From a female second-generation adult
22 year old

As I begin writing this I would like to state first and foremost that I’m truly sorry both for the loss of innocent life and for the repercussions that have thus ensued. Human life is valuable and no one should undermine it by taking another’s life or their own for that matter.

While reading the facts resulting in, and following this tragedy, I was moved to write something in the Family’s defense so that whoever chooses to be open, and truly wants to understand the truth will hear both sides of the story and be able to come to his own conclusions thereafter. I too was born and brought up in the Family and I would like to say that aside from the fact that life hasn’t always been perfect, I would NOT, given the opportunity, take back anything or choose to be born under more ‘ideal’ circumstances. The homes I’ve lived in have always been havens of peace, love and joy.

While I personally have made the choice to continue on in the Family, I understand that this is not the life for everyone. I respect people’s choices and right to lead their own lives; this right however does not include ruining other people’s lives in the process. Whatever issues may be had, one has to decide when it’s time to live your life, and really live it. How long are you going to allow yourselves to live in ‘shadows’ of the past? I’m inclined to believe that those who seek to tear down what we are trying to build are merely frustrated and have found this avenue to vent their frustrations. From what these feelings have resulted, I don’t pretend to know, but I can’t help thinking it’s from failing to be happy in the life you chose for yourself. If you in your narrow mindedness want to categorize all Family members in such sweeping statements, you by the same token, could all be categorized as potential murderers! After all, you were in the same group and were consorting with Ricky. Jealousy has been known to drive people to the end, jealousy at perhaps failing to find that inner peace and fulfillment.

You can’t blame individual’s mistakes on a group for if we were all to categorize people in blanket statements, those who were friends of and in Ricky’s group could all be termed potential murderers. This is an example of how anger can drive someone to such extremes. Will you allow yourselves to fall to such depths as this? Aside from not expressing remorse at such a horrible deed being done, but actually taking the effort to condone it. Is this the path you really wanted to walk down? Please don’t pretend that people who left years before, are now committing suicide as a direct result of life in the Family. Who are you to be a judge of that? Have you lived with that person for his whole life and seen the little choices that resulted in such mammoth decisions? Who’s to say that something hadn’t affected him in the last year? Have you actually been inside his mind to understand completely the why’s of it all? if you honestly, and I mean really honestly examine it all you would see that Ricky came to the decisions completely and utterly by himself as a responsible over-18 year old adult, not as a delinquent kid, and certainly not as a result of the Family’s upbringing. The Family has always spoken out against violence so please don’t for a moment trace that back to us. (As I write I can’t help continuously asking, If you’re really trying to get on with your life, how is this helping it?)

I could go on and on, but a worthwhile life beckons me. My parting word of advice is: let bygones be bygones. If you haven’t learned anything good from your upbringing in the Family at least learn how to forgive and be forgiven. Move on with your life and make a name for yourselves for you will not be happy if you don’t!