Deputy Justine Sanchez spoke at length about Human Trafficking in our area, bringing to our awareness the severity of the problem, and discussing some of the things we need to look for.
Ken Bell made perhaps the mic drop of the day when he said, “Too many fathers are ineffective with their children.” He spoke about gangs and drugs and how important it is for fathers to become involved in the lives of their children.
The Panel discussion, consisting of members of the Sheriffs Dept and the DA responded to questions about what they are doing, and what is needed to make changes in San Bernardino. They indicated that a focus on mental health is needed to create change. The Police Dept needs to return to 1st Responder status and in order to do that we need true reform programs to keep people from needing repeat 1st responders. In order to create safer schools, the focus is on teaching how the criminal justice system impacts students’ lives and teaching students how they can partner in keeping schools safe. The goal is to reduce the number of kids that become the highest at risk by solving the problem before it becomes a problem.
It was great to meet up with former Vice Principal Gordon Amerson, current Superintendent at Duarte Unified School District. See where about 15 years will take us.