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Good morning, Salem.

This week, Salem Reporter took a deeper look at youth involvement in violence through the life of one teenager whose life ended in tragedy.

Western University of Health Sciences Lebanon Oregon

Our three-part series, “Bobby’s Choices,” is about Bobby Brown, the son of a Salem physician who showed promise in school but detoured into gang life. He died at 16 in a shootout with Salem police in 2022. At the time, he was suspected of committing two high-profile downtown shootings.

Bobby’s story is complicated. His mother worked to get him help, but was never able to find the intensive mental health treatment she knew her son needed. He had a caring probation officer and spent time in the juvenile justice system, but was always showed enough progress to have restrictions wound down.

We know there’s much more to write about the challenges facing young people in Salem: those involved in street violence, those affected by it, and those who need help to avoid some of the choices Bobby made.

We want your help to decide where to go next.

What questions did the series raise for you? 

What stood out in our story? 

What efforts to address violence, shootings and gang involvement do you want to know more about?

Who in government or among nonprofits do you hope will step up?

Send your thoughts to Editor Les Zaitz ([email protected]).

Working together, let’s find help for the next Bobby before it’s too late.

Here’s some of our latest news. Find all our coverage anytime on our website.

www.salemreporter.com

Three city jobs that were slated for cuts will be retained into 2025 thanks to money from a settlement from a class action lawsuit against opioid retailers and manufacturers.

www.salemreporter.com

George Guthrie spared no expense constructing Salem’s Elsinore Theatre almost a century ago, incorporating Gothic architecture and Tudor interior designs.

www.salemreporter.com

After asking that Willamette University and the city meet annually to evaluate impacts, Salem’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board voted to recommend a city agreement which would further the university’s…

www.salemreporter.com

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden’s Senate Finance Committee released a report that details patterns of abuse and neglect at youth treatment facilities across the U.S.

www.salemreporter.com

In the spring of 2022, downtown Salem was shaken by two shootings. A Salem police effort to later arrest the suspect turned deadly as 16-year-old Bobby Brown fired rounds, believing…

www.salemreporter.com

This week’s events include a Father’s Day concert, Juneteenth celebrations and Powerland Heritage Park’s first-ever Train & Trolley Fest.

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