As a Malibu mom, resident, business owner, playwright, director, producer and lifelong teacher, I write with the utmost respect and heartfelt concern to bring awareness to the recent disconnect regarding gun violence in our hometown.
Our children, our community—we together protested on PCH, held up signs, gave especially our children a face and a voice… ‘NRA -Will I Be Next?’ read a sweet young girl’s sign in TMT …our kids walked out of school in protest against gun violence, and yet…
The Young Actors Project chose and staged—now, in this time of almost weekly reports of students being shot, killed, murdered by kids with guns—a production of two of the most violent criminals who won their ‘glory’ in history by using guns to rob steal from others and to kill innocent human beings.
Sound familiar?
What happened here?
Front page and inside photos of our children pointing guns to terrify and kill other children…?
As a socially conscious artist, but even more so as a human being, I believe with all my heart we all have a moral responsibility, especially now as we are being asked “If we see something … say something”
Lets us use art to address this horrific issue of uncontrollable gun violence raging across our country, especially in our schools. If a production of this kind has to be done, then at least also have a panel discussion to go with it on how to stop gun violence, to offer information and training to the kids and those attending with ways to protect themselves and learn to speak up for goodness not violence.
I called the Young Actors Project and left two messages hoping to speak with someone in this regard but and no one ever returned my calls.
Please—we must do all that we can to end this gun rampage that is taking the precious lives of our children, not promote it.
Ann Patricia Meredith