Outrage can get things done.

I’ve been doing this work for close to three decades, and I’ve seen change. One of the biggest reasons for it has been community outrage.

Right now the community is outraged — rightfully so — over young Oakley Hedlund’s death by abuse. I’m not going to delve into that too deeply, but I want to mention a few things.

The accused, Tyler Prescott, served the maximum sentence he was given in a court of law. He was released with no further penalty or supervision. That part of things needs to be looked at by who is responsible for making and changing laws — the Pennsylvania legislature.

Maybe this case proves that it’s necessary for a step-down process of some type even on a shorter prison sentence. Where’s the money going to come from? I don’t know, but what price do you put on a child’s life?

Could there be a possibility of a sentencing enhancement when the victim is under the age of 6? Would it be possible to create — as an online petition suggested — a Megan’s Law-type registration for child abusers?

Petitions are online to ask for more funding and to strengthen laws regarding child abuse. It’s a great start. However, remember the old saying “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” Outrage can bring change.

Now, in the weeks after a child’s tragic death, there’s a lot of outrage to go around. In six months — which is very little time in the matter of law and legislation — will the outrage still be there? We can hope so.

In the time that I’ve been doing this job, I have covered some brutal cases of assaults of physical and sexual nature and so many other horrors that people have afflicted on each other, including several murder cases.

There was anger in the community for these cases.

The case that got the most outrage of any in my career was one in which a woman was accused of starving a number of Great Danes. The Era was inundated with faxes and phone calls from all over the United States from people who were calling for severe punishment for the woman.

I love pets, and that case bothered me, too. But I can remember being upset that no one was as outraged for the children as they were for the dogs.

Change can happen. Many years ago, a woman from McKean County gave birth while in state prison. She left her child in the hands of friends of hers — an infant who was born addicted and cried nearly constantly. One of the women threw the infant against the wall above his crib, leading to the infant’s death.

From that, changes came to McKean County Children and Youth Services and to Pennsylvania law regarding the custody of infants born to incarcerated mothers. It didn’t bring back baby Levy, but it could help prevent a similar tragedy.

It’s going to take more than some online petitions to do it. It’s a great start. However, more will need to be done. Keep doing it.

Remember little Oakley Hedlund. I never had the chance to meet the boy, but that haunting photo online of the innocent child with such sadness in his eyes will live in my heart forever.

(Marcie Schellhammer, mschellhammer@bradfordera.com, is a writer and editor at The Bradford Era.)