Bill Maxwell, St.Petersburg Times
- An open letter to black parents:
The death of 17-year-old Javon Dawson inspired me to write directly to you. I particularly want to address those of you rearing children in economically depressed communities, especially where street-level crime and negative peer pressure pose a daily menace.
Dawson was fatally shot by a St. Petersburg police officer during a graduation party. Details about the shooting remain in dispute primarily because witnesses have refused to speak with the police, and the investigation is continuing.
Although I am not a parenting expert, I know a few things about parenting. I have two adult children and two grandchildren. As a college professor for 20 years, including two at a historically black college, I witnessed firsthand some of the results of good and bad parenting.
