My heart is breaking for the family and friends of a 16-year-old boy who was fatally stabbed Friday night by gang members. The incident happened in downtown Santa Cruz. The boy attended the same middle school and high school as my daughter Sophia ,who is also 16. He sat in front of her in Spanish class last year and they were  in the same core class in 8th grade. He was a sweet boy and there is no reason to believe that he was in a gang. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The story is still not clear as to what happened. Apparently he got into a verbal altercation with some gang members and it resulted in the stabbing. The assailants got away and are still at large.

Everyone in our small community is so shaken up by this story. I cannot even begin to imagine the heartbreak his parents must be feeling. Sophia cried all weekend.

I don’t know what else to say except that I am holding my children even closer than before and lecturing them on ways to stay safe and out of trouble. There is no easy solution to the gang problem and the cause is hotly debated. I do know this though: Young people, in order to have successful, happy and fulfilling lives, need to feel a sense of community and belonging. They have to believe they have options and opportunities available to them, otherwise they  will become mired in fear, hatred and hopelessness.

I feel sorry for the young boy who lost his life so young. And I feel sorry for the boy who stabbed him, because when they find him, his life will be over too.