Victim Reaches Out, Robbed Shopkeeper Chooses to Aid Teens
The Union
By Doug Mattson, April 2, 2001
It was Feb. 2, and two teen-age boys were looking over merchandise at Victoria Rasch’s downtown Grass Valley store, Serendipity.
One boy left, but the other stayed, seemingly obsessed with a display of silver necklaces, Rasch said.
After several minutes, the phone rang, Rasch turned to answer it, and the boy lifted the rack of necklaces and split. Screaming, she briefly chased the boy, but $3,000 in merchandise was gone.
Police arrived, and some girls who said they knew the suspects stopped by. Soon after, officers found one of the suspects – the first to leave the store – along with a third of the chains inside his house, Rasch said.
She realized that anger and retribution would have been natural responses at that moment. But that isn’t what happened
“I looked into his eyes, and I saw beyond what he was doing. I saw the core of who he is,” she said.
It might sound hokey to some, she admitted, but she actually saw a need for direction.
The other boy was eventually arrested, and Rasch followed both their cases through the Nevada County Juvenile Court system. Along the way she talked with the prosecutor, Deputy District Attorney Julie McManus, about a program that helps teens.
McManus set up a time for Rasch to address Juvenile Court Judge Al Dover about the program.
The Landmark Forum for Teens claims to help teens think for themselves and reach their potential through conferences and forums, Rasch said.
Six kids from Nevada County, including the one allegedly found with some of the stolen chains, attended a forum March 23-25 in San Francisco, and Rasch helped pay their $2,700 admission fee. The Sierra Center For Positive Living also pitched in.
“I’ve just always had a passion for teens,” Rasch said.
Nevada County officials say it’s too early to gauge the program’s effectiveness. Dover said he’s only seen a brochure. Efforts to reach a Landmark spokeswoman were unsuccessful.
But McManus is hopeful.
“I just think that any alternatives we have to help these kids are great. I just can’t say enough for her taking the initiative to do that,” she said.
Five of the six Nevada County kids who attended don’t have legal troubles. Sheri McCary, 15, of Grass Valley, was one of the girls who pointed Rasch to the suspects.
She called The Forum enlightening and was surprised Rasch helped send her.
“I’ve never seen or heard of anyone doing that before,” McCary said.
The forum, she said, taught teens to focus on the future rather than dwelling on the past to meet their goals.
“We’re going to be running the world later in life, so you don’t want them screwed up and everything,” McCary said.
Chris Mulligan, 16, of Grass Valley, also went.
Out of boredom, he tried to leave The Forum after two days but couldn’t reach his mother for a ride. The message sunk in by the third day, and he was glad he stayed. He learned tolerance after another teen revealed to his parents he was gay.
“It wasn’t his fault that he was like that, so why did I judge him?” he said.
Landmark offers an advanced course, and Mulligan said he plans to get a job so he can pay for it himself.
Rasch said anyone interested in more information about The Forum can call her at 274-8323.
Reprinted from The Union