System failed accused man

By Letter to the editor
Published: July 10, 2008

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Editor:

This letter is in regards to an article [“Man charged in concrete block beatings of two”], that was in last week’s paper.

We hope that in writing this that maybe someone will hear our plea for David Campbell.

We have known David and his family for many years. We were there when David’s parents tried to get him the help that he has needed. We watched him go from mental clinics to boys homes to prisons, never receiving the mental help that he needed. This started in elementary school, where he could not read or spell, but was pushed through the school system anyway, where he was picked on by the students and the teachers.

When he was 21, he shot himself. If that isn’t a plea for help, then we don’t know what is! But once again, he was ignored and pushed through the system.
David has had a lot of bad things happen to him in his life, things that we couldn’t imagine or even want to imagine. These things have left deep scars that will never go away and that are hard to forget.

We have seen the gentle, loving and caring side of David. We know that he would give the shirt off his back to anyone less fortunate than him if it would help them. David lived with me for three years in my home and not once did I ever feel threatened by him. We can honestly say that we know he is regretting what he has done and that there is nothing he can do to change it. We can say these things with assurance because David Campbell is our brother and we love him very much.

We hope that David will receive the proper help that he needs and not just be pushed through the system again. Please hear our plea for our brother!

Dean Campbell and Kathy Croteau
Madison County