Crime

I've had an unpleasant report from the elementary school principal this morning.  This weekend a mutilated animal was found in a wooded area along the way to the school.  This means that the district is on alert and this morning  five or six teachers arrived early at school and then walked to the various neighborhoods to accompany the walking children back to school.  (They are all walking children... there are no school buses in our area.) 

Our community has been fairly free from crime for the past few years, but we've had our tragedies too.  Seven years ago a child was kidnapped and murdered on her way home from school. The forest area was one that Leiya had sometimes used when walking home from Jr. high... It is a road I will use on my way home from the supermarket. That crime has never been solved and annually it makes national news as the police continue to investigate.  For the first year or so each family was questioned a number of times... what car we drive, where the adults were on that day...  We were warned about going out alone or walking in the forest and questioned about eccentric neighbors (this did not make for great community relationships.)  There are still posters taped to buildings and telephone poles asking for information.  Our lovely, quiet country town is marred by this terribly sad crime.  Because of it, the system began of an adult (the parents take turns) walking the groups of children to and from school.  Most of the elementary school children no longer remember why they have to be careful.

I do hope that the community can prevent similar occurrences of the small animal crime which often leads to larger crimes...

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress 

can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated.   

Mahatma Gandhi