By Michael Sachs Santa Monica
We live in Sunset Park and support Daniel’s Village (“Parents to Step Up: Step off,” Oct. 18). The young people to be served are not dangerous, they have lived with suspicion and stigma most of their lives, and do not deserve to be continually marginalized. The term “mental illness” is a misnomer. It is actually a physical illness of the most complex organ of our body. This illness expresses itself behaviorally, causing fear and revulsion in those who don’t understand it. Untreated mental illnesses results in lost lives, ruined families and suicides much more often than in violence directed towards others. Millions of Americans suffer from brain disorders.
It is highly unlikely that the people opposed to this project are untouched by mental illness. Somebody they know — a friend, a colleague, a relative — is suffering, but they are probably too afraid to admit it. This project and others like it deserve and require our complete support.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 19, 2007. Read the original PDF.