In February of this year, Texas teenager Ethan Couch got behind the wheel of a car with a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit for an adult. If driving intoxicated wasn’t enough,  there were traces of Valium found in his system. He lost control of his pickup truck and plowed into a group of people helping a woman whose car had just stalled.

As a result of his actions, four people died. Four people did not wake up the next morning. They did see their now-grieving families or show up to their jobs where there is now an empty seat. Their lives were cut short and many other lives were devastated as a result of his actions.

So what does one do in the wake of injustice? They seek justice. In this case, there wasn’t justice for the victims or their families. For taking the lives of four innocent people, Ethan Couch received 10 years’ probation and rehabilitation. To add insult to injury, the defense cited “affluenza,” or the fact that Couch’s wealthy parents coddled him into a sense of irresponsibility, as justification for his actions.

I’m ashamed to be a member of a society, this society, that credits blatant ignorance and lack of consideration for the well-being of others as reasoning behind the murder of four people. If this story doesn’t tug at your heartstrings then you might want to check if yours is still beating. I want nothing more than this story to circulate throughout the country and even world in the hope that it will act as a catalyst for change within our justice system.