I’ve been pondering much the lead article in the Oct. 7 edition of The Chronicle titled in part “Drugs, Night Terrors and Life after Foster Care.”
It is very sad that these children have had abuse in their young lives, and I won’t deny them the abuse they say they experienced in the Kiwanis home. However, I do not see how an article like this is helpful.
Does it help the victims? Perhaps it’s validating for them to see what they’ve been reporting actually printed in the newspaper? But that is fleeting. If the victims are going to receive compensation or services, which they may very well be entitled to, I think this has to go to court.
This article is not helpful to stop further abuse as the Kiwanis home in question has been closed since 1994.
The article included several quotes from Lee Coumbs who was instrumental in running the Kiwanis home back then. The comments were included in a way that put Lee in the worst light possible. Is The Chronicle wanting to defame Lee?
If they are, and are successful, I guess the city of Centralia could lose its hard-working, involved, decent mayor. Obviously, that would not be a positive outcome of The Chronicle story. So, to me The Chronicle story — with its inflammatory headlines such as “Every one of us kids feel like we’re damaged goods”— and its innuendos about Lee and the another director who was quoted, didn’t serve any constructive purpose.
Am I off base?
Carrie Aadland
Centralia
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