October 21, 2008

Artesia News

A Spooktacular Halloween

Artesia and A.J. Padelford Parks will be providing food, candy, and entertainment during Halloween night

As Artesia’s Special Assignment Officer Sergeant Gregory Knapp, of the Lakewood Sheriffs Department, got up to speak, 500 kids were wriggling in their seats chatting with each other, in a world of their own. But when Knapp told a personal story stressing the importance of being a good example; everyone was riveted, and some were teary-eyed.

 

Artesia held its annual Red Ribbon Assembly for students of the ABC Unified School District at the Portuguese DES Hall on morning of October 21.  The Red Ribbon Program is geared toward K-12 children with a message meant to get students thinking about the consequences of drug use. 

 

Speakers included Robert Lopez, a probation officer, and Dawn Davis, a member of Long Beach’s Health and Human Services, Rehabilitation Services Division.  Both gave personal experiences about how drug use affected their lives, and the lives of people they’ve encountered.

 

During his short talk, Knapp said that his nephew, who is now 18 years old, is a mentor to him because he “stood on his own two legs” even after suffering leukemia at the age of 1 ½ years.  “He went through high school a star athlete.  He didn’t have to dye his hair because other people did,” said Knapp.

 

Knapp also spoke about crimes he responded to that involved drugs, including the case of 40-year-old man with 4 teeth who robbed people’s stores, and a woman who killed her parents and herself in the City of Lakewood.

 

The Red Ribbon Program has been around since the 1980s, after Drug Enforcement Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by members of a drug gang in Mexico.  After his body was returned to his hometown of Calexico, a movement began that eventually evolved into the Red Ribbon Program. 

 

For more information, visit www.nfp.org/redribbon.htm.

 

 

 

 

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