By the time this column is published, Labor Day will have come and gone. It is heralded as the unofficial end of summer. As I write this column on the Friday before the long weekend, I have no idea what the death toll will be over the next three days. Sadly, based on prior days, there will be killings. No one is safe. From babies to old people, the senseless violence has cut short the life of many.

The attempts to quell the violence have been amateurish. Shutting down roadways in protest has not been effective, other than to put the people who organize such actions in the spotlight. If they want to take a truly effective stance, surround City Hall. Shut that down. I guarantee, they will get some results! I know I would gladly join in!

At the same time, our elected officials, or those who wish to be elected, have been some of the quietest on the issue of violence. Why? Because dealing truthfully with the violence might cause voters to not be blinded by glitz. Voters might get an honest perspective and decide certain people are not ready for the roles they profess they can take on.

Where is the young leadership? The old guard’s actions, or lack thereof, has gotten us into the mess we’re in. It is gonna take a new viewpoint and a new voice to get us out.

Changing the subject, but still in the same vein, there has been a video that has been making the rounds on social media. In it, three very young children (later identified as an 18-month-old, 2- and 3-year-old) are seen smoking what appears to be a blunt. In the background, the women who are either the mothers or guardians of the children, can be heard laughing and encouraging them on. The video was one of the sickest things I have seen in a very long time.

Thankfully, others felt as I did. The two women have been identified as Michaela Pearson, 21, and Candice Little, 18. Now that they have been identified, what do you think is the major concern? Is the emphasis on social media that they gave the children’s drugs? Or that they stupidly recorded what they were doing and put it on social media? Sadly the bigger concern on social media is that the two are facing charges that might have them spending 45 years in prison!

Leadership can make a difference. It is needed now more than ever before. The question is, who will step up and be the person in that role?