Palo Alto Fights Teen Suicide
By ERIKA OKANO
Updated 6:45 AM PST, Sat, Jun 13, 2009
Palo Alto city leaders are looking for long-term solutions in an effort to prevent more student suicides on the Caltrain tracks. The San Jose Mercury News reports, current “short-term measures could be just the start of a bigger, community-wide push to address teen suicide.”
Community members are worried because two Gunn High School students have killed themselves on the tracks in the past month. Another attempted to kill himself, earlier this month, but his mother was able to stop him before anything bad happened. Junior JP Blanchard walked in front of a train in May. Senior Sonia Raymaker killed herself in the same manner in June. Earlier this week, Raymaker's classmates graduated. Though it was a happy day, many students could not help remembering their friends.
Long-term solutions to fighting teen suicide in Palo Alto could include the formation of a group made up of representatives from the police, the city council, PTA, medical institutions, counseling groups and the Palo Alto Youth Council. It could also include former city mayor Victor Ojakian and his wife Mary Ojakian. They became suicide prevention advocates in 2004, when their son committed suicide.
Palo Alto police say they will continue full-time patrols along the Caltrain tracks until at least Monday. Officers will maintain a heightened presence in the area through the summer and may enlist community volunteers to help.
First Published: Jun 13, 2009 6:30 AM PST
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