Is it True Writers and Artists Feel things More Deeply??😭

Published: Fri, 11/13/20

Author Mary Cronk Farrell

Stories to Inform & Inspire

November 13, 2020

Hello ,

This week the Los Angeles Country Coroner announced a judicial investigation into a police shooting--the first such inquest in thirty years.

You may remember I told about the killing of 18-year-old Andres Guardado, who was shot after running away from sheriff's deputies at an auto body shop.

Guardado had been the third and youngest of three Latinx shot by California law enforcement in June of this year. Initially, the LA County Sheriff's Department had refused to release the autopsy report showing the cause of death in Guardado's case.

After an outcry from family, friends and the community, the report was eventually released and showed Guardado had been shot five times in the back. Now the Medical Examiner

has called the inquest "in the interest of public transparency" to look into the deputies use of force.

At the time of the shooting, the 18-year-old Andres Guarrdado worked as a security guard at an auto body shop. Speaking to CBS LA, Andrew Heney, owner of the shop said, "We had a security guard that was out front, because we had just had certain issues with people tagging and stuff like that.

And then the police came up, and they pulled their guns on him and he ran because he was scared, and they shot and killed him. He's got a clean background and everything. There's no reason."

Read more on the latest developments here on CNN.

I hope that justice will be served in this case. The investigation is a great step in the right direction.

News and Links

I've been accused of being too sensitive and told that writers "feel things more deeply" than other people. I think we're all sensitive and feel things deeply, that's part of what makes us human. Writers just get away with doing it publicly.

Recent events following the U.S. Presidential election have been for me, and probably many others, like a body blow.

My interest in American history and government goes back to about the third grade when I began to devour stories on the subject.

My commitment to journalism and the understanding of it's importance to our democracy goes back to writing for my high school newspaper. I went on to study journalism in college as well as major in political science. I worked as a professional journalist off and on for nearly twenty years. More recently, I have spent years researching and writing about World War II and the sacrifices Americans have made to preserve democracy. All of this helps form the core of who I am.

America has not always lived up to her ideals of liberty and justice for all, but I believed in the rule of law, in our system of checks and balances. I believed in the right to a free press and confirmation from at least two reputable sources.

Below, I'm reporting from the 1988 Democratic National Convention at the Omni Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, with Rick Douglas.

I never would have imagined seeing in my lifetime what is happening in America today. Millions of citizens are shutting themselves off from credible journalists, egged on by politicians not to trust our voting process. It is devastating to me, as I'm sure it is to many of you. I need some time to myself to try to heal and regain energy to move forward.

So, I'm taking some time off from this newsletter. I'll miss my connection to you all and I am grateful as always for your support and encouragement. Thank you for being with me on this journey.

I will be back soon when I feel better.

If you missed last week when I highlighted peacemakers around the world and throughout history, you can catch it here... You might be surprised at some on this short list.

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To find out more about my books, how I help students, teachers, librarians and writers visit my website at www.MaryCronkFarrell.com.

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