Letter: We know the risks, but father still most responsible

If Sherrice Iverson's father had paid attention to his daughter's whereabouts in the middle of the night in a Primm casino, she would be alive.

If Jeremy Strohmeyer had been taught the sanctity of life, Sherrice Iverson would be alive.

Who should we hold accountable for the death of Sherrice?

Casinos that market a "family" image assume that inherent in the definition of "family" are parents who have the common sense to realize that 7-year-olds should be in bed by 10 p.m. at least on weekends.

If the murder occurred before midnight, we might give the casinos some peripheral blame. Hate and evil are out there. The sociologists can only conjecture as to the factors that ultimately produce a Jeremy Strohmeyer.

Parents with a modicum of common sense do not let their children walk to school alone (two or more), go into a public restroom alone (under the age of 7), have unsupervised access to the Internet or run around anywhere, never mind a casino, after dark.

If Leroy Iverson had acted as a responsible and accountable parent, he wouldn't have abdicated parental responsibility to casinos in the middle of the night. How many of us would turn a 7-year-old over to a stranger in the middle of the night?

In the final analysis, we are all responsible for our acts and omissions. The primary responsibility for Sherrice Iverson rests with her father. We know that the Jeremy Strohmeyers are out there in quantum force. We don't know why, but we know. It may take a village to raise a child, but when half the village is populated by psychopaths, the buck stops at home.

Mary Louise Coleman

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