31 children murdered

more than twice the number of last year. in 2006, thirteen children died from neglect or abuse in Dallas County. in 2007, thirty-one. something far beyond shock overtook me upon reading the description of their deaths:

8 were shot by their mother or father. SHOT. with a gun.

2 died in car crashes caused by drunk drivers. in both, the drunk was the child’s own father.

4 were either beaten, smothered, or scalded to death.

across the state of Texas, over 200 children suffered unjust death. on the morning of Saturday, April 4th, Garland Family Outreach erected a cross for each child that died in Dallas County. on April 19th at 5:00pm they’ll hold a candlelight vigil for all 223 victims statewide. the stories surrounding their deaths violate one’s imagination:

8-month old - OD’d on cocaine because his father left the drug within reach.

2-year old - choked to death by his mother.

2-, 3-, and 5-year old - hung by their mother in a closet. miraculously, a fourth child (8mos old) survived.

these all exemplify the extreme. but any abuse or neglect, even that does not kill, is too far. in 2007, Dallas County recorded 5,443 cases of child abuse; the state of Texas confirmed over 27K victims…all under three years of age.

Ruth Horrell, whose husband Scott teaches Systematic Theology at Dallas Seminary, is the Director of Services for GFO. she organized the Saturday morning prayer yesterday. it was a hard morning. first, to look at thirty-one crosses guts your soul. second, there weren’t enough people present for each cross.

but the Lord is working. a gang showed up.  Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) comprise a rough and gentle crew that, frankly, i would not want to tangle with. one patch i saw said, "Warning: The Surgeon General has determined that abusing a child is hazardous to your health." may it be so.