During their first court appearance, the two suspects in the shooting death of the Rocky Mountain College football player last October looked like what they were — boys.
One was 17, the other 16, and both could have passed for younger. They looked like boys you wouldn’t even notice in a crowd.
They are far from the only kids charged with violent crimes during the last few months. The two suspects arrested last week in the death of 12-year-old Andy Bear Tusk are ages 13 and 19.
And one of the suspects arrested recently in a homicide at a carnival last summer was 13 when he pulled a gun and started firing.
Think back to whatever trouble you were getting into at age 13. It wasn’t shooting at people.
We’ve got a problem with youth violence in Billings.
People are also reading…
“I’ve never seen this many juveniles charged in connection to homicide at one time,” Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito said recently.
It’s a complicated problem with many contributing factors, including poverty, mental health, schools, gangs, ready access to guns, dysfunctional families, and more.
Dozens of community meetings have been held to discuss the matter, from police press conferences to community public safety meetings. The City Council has talked about it, the County Commission has talked about it, and so have the school districts and all the non-profit youth organizations.
In every one of those meetings, residents have stood to ask community leaders what they’re doing about it.
We think that’s a fair question, and it’s a fair question to ask of The Billings Gazette, too.
Here’s how we’re doing our part. The Gazette is dedicating this entire year, and longer if need be, to not only reporting on juvenile crime but also examining the reasons for its rise and the numerous solutions being discussed and implemented.
For example, almost without exception the young people involved in violent crimes lately have dropped out of school with limited education. One of the kids charged in the football player’s murder had to have his court documents read to him.
In February, Gazette reporter Lillian Palmer examined a program implemented recently in Billings School District 2. Developed by new Superintendent Erwin Garcia, the program offers more career paths in tech and the trades, more tutoring, safer schools, food for kids with no food at home, and other initiatives to keep students engaged.
And Garcia isn’t just guessing at what kids need. Each semester, he holds an informal, after-hours meeting with drop-out students and their families. He greets each kid, looks them in the eye, and asks them what they need.
Better mental health care is also a part of the solution. Reporter Christina MacIntosh recently detailed an effort to increase mental health care led by people like Brie Shulman with Families First Montana and Tara French, the chief juvenile probation officer with Yellowstone County. Too many kids can’t access the mental health system until after they’re arrested. Some parents of troubled kids have been so desperate for help, they’ve actually wanted their kids to be arrested.
Our courts reporter Paul Hamby is also pitching in, covering trials, reporting on trends, talking to experts, putting the crimes into a broader context, and making sure that voices from every aspect of juvenile justice are heard.
So, as we continue through the year reporting on this important issue, and holding community leaders accountable, we want you to hold us accountable, too. If you have any input on how we can better cover the topic, or any topic in our community, we want to hear from you. I’ve been an editor at the Gazette for more than 20 years and I promise you that your feedback informs our decisions.
Here's my email, cjorgensen@billingsgazette.com, my desk phone, 406-657-1311, and my personal cell phone number, 406-670-2343.
Let’s talk.