To the editor:

I am sure I am not the only Journal-World reader who has noticed the almost daily mentions of someone being charged for acts of child molestation. Every one of us is and has been affected in some way by the molestation of a child.  From mothers and fathers who know the searing pain of losing a child to suicide to the family member or friend who must deal with the post-traumatic impacts on those we care about who have been molested, we are touched deeply.

For those of us who live daily with the memories and implications of how our lives have been impacted, we must grieve. Today, I challenge the residents of Lawrence to bring this important issue out of the darkness. To gather and find ways we can influence what is happening to our youth. Let us begin the conversation now.