Op-Ed: Concerned for Our Youth

By Beratta Gomillion, Executive Director of the Center for Human Services, headquartered in Shoreline.

Something is different in Shoreline that is cause for great alarm.  

From where I sit, as Executive Director of Shoreline’s primary mental health and substance abuse treatment agency, Center for Human Services, there has been a significant spike in the amount of youth violence against self or others.  

Are we living in an environment where violence is becoming a norm?  Surely it got our attention in May when the 17-year- old former Shorewood High School student committed suicide by jumping from the 145th Street overpass in Shoreline onto 1-5. Within days of this incident, another 17-year-old girl was fatally shot and an 18-year-old boy (both students in Shoreline) was critically wounded when someone opened fire on their car near an apartment complex in Shoreline.  Less well known is the fact that at least 4 Shoreline youth (some as young as middle school age) have attempted suicide in the last two months as well.  Plus, we are aware of numerous accounts of serious bullying by and toward Shoreline youth.

While I don’t have an answer as to what will stop all this violence, I do have some suggestions to share with the adults and parents of youth:

• Listen and talk to youth.  Youth need to know that there are caring and safe adults in their community.  They need to know that their parents and other community members will protect them. Reassure them that you will listen and not judge.  Parents can tell their children they love them and that together you can get through any problem or situation.

• Keep youth active.  All youth, whether their families can afford it or not, should have access to extracurricular activities and afterschool activities.  Encourage youth to join a sports team, play in a band, go to the Y regularly (and the Y does offer scholarships), do community service, have a summer project, etc.  Keep them busy in healthy and supportive ways.

• Rid your home of all firearms, pills, knives and rope (or secure them so only adults have access). The risk of teen suicide increases when there is easy access to these weapons.

• Limit or eliminate the youth’s violence exposure.  This includes restricting which video games, movies, television shows, etc., to which your child has access.  Research has directly linked youth aggression to exposure to violence.  When someone has seen violence used repeatedly and callously, he/she is more at risk of responding impulsively with violence in a real-world situation; they are conditioned to the violence.  In becoming desensitized to violence, these youth are more likely to lack empathy towards victims, and a lack of empathy is a key characteristic of many violent offenders and those who suffer from other patterns of delinquency.  Remember that it is the duty of parents to decide what types of content are appropriate and inappropriate for their children.

• Think about your teen's behavior patterns. Compare his/her irritability, eating habits, sleep habits, appearance, workload and personality over the course of the year. A drastic change in any one of these behaviors is cause for concern.

• Seek professional help if needed.  Don’t let pride get in the way of getting counseling for your child.  For further information, call the Center for Human Services (CHS) in Shoreline at 206-362-7282.