Dystiny Myers — a name on the front page of “The Tribune” for two years (sparingly) and in recent weeks (fully).

I am a mother of a 15-year-old girl. And? (This is a chance to open your minds, people.) Am I profoundly touched by this story because of that fact, or am I am horrified by everyone who failed one of “ours,” a child?

Think hard. It’s the latter. I didn’t know this girl. I never knew what she faced that made her believe in the people who would ultimately take her life. However, there hasn’t been a night (especially recently) when I haven’t been aware of the failure of our culture (it’s always the “other guy’s” problem, right?) in protecting our most valuable resource, our children.

Dystiny deserved support. She deserved to feel worthy. She deserved to retain hope for her future. And the lack of any letters in support of her, her family, makes me believe that complacency is what continues to place our children at risk.

Silence is every bit as telling as words, and Dystiny deserved better.