Crime is a topic that is really never far from the minds of most of us.
None of us want to be victims of crimes – especially violent crimes – and we are constantly exposed to news reports about violent crimes in cities throughout the Valley.
We are all aware of the increase in violent crime which seemed to worsen during the governors’ lockdowns of society when COVID-19 hit America in March 2020.
Stockton has always seemed like a hotbed of homicides – 56 in 2020. Your chance of being a victim of a violent crime in Stockton is one in 79 while the state as a whole is one out of 227.
The city of Ceres had four homicides during 2021 and – get this – no homicides for all of 2022. According to NeighborhoodScout.com, your chance of being the victim of a violent crime in Ceres is one in 259 – far safer than the state average.
Just a city from Ceres, Turlock, it also seems, is growing more violent. There was a shooting at the annual Christmas Parade and the first weekend of this year was marred by yet another lawless street sideshow in which shots were fired and a 20-year-old Tracy man murdered. A vicious stabbing occurred at Turlock High School between students earlier last year.
In May 2021 a mob of young people conducted an illegal sideshow on Monte Vista Avenue and blocked a fire engine and began ripping off fire gear.
Yes, Turlock has more residents (72,682) compared to Ceres (49,282) but it seems like the city to the south has a disproportionate amount of serious crimes. Most of those crimes involve young men.
Books could be written about why crime is on the rise but when you boil the issue down it’s because values are skewed.
The moral compass of many young people is broken. People who are self-centered disregard others’ safety and well-being. Sad to say, we have a nation of narcissists, thanks in part to social media where every needs attention, but mostly because of parents who should have never been parents.
There’s no question that discussion about issues of right and wrong should start in the home but when the American family is so fractured those discussions obviously aren’t taking place. And as we should all know, the wisdom found in the Bible (Proverbs 22:6) holds this nugget of truth: “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” That is not a promise; it is a warning to parents that if they don’t discipline their children in a wise way, their kids will make foolish choices and continue to do so when they grow up. Such as attending illegal sideshows or toting around guns in their car.
It’s time we made it fashionable to act wisely, not brazen and stupidly.
There are some leaders who aptly note the problem of fatherlessness plays a huge role in fostering crime. Black Congressman Burgess Owens wrote an op-ed last July that hits the nail on the head: “There is little doubt that America is experiencing an unprecedented fatherless crisis. Approximately 80% of single-parent homes are led by single mothers; therefore, leading to nearly 25% of our youth growing up without a father in the home.
“This staggering statistic has not only destroyed the nuclear family but has devastated communities across the nation. For example, 85% of children and teens with behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes, and over 70% of all adolescent patients in drug and alcohol treatment centers originate from homes without fathers.”
So what about the absence of discussions in American classrooms about issues of morality?
In a 2016 article in the Atlantic, teacher Paul Barnwell asserted that national academic standards have pushed character education out of American classrooms. He wrote: “As my students seemed to crave more meaningful discussions and instruction relating to character, morality, and ethics, it struck me how invisible these issues have become in many schools. By omission, are U.S. schools teaching their students that character, morality, and ethics aren’t important in becoming productive, successful citizens?”
He cited the Josephson Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth which noted: 57 percent of teens stated that successful people do what they have to do to win, even if it involves cheating; 24 percent believe it is okay to threaten or hit someone when angry; 31 percent believe physical violence is a big problem in their schools; 52 percent reported cheating on an exam; 49 percent of students reported being bullied or harassed in a manner that seriously upset them.
Barnwell expressed being “frequently unnerved” by the behaviors he sees in classrooms and hallways every day, “from physical and verbal bullying, to stereotyping, to students leaving trash strewn all over the outdoor cafeteria courtyard.”
He implies that part of the problem is public education distancing from formal religious activity, related to the fear of teaching about religions and specific ethical beliefs and character traits schools might teach. But Barnwell said one answer might be to “expose students to tough issues in the context of academic work—not imposing values, but simply exploring them.”
If any segment of our society has blown apart any sense of morals it’s those who produce TV shows, movies and music recordings. The old adage, “garbage in and garbage out” applies to what young people are being exposed. Gratuitous sex in movies that would make your grandparents blush is now commonplace. Celebrities like Lizzo now unabashedly strut – in front of impressionable young children – on American TV screens with repulsive displays of her half naked body while conveying that modesty and self-control are outdated virtues.
