Still, these questions cannot be completely answered because the conversation will never end. To me, the real question is, is it fair that Kong Meng is blamed for Vang’s death when the bullet wasn’t his but the police’s? Is it fair that he is being punished because he is a vali dated gang member because he wanted to feel a sense of belonging, love, protection, and trust in the kind of environment that provided anything but those needs? Is it fair that he is being punished because he grew up as the person he is today because of his environment? Is it fair that he acted upon the survival skills he acquired when he was growing up based on “split second decisions, life and death decisions?”

Some people do escape these circumstances, but not most. Based on Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs Theory “we must satisfy each need in turn starting with the first, which deals with the most obvious needs for survival itself.” It is composed of five parts, biological and physiological needs, safety needs, belongingness and love needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs. If all needs are met, a person will be self-actualizing at the time being. These needs can change at any time. For example, someone who does not have their biological and physiological needs may not worry about their safety or the way the look because their priority at the moment is to satisfy his hunger, his thirst, and anything else that would make them feel humane. Kong Meng has been a long term victim of not having his safety, love, and belongingness needs fulfilled. He is one of those many people who did not escape these circumstances.

A safe stabilized home for our families, like a plant plotted in the richest soil on Earth, is what we desire. A safe community for everyone, like the fertilizers that protects us against from harm, is what we desire. A life full of prosperity, like the plant that grew into an apple tree giving its fruit back to its community, is what we desire. A Merced that is like a plant showered with the love of the rain, soil, oxygen, and sunlight, is what we desire. Although our city is located in a deep valley where its skies are covered with pollution and fog, we as a community can rise, can prosper, can thrive and can flourish above all these obstacles if we change our environment. We can do this in part by asking Merced City Council to provide recreational places and fund clubs to allow the youth to cast their artworks, their stories, and their voices so they can spend their leisure time there instead of the streets. Not only does this keep them out of the streets, it gives them an opportunity to feel important, to belong, to feel safe. It can provide the basic human needs as stated in the Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs.

Take note of the many different plants that grow in the many different ecosystems of the world. Take note of the many different animals that grow in the many different habitats of the world. Take note of the many different cultures, clothing, and skin tones in the many different nations of the world. Notice the same way we eat, we feel, and we react. We are all the same. This proves that juveniles, gangsters, and others who we considered bad are really not as bad as we view them. If we grew up in the same environment they did, we’d probably be the same person they are today. For example, take two plants. Place one outside of your house and the other inside a dark closet. Even if you water them equally and tend to them equally, the plant outside will prosper while the plant left in the dark will slowly die. There are things in our environment that we may not view as important as something else, but those little things are usually the item that matters most in life. If you grew up around violence and being afraid, you will most likely eventually learn how to adapt to violence, change yourself to fit in with your environment, and learn the skills necessary to survive in your environment. This was what happened to Kong Meng, the validated gang member.

Tags: community, spotlight, violence