Violence

Eyes grew wide on Wednesday as Glendale Police Officer Bryan Duncan told high school students the outcome of a recent high-speed traffic accident related to street racing — destroyed cars, criminal charges and long-term disability. And they grew even wider when he showed them on-scene photos. "The No. 1 goal here is for you guys to see the negative impact that — and pardon my language — screwing around behind the wheel does," Duncan said. "That is what these accidents come down to. People not paying attention, people not doing the right thing, texting, talking on the phone, talking to the passenger next to you. " The presentation was one of dozens taking place at Glendale High School as part of Yellow Ribbon Week meant to address violence and safety issues among students.

Assemblyman Mike Gatto today announced plans to push legislation "to deter assaults and fighting at sporting events. " His announcement comes on the heels of violence at a San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders game at Candlestick Park on Saturday in which two people were shot in the parking lot . Another fan was beaten unconscious in a stadium bathroom. Gatto also cited the Bryan Stow beating at Dodger Stadium in March. The paramedic has been in medically induced coma since being attacked in the stadium parking lot on March 31. The exact provisions of the bill were not announced, but Gatto's office said the assemblyman would ask the Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media Committee to convene a special proceeding to vet his proposal and take testimony from sports security experts, law enforcement and others.

H ow do you take your violence? Head-on, fists flailing? Government-sponsored assassination? The subtle abuse of an inside jab? Mafia magic with a jack-slammer Uzi? From now until Christmas, Hollywood has a serial killer’s bag of treats in store for you. So if you have insider information, prepare to connect the dots. If you like your popcorn raw, here are a handful of ways to feed the inner beast. The heaviest hitters in the fall-winter line-up of new releases are the movies that play by the rule, ‘Violence is golden’.

Civic and religious leaders gathered in Pasadena on Sunday to launch a peaceful crusade against violence after Christmas Day incidents in which a resident was gunned down in a drive-by shooting and two others -- including a Glendale woman -- died in a crash caused by a parolee allegedly trying to evade police. Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard told a crowd of nearly 300 at the steps of All Saints Episcopal Church near City Hall that the task is to rid the city of gun violence and replace it with hope and guidance.

A bill designed to reduce violence at sporting events is moving forward in the state Assembly, but it doesn't have the same teeth it once had. The bill, introduced by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake), originally called for the creation of a list of banned fans who have caused problems in the past. It was watered down in committee hearings and now only requires that stadiums clearly post emergency phone and text numbers for local security officials. Gatto said he thinks some members at the hearings didn't completely understand the bill, particularly the ban list.

Claudia Peschiutta GLENDALE -- The Glendale Chamber of Commerce is hoping to make something positive come out of recent violent events in the community. The stabbing death of Raul Aguirre on May 5 and a drive-by shooting Thursday motivated chamber members to hold a meeting of local business leaders today to see what they can do to keep such violence from recurring. "The businesses have a large part to play in this," said Sharon Beauchamp, the chamber's executive director.

David Cronenberg has directed several graphically violent films over the years, including such horror staples as "Friday the 13th" and "Scanners." Accordingly, it is somewhat expected when his new film, "A History of Violence," opens with two drifters in the midst of a savage murder and robbery spree. When the story shifts to the bucolic town of Millbrook, Ind., and features the all-American Stall family -- who appear to have stepped out of a Norman Rockwell painting -- you just know it's too good to last.

Amber Willard GLENDALE -- Programs sponsored by the Glendale YWCA to provide information about violence against women and men will start next week as part of a national campaign. The sixth annual "Week Without Violence" starts Sunday with information sent to local religious leaders, encouraging them to incorporate remembrances for violence victims into their services. Each day of the week has a theme, ranging from Monday's "Keeping Our Children Safe" with fingerprinting for children who have registered, to Friday's "Eliminating Racism and Hate Crimes" that will offer a gathering for adults to discuss racism, sexism, homophobia and hate crimes.

Director David Cronenberg is known for strange psychological thrillers with science-fiction overtones, "The Fly," "Dead Ringers" and "Naked Lunch" being a few of his eccentric projects. But despite the aggressive title, "A History of Violence" may be his most mainstream and accessible work to date. Viggo Mortensen emerges from his heroic "Lord of the Rings" role to play Tom Stall, a very ordinary family man in small-town America. He's married to a sexy sweetheart with two kids, and he runs the local diner.