Of course the leniency of our laws written by progressives and their policies are also contributing to the problem. If you steal from a store, you should be punished, not be rewarded with a hands-off policy. If you commit murder without justification, you should forfeit your own life or at the very least never taste freedom again. I get that that is not how Gavin Newsom sees things but justice demands it and others need to see there must be consequences for law breaking.
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Oh my goodness, if you read the city Public Works Department month report tucked inside of the Ceres City Council agenda packet, you’d notice how much time and expense is spent dealing with acts of vandalism at city parks and facilities. It’s ridiculous. It’s certainly not being done by parents and grandparents. (Circle back to what I wrote earlier to understand why this destruction takes place). During November, vandalism occurred at Don Pedro, Independence, Riverview, Strawberry and Neel parks. Graffiti had to be removed in four places at Sam Ryno Park, five places at Strawberry Park, four places at Ceres River Bluff Regional Park, three times at Roeding Heights Park, three times at Marie Neel Park, eight places at Smyrna Park, one place at Persephone Park, and twice at Berry Grove, Don Pedro and Independence parks. The total cost to taxpayers for graffiti paint-overs and vandalism repairs came to $5,800.
Oh but that’s not all:
• The well at Independence Park had to be repaired due to vandalism;
• The city had to close of two playground features at Sam Ryno Park due to vandalism with a six- to 12-month wait on delivery of parts;
• Four trees along the Presidential walkway inside Smyrna Park had to be re-staked due to vandalism;
• A fire was set to the slide and playground equipment at Riverview Park which caused major damage with parts coming in six months;
• At Ceres River Bluff Regional Park, two sprinklers had to be repairs due to vandalism; a fence had to be repaired at the lower terrace due to fires that occurred six times;
• At the newest park, Guillermo Ochoa Park, the city has had to twice repair the Merry-Go-Round damaged twice by vandals; and then the removal of the Merry-Go-Round wheel due to vandalism.
Clearly kids and hoodlums have not been taught better.
Where are the parents?
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It’s hard to believe that some local residents can be such pigs but that’s the conclusion I’ve reached when learning that the city picked up 13,829 pounds of trash from the streets at 114 illegal dumps between Nov. 9 and Nov. 30!
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I’m puzzled as to why no business people in Ceres have responded to our promotional ad offering to do a free business profile in the Courier.
For weeks now we have been running a quarter-page house ad titled, “Free ink? Yes.” No catch.
Who doesn’t want free publicity?
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As a newsman the holidays cause a bit of a drought of news. The Ceres City Council last met on Dec. 12 until this past Monday, which had a very thing agenda. And the Ceres Planning Commission last met on Nov. 21. In fact the regularly scheduled meetings of Oct. 17, Nov. 7, Dec. 5, Dec. 19 and Jan. 2 were all cancelled for a lack of business.
It will be nice to get back into some heavier agendas.
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The state of California routinely throws a lot of money at problems. I think we would all agree that the safety of all children riding around in cars should be a priority so I’m not especially troubled by the state handing the county $119,000 to fund safety education and training programs aimed at helping parents and caretakers make sure their child is riding safely in a vehicle. The state is also delivering $126,000 to educate people – mostly kids – on bicycle safety and pedestrians. In 2021, Stanislaus County saw 20 pedestrians killed and three bicyclists killed with another 178 pedestrians and 123 bicyclists being injured.
Sure, educate the kids about bike safety. When I was a kid the Modesto Police set up a bike rodeo at the old Montgomery Ward parking lot so I know police used to do that without state grants.
But to my observations, the problem of unsafe bike riders are not children but grown adults, particularly the “tweaker” variety. Can money really solve their stupidity? I cannot tell you how many grown men I see peddling down the street against traffic or making these strange zigzag crossings. Do police officers stop and warn stupid bicyclists and tweakers on bikes when and lectured about how not to kill one’s self and give them a warning that the next time there will be a citation?
In a press release announcing the grants, Barbara Rooney, director of the California Office of Traffic Safety stated that “Every bicyclist and pedestrian should feel safe on the road.” Well, not if they are doing stupid things should they feel safe.
This column is the opinion of Jeff Benziger, and does not necessarily represent the opinion of The Ceres Courier or 209 Multimedia Corporation. How do you feel about this? Let Jeff know at jeffb@cerescourier.com
