Whose Perspective?

The perspective of a fortnight seems not long enough to assess the impact in Sonoma Valley of the murder of Luis Miranda. Certainly, many have been quick to blame gangs, though Miranda’s friends insist he was not a gang member. And many have suggested that the community’s reaction might have been different, were it, say, Mitchell instead of Miranda, east side instead of Boyes Hot Springs or, to say it plainly, Anglo instead of Latino.
In our view, the aftermath of this murder is not about race or address or surname – it’s about youth, our Valley’s youth, and the despair many of them feel.
We knew personally neither victim nor assailant, and we mean not to disparage them or their families or to rationalize the terrible act committed. Rather, we worry here about how small the world must seem to many youth, and how short is their time horizon.
People will tend to make rational choices, based on the information available to them. If our youths believe that they don’t have real chances to succeed, if they don’t have hope, they’ll keep making bad choices.
It was noted recently that there is a continuing number of young Muslim suicide bombers, kids who live in conditions of illiteracy and poverty. They don’t see any future for themselves, so why not be a martyr and get some money for their family? It’s a rational response to conditions that, to our Western sensibilities, are irrational.
Did the killing of Miranda seem rational to Juan Calderon, the alleged shooter? Certainly it wouldn’t seem so within our own framework of assumptions, for we believe the future holds promise. Was that also Calderon’s assumption about his future? We doubt it.
We doubt if his view for himself included what most would call the American Dream: good education, decent job, hard work, marriage, home, children. And that first element is crucial, for education is the way up the social and economic ladder. If we fail to instill that concept, not just in school but in church and in commerce and in community, then we fail our youth.
We don’t know, of course, what’s on someone’s heart, but Calderon’s view of the future must have been so dismal that prison didn’t look much worse than the future he already faced. The shooting, as reported, was premeditated, and it was hardly the act of someone expecting not to get caught. It was a final act of desperation, committed before a crowd of witnesses. One wonders if other Sonoma youth are operating close to the same level of desperation
We know Miranda’s parents loved their son. And we presume no less of Calderon’s parents. But do we, as a community, love these boys and their peers? Do we provide them with appropriate opportunities for school, work, and play? Do we seek ways to encourage them to stay in school, to study and learn and grow? Do we model self-sacrifice, helping others? Do we inspire these boys to envision a path to a better future?
Sonoma Valley is full of generous people, supporting non-profits, churches, and schools that try to do just those things. Is that not enough? Or was this just a tragic aberration in the midst of a functioning support system?
That’s really the troubling question, and we hope our readers will help us develop the answer. It’s important for Sonoma to face it directly, whatever the results.