Red Ribbon Week

Editor, The Commercial:

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office honors and recognizes Red Ribbon Week, which is observed from Oct. 23-31, 2020.

Since its beginning in 1985, the National Red Ribbon Campaign has touched the lives of millions of people around the world.

In response to the murder of DEA Agent Enrique Camarena, angered parents and youths in communities across the country began wearing Red Ribbons as a symbol of their commitment to raise awareness of the killing and destruction caused by drugs in America.

Enrique (Kiki) Camarena was a Drug Enforcement Administration agent who was tortured and killed in Mexico in 1985. When he decided to join the Drug Enforcement Administration, his mother tried to talk him out of it.

“I’m only one person,” he told her, “but I want to make a difference.”

Thirty-seven-year-old Camarena left his office to meet his wife for lunch Feb. 7, 1985. Five men appeared at the agent’s side and shoved him into a car. One month later, Camarena’s body was found. He had been tortured to death.

In honor of Camarena’s memory and his battle against illegal drugs, friends and neighbors began to wear red badges of satin. Parents, tired of the destruction caused by alcohol and other drugs, had begun forming coalitions. Some of these new coalitions took Camarena as their model and embraced his belief that one person can make a difference. These coalitions also adopted the symbol of Camarena’s memory, the red ribbon.

Today, the Red Ribbon serves as a catalyst to mobilize communities to educate youths and encourage participation in drug prevention activities.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is proud to be part of the network of individuals and organizations who continue to deliver “KiKi’s” message of hope to millions of people every year, through the National Red Ribbon Campaign and by assisting in ceremonies in our schools honoring our children who take part in Red Ribbon Week.

LAFAYETTE WOODS JR.,

JEFFERSON COUNTY

SHERIFF