Vincent M. DiSandro Sr.: Poisonous choice

Whenever a young person, especially one with children, is killed it is a tragedy.

However, I perceive in the March 6 Point of View “Seeing the poverty that preceded the gunshots” a whiff of excuse-making for a young man who willingly chose to join a gang and sell drugs.

“To a neighborhood where these are the norms for survival. ... People don’t understand how difficult it is to find work that pays a living wage.” So if it is difficult to find a good job, it’s OK to sell poison to others and ruin their lives?

As the brother of a young man whose life was ruined by drugs and who died as a result, I have a hard time generating too much sympathy.

This story was originally published March 9, 2016 at 4:26 PM with the headline "Vincent M. DiSandro Sr.: Poisonous choice."