We use the term parents too loosely. If a parent is 13-14 years older than the child, then they have no idea what it means to be a parent themselves. So, how can they pass on anything meaningful as to what it means to be parent? We need to stop babies from having babies. I agree with Bonze and Kripit that teenage peer pressure is a big probelm. How do you get them to continue on the smart path they were on before 13? There are a million questions with so little answers and too many people just judging and criticizing instead of gettting invovled. That was what I got from the article. Is everybody on Horah Street and the West Side of Salisbury in a gang or a thug? What about the elderly and the one's who get up and go to work everyday. It's comments like the one from Who Cares why it won't get any better and Salisbury will always be divided.

It is not the role of the City or the PD to raise kids, but if you don't provide alternatives, then this is the outcome. Why not offer programs such as bricklaying, auto repair, computer repair, boxing programs, etc. Read the actual words of the article before you respond with emotions and it will be clear. Everbody complains about the problem, condemns it when it turns tragic, but won't step up to do anything about it.

From the article it sounds like Mr. Hardins is simply trying to say it is easy to sit back and criticize or make insensitive comments when you have never taken the time to become invovled in trying to solve the problems. Who has the right or authority to judge? No, Trey was not a solid citizen, but does anyone have the right to condemn. If that's the case, there are a lot of other solid citizens highlighted in this paper. For those who are judging, have you volunteered to work with at risk youth? Have you created or attended any program that would make a difference? No, it's easier to judge than become involved. I don't think the article was supporting Trey or comparing him with Treasure. I think he was trying to say not to condemn a whole community because of the actions of one person or incident. More-

The event was wonderful! Coach Neely deserved this and more. As Sunshine said, there are a lot more teachers who need to be recognized for shaping the lives of many leaders and productive citizens today. I can recall Nora Robinson, Viola Dixon, Mr. Staton, Fannie Butler, Raemi Evans, Principal Monroe, Mrs. Harrington and Jolene Fleming to name a few. It's not just about minority teachers because education has no color when a teacher goes beyond the three R's and takes care of the WHOLE student. Coach Cansler, Coach Lee and English Teachers John Brown and Ms. Beam at SHS come to mind. In their own way, they added value to young lives, never accepted excuses or less than your best. In the wake of all the silliness with whether Obama should speak to children, it makes you wish that all these teachers, coaches and mentors were still in the classroom.