Mader had been allowed to talk down Ronald Williams Jr., he would still be alive today and his loved ones wouldn’t be grieving for him, and his baby son would be growing up with a father. An officer cared enough about the life of Williams to try and talk him down from being suicidal. According to the State Police, the Afghanistan veteran was terminated for “apparent difficulties in critical incident reasoning.”

Don't misunderstand me. I know most police don’t have to even touch their gun, much less draw it. And I don't think police officers are going on duty with the intent to kill anyone. I think that they shoot because they feel threatened and are afraid. That's normal, they have a very dangerous job. And in today's society, it's also normal to be afraid of mentally ill people. They usually are trained

to shoot first, think second, but in most situations, that should probably be reversed. Officers have an extremely difficult job where they are literally putting their lives on the line to protect people while trying to protect themselves, their fellow officers, and their families. There are ways where they can protect people and not have to take lives.

Las Vegas, NV 10-1-17 Police officers' quick
response saved many lives that night.

From what I read, it's exactly the opposite in the military where they are trained to read a situation and not shoot. This is where Officer Mader comes in. Because he was a Marine, he was trained to do the opposite. Instead of a heavy hand when they are patrolling, they gain the trust of the local people and residents get to know the soldiers. It's saved lives on both sides. Using those methods has created an environment where the villagers trust the soldiers and are more willing to tip them off when and where bombs are planted or pass along important information.

Getting to know the neighbordhood.

That would go a long way in areas where there is a clear problem between citizens and police. Walk patrol beats again, talk to people, become a part of people’s lives. I think the main problem is a lack of communication and a lack of trust. If people don't trust officers then things are just going to continue the way they are. And that mistrust is passed down through generations. The only way of gaining trust is if children see police as individual people, not just this big scary monster called “THE POLICE.” If they know an officer and they see that the officer cares about them and what is happening in their lives, a bond is going to develop. A trusting community will also open up about criminal activities, stopping drugs, guns, and violence in their tracks. I might be wrong here, it is my opinion and I'm not an expert. But it just seems logical.

Police themselves often face stigma if they need to seek help in order to process difficult situations with loss of life. It seems to me, that they are often held up to be a “tough cop” where nothing affects them. Sometimes the strongest thing a person can do is ask for help.

What it comes down to is this: We need to do something about violence. We need to learn to respect each other, end discrimination, and arm ourselves with education, not guns. The facts are out there. There will always be discrimination and hate, but things can change for the better. It has too. And we seriously need to decrease the amount of guns in this country without decreasing the rights of one group of our population.

Love and light to all victims of violence. God bless.