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Last night a 16 year old foster child was shot 4x in the chest by a police officer in Ohio after she attempted to stab or cut 2 other girls. (THREAD)
This makes the conversation I had on Saturday with Hannah and Olivia extremely relevant. We got a lot of negative comments about how restorative justice doesn't take into account the victims of violent crime but instead makes the criminals into victims and excuses their behavior.
This is simply not true.
I don't know a lot about Ma'khia Bryant's life. What I do know is that foster care is oftentimes its own kind of trauma. It is extremely difficult for a child to thrive in those conditions. That's what she was, a child.
I don't know a lot about Ma'khia Bryant's life. What I do know is that foster care is oftentimes its own kind of trauma. It is extremely difficult for a child to thrive in those conditions. That's what she was, a child.
She didn't get to choose if she was in foster care, she didn't get to choose who else she lived with in the group home or who she was placed with as far as foster families.
Her life was not in her control. Imagine living like that.
Her life was not in her control. Imagine living like that.
Then imagine having no coping skills to deal with it.
There are 3 sides to every story and history that leads up to incidents of violence like this. She was responsible for her actions but she was not to blame for the circumstances that put her on that path to begin with.
There are 3 sides to every story and history that leads up to incidents of violence like this. She was responsible for her actions but she was not to blame for the circumstances that put her on that path to begin with.
I'm not saying this could have been de-escalated in some way, I'm not saying the officer was in the right or in the wrong.
I'm encouraging you to look at the FULL picture of WHY this happened.
It's not as simple as "she got mad at someone living in the home and lashed out."
I'm encouraging you to look at the FULL picture of WHY this happened.
It's not as simple as "she got mad at someone living in the home and lashed out."
The cause of this was most likely trauma.
Drug use and violent tendencies are very often caused by trauma. But no one wants to talk about that because it's hard and it goes back generations in our society.
Drug use and violent tendencies are very often caused by trauma. But no one wants to talk about that because it's hard and it goes back generations in our society.
You will never solve mass incarceration, violence, and addiction without addressing trauma and mental health in the communities where it most often occurs.
I've seen some reports today that there were adults present or nearby this fight, even a family member present
This indicates to me that the adults in her life failed her. She has a father and a mother, and called family for help yet was reportedly living in a foster home.
This indicates to me that the adults in her life failed her. She has a father and a mother, and called family for help yet was reportedly living in a foster home.
