Violence

David Silva Tired of reading about violence and hate in your city? Consider joining an anticipated 3,000 people participating in the Peace Walk today at Hoover High School. Organized by Hoover alumni and supported by We Care for Youth, the event seeks to increase awareness of the problems of racial tensions and violence in the community. Participants will meet at 5:30 p.m. at the Hoover High School football field, then proceed to walk around the Hoover, Toll Middle and Keppel Elementary cluster of schools.

The summer blockbuster movie season is starting to heat up, with movies as “X-Men,” “Star Trek” and “Harry Potter” opening soon. What films, currently showing or not, do you recommend for people seeking “alternative” choices?   Being aware of what we observe and allow into our minds is an important process in establishing a personal sense of well-being and peacefulness. Many people seem to enjoy violent, action-packed movies that bring up an adrenaline rush through fear and trepidation.

Amber Willard GLENDALE -- Following several incidents of violence involving young Armenians and Latinos, an effort is being made to understand tensions between the groups and bring the communities together. The Gaidz Youth Organization, which has chapters in Glendale and Pasadena, is sponsoring a question-and-answer forum Wednesday to respond to concerns and help ease tensions. "We can't allow gang members to represent entire communities," said Garry Sinanian, executive director of the youth organization.

Judy Seckler HOOVER HIGH SCHOOL -- The crowd that wound its way along the streets surrounding Hoover High School did not come close to the 2,000 people anticipated, but everybody there made peace a priority for the evening. The Glendale Community Peace Walk attracted about 200 adults, children and pets early Friday evening to heal from the wounds left by Raul Aguirre's death May 5. The parade of young and old marched out of the rear of the athletic field to walk the streets following the lead of Aguirre's parents, Raul and Leticia.

Having lost a child myself, I can feel the pain that the family of Raul Aguirre is going through. I know that life nowadays is not easy. For a lot of people, we struggle every day to just make a buck and sometimes when we pay more attention to our families needs, we forget what some will call petty and that is love, compassion, understating. And taking the time to not only know our children but to listen and to be a part of their lives. I have lived around some of these kids who are in gangs or just need the proper guidance.

It has been a year since Raul Aguirre died in front of his high school. The 17-year-old was his family's hope for the future. But for his mother, Leticia Aguirre, the future was lost. "Everything has changed," she said. "I do not have dreams anymore." Her words, broadcast to the community Wednesday night as part of Project FLOWER's citywide forum on preventing you violence, came with no anger or spite. They came with an incredible sense of loss. When Jack Demirchyan and Blaine Talmo Sr. talked about the violent deaths of their children, it was clear that the absence left in their lives was powerful and brought a great amount of sorrow.

In the spirit of the Holidays, Glendale Police Department’s generous donation has made it possible for a local family to reconsider moving away from California in search of more affordable housing. Guadalupe Herrera and his family received clothes, toys and shoes from the department. Two night stands and a futon bed were also on their way, last I heard. In conjunction with the Kiwanis Club of Glendale, the Glendale’s Cops 4 Kids program helped place dozens of gifts under the family’s Christmas tree.

During my recent visit to Japan, the increase in violent behavior among teenagers was a popular topic of discussion. Everyone from our tour guides to the teachers we met mentioned stories like the one about the teenage boy who beat two roommates to death with a baseball bat after being repeatedly taunted by them, and then killed his own mother with the same weapon. A recent TIME Magazine article, "Natural Born Killers," reports that Japan's reaction to this increase in violent behavior has been to blame a subset of antisocial teenagers called the o7 hikikomorif7 , who isolate themselves in their bedrooms for weeks or months at a time, immersed in their own private world of violent video games, movies and who-knows-what-else.

Disrespect, violence, profanity and callousness ? these are a few of the things TV producers are working overtime to teach children about. Parents already know they don't want MTV coming into their homes but this wave of anti-social behavior is not from the usual suspects. Unfortunately, much of this is from children's entertainment programming, mostly cartoons. When our youth are fed a steady diet of sex, violence and profanity, everyone needs to take notice. Whether you have children or not, you will be affected by the changes that will be apparent in schools, in the workplace and on the streets.