Emotions spike over 'disrespectful' political cartoon depicting 2-year-old murder victim

An editorial cartoon published is viewed as "disrespectful" by the family of 2-year-old Kaden Lum, killed in the still unresolved shooting last March 28.

span style="line-height: 15.8599996566772px;">MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - Kaden's family was left outraged with Kitsap Sun newspaper's political cartoon depicting Kaden as an angel in contrary with another character, America's gun culture, as the devil.

According to Kaden's grandfather, the decision to print the cartoon, done by veteran cartoonist Milt Priggee, was the wrong idea.

"It was in very bad taste. It was disrespectful and it was not in line with honoring my grandson's memory," said Jason Trammell, 51. The newspaper recognized their grief, anger and distaste for the published cartoon, however, the newspaper's editor, Dave Nelson, defended the idea.

In an op-ed written by Nelson, he explained