Children struggle with pressures of poverty
The news last week is a sad reflection on our society. Sandwiched between stories of the median cost of homes approaching $1 million and the Legislature killing a bill to raise the minimum wage, was the story of teens shot and arrested (“Boy, 16, fatally shot by Honolulu police is identified,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, April 7).
Sure, the boys were breaking the law, but can we pause for a minute to think about why? These children grew up disadvantaged, with no clear avenues of escape, in a society that is permitting, even encouraging, a widening gap between the rich and the poor. Why are we OK with this?