Enough is Enough!

I love Poway. Not just for what it is - a family friendly city in the country with parks, open space and great schools - but for who it is. A community with compassion. A community that cares. 

In the nearly two decades I've lived here, Poway has pulled together whenever it has faced a challenge. When one of its young goes missing, when a wildfire burns a path of destruction, in the face of every alarm we rally the troops to do what needs to be done because that’s just who we are.

Well, it's time to rally the troops again. We're facing a challenge unlike any other. There’s a monster called substance abuse killing our children.

Since 2009, three Poway High School students (Veronica Aguirre, Clayton Blackburn and, just days ago, Lucas Lipscomb) have lost their lives due to substance abuse

After each loss we grieve, we cry, we mourn . . . and too quickly we move on, seeming to forget that the monster will be back all too soon to take another child.

It’s time to draw the line - to say enough is enough.

Are we doing everything we can to battle this beast? Is fighting substance abuse a high enough priority in Poway? 

We need to answer those questions individually and collectively.

As a dad of a teenager at Poway High School, as a concerned citizen, I’d like to suggest, that we have a community conversation, a town meeting NOW. That meeting should include the City Council, the school district, law enforcement, churches, parents and young people. Not to point fingers, not to lay blame but to devise a battle plan.

While the wound of this most recent loss is still raw, while the tears are still wet on our cheeks we need to come together. We need to fight back. Because in Poway, that’s just who we are.