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To the editor:

Good day. There seem to be some who do not care about the safety and health of neighborhoods. We have recently had the displeasure of not being honestly informed about a facility to be started in our neighborhood. The historic Children’s Home in Natchez was established to house, feed and educate children who were not getting food, housing and education. The Children’s Home has been closed since 2015. Until recently there were no problems with the use of the property.

As of today, there are those who, without prior notification or warning, are trying to open a facility for at-risk youth. There is no honest, legitimate reason on this planet for a facility of this type to be in a neighborhood, in any neighborhood. There are far too many empty buildings on the outskirts of the city and in areas that do not have the young and the old who are enduring and keeping as peaceful, safe and positive as they can.

Yes, there is a need for treatment and intervention strategies for the adolescent, juvenile or youth. The extreme violence of the youth today is scary. I ask that all reading this article research just how young murderers, rapists, kidnappers, and other violent offenders are — the youngest known to me is 8. It is quoted as saying by the time he was 8 he had killed 3 members of his family. Most families have some kind of problems, but, we should not want to have others in fear, lose their peace or feel threatened by our illogical decision to put them in our home in our neighborhood. That is just one. We already have citizens walking and living in communities and they are challenged.

The untruth as to just what the facility would be is the indication of how it would be accepted. NOT at ALL. It also indicates the health and safety hazard it will impose and the peace we will lose.

We were told there is no danger of anyone getting out into the community. So it has been said of every jail, prison, concentration camp, and prisoner of war camps. Parents trying to keep their children or grandchildren accounted for. No that is what we shall call another, untruth.

Any adult who could think to have this facility put it on paper, have a grant approved, solicit or receive monies to help. If this is how it was achieved, I do not know. Should have had the rational thought as to where or where not it should be opened.

These youths, adolescents, and juveniles are in dire need of this help. Structure, discipline, logic, reason, rationale, care, and love are all part of their healing process. They will then have to be introduced back into society. There are other buildings, as was pointed out earlier.

You say, “What if it was my child?” It has been, it was. Thank you for asking. I would never put anyone else in harm’s way. How very sorry I am that I did not know what I do now.

We are allowing the word freedom to interfere with right and wrong, good and bad. With freedom comes responsibility. Thank you.

 

Harriet Davis, Natchez resident