The criminals are hiding in plain sight. We are wasting time talking about guns and violent videos. Antidepressants are the culprits. They are one of the common denominators in almost every mass shooter going all the way back to the Columbine kids. By the way, these people do not need to use guns; they sometimes use a bathtub to kill. Remember Andrea Yates of Houston who killed her children by holding them underwater one by one in the bath tub on June 20, 2001? She was on antidepressants.

Civic and religious leaders gathered in Pasadena on Sunday to launch a peaceful crusade against violence after Christmas Day incidents in which a resident was gunned down in a drive-by shooting and two others -- including a Glendale woman -- died in a crash caused by a parolee allegedly trying to evade police. Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard told a crowd of nearly 300 at the steps of All Saints Episcopal Church near City Hall that the task is to rid the city of gun violence and replace it with hope and guidance.

America has had enough of the carnage at our schools by the sick and evil members of the public that are able to buy assault rifles and murder our children in cold blood. It is time for every superintendent of schools and every director of education of each state to rise up and demand that there be a severe restriction on who can obtain these instruments of deaths to the innocent. The monster in Connecticut, with his assault rifle, did his job, killing 27, 20 of them children. I read the remarks by Supt.

A Glendale police officer who was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence has been placed on leave, although city officials declined to say when or for what reason, citing employee privacy laws. The 26-year-old officer, Daniel Schmit, was taken into custody Dec. 10 in the 900 block of Ashford Street in Simi Valley after he allegedly assaulted his live-in girlfriend, according to Lt. Stephanie Shannon of the Simi Valley Police Department. The girlfriend was taken to Simi Valley Hospital-Adventist Health to be treated for unspecified injuries and then was released, she added.

Some weeks ago, following the shooting in Colorado, I wrote to the Glendale News-Press regarding the gun shows at the Glendale Civic Auditorium. At that time, I suggested that our city take a stand against gun violence and ban these “shows.” In light of Friday's tragic shooting in Connecticut, I suggest again that the outlawing of such events in Glendale would be a great statement against these violent acts. As long as Glendale supports, advertises and endorses such weapon displays and sales, all Glendale residents must hold some responsibility for these kinds of crimes and this culture.

A two-week event that aims to raise awareness about gender violence began this week and will continue until early December in an effort to engage local, national and international communities and strengthen work about a global problem that knows no color or class. Given the fact that, according to the World Health Organization, up to 70% of women experience physical and sometimes sexual violence by a partner at some point in their lives, organizers have put together the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, which began on Nov. 25, the International Day Against Violence Against Women, and International Human Rights Day, “in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human rights,” according to the Center for Women's Global Leadership.

The National Charity League Ticktocker Class of 2016 raised $1,500 from a dance-a-thon held on Sunday afternoon in the YWCA's gymnasium. Charity League is a mother-daughter charitable organization. The dance-a-thon brought together 22 ninth-graders and 12 mothers for the two-hour event, said Ticktocker Gillian Chuck, 14, vice president of philanthropy for the Glendale chapter. The Ticktockers chose 20 songs to dance to and asked friends and family to sponsor them for each dance completed, said Gillian's mother Gabriel Chuck.

Joanne Meraz was a successful businesswoman who had everything, except a loving relationship. But when she finally found a partner, her dream was turned upside down. He initially made her feel special, but soon he became violent. Meraz was trapped “between four walls” in an abusive relationship that left her penniless and friendless, and stopped her from communicating with her son. “I lived like that for about a year and started to lose my mind, my soul and myself,” she said.

A bill designed to reduce violence at sporting events is moving forward in the state Assembly, but it doesn't have the same teeth it once had. The bill, introduced by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake), originally called for the creation of a list of banned fans who have caused problems in the past. It was watered down in committee hearings and now only requires that stadiums clearly post emergency phone and text numbers for local security officials. Gatto said he thinks some members at the hearings didn't completely understand the bill, particularly the ban list.

The executive director of a nonprofit set up to serve uninsured children in Glendale is stepping down to take the helm of a domestic violence shelter in Arizona. Camille Levee - who as the exuberant executive director of Glendale Healthy Kids has become a fixture in the local nonprofit community for the past 5 1/2 years - announced her resignation to the board of directors Thursday morning. She plans to move in May after shepherding through a round of key fundraisers for the nonprofit that has become synonymous with her name.