From the Desk of the Publisher

Surprising Responses

Perhaps I was/am naïve, but I thought that once restrictions surrounding COVID-19 were lifted and we began to return to a more normal life we would welcome the chance to see each other, to interact with other people.

For the months that restrictions were in place, there was an uptick in murders across the nation though a reduction in property crimes (probably because people were home and thereby thwarting burglaries). This uptick, I thought, was probably due to the frustration of so many people being isolated coupled with the tensions surrounding police violence and civil unrest.

But, as the shooting on Tuesday at a fire station in Agua Dulce indicates, we as a nation seem to be just as eager as ever to kill each other.

Looking at the incidents of gun violence from March 2020 to April 2021, the number of killings actually increased though weren’t as public, i.e. in a public setting, since no or very few public gatherings took place: no school, no church, no concerts, for example.

But as soon as we started heading back to work (like at the Agua Dulce fire station) things got ugly very quickly. Nine people were killed in San Jose at the railyard, eight killed in Indianapolis at the FedEx warehouse, four dead at a real estate office in Orange … the list goes on.

I wish I had sage words on how to make this all end; while I understand that guns don’t just start shooting people there seems to be a lot of sick people out there who use guns to hurt others and themselves. I am curious as to what means they would employ if guns weren’t so readily available. I mean, if people are intent on hurting or killing another person they can certainly find the means to do so; however, many of these mass shootings seem to be more reflexive than the result of contemplative reflection.

I’m reminded of the TV show (and comic book) “The Walking Dead.” When one group of survivors comes across another there is typically conflict rather than celebration. I never understood that. I mean, if the world was filled with zombies, wouldn’t you embrace the chance to be with living people? But no; in the show strangers are met with suspicion and distrust. My office manager Rachelle said she expects that is what is would be like in real life – people would be considered a threat rather than a cause for celebration.

To me that is sort of how things are right now for many people as we re-enter society from quarantine. Rather than embracing each other, there are many who are suspicious and, in some cases, paranoid.

So my sage words are these: understand that everyone is in their own place right now. Some, like me, are ready to travel, to visit each other’s houses and to pick up where we left off. Others, though, are much more cautious. They’re not yet ready to pick up where they left off.

To me they have to be treated with care with the hope that they’ll eventually “get there.”

In the meantime, we all need to just take a breath.

Robin Goldsworthy is the publisher of the Crescenta
Valley Weekly. She can be
reached at robin@cvweekly.com
or (818) 248-2740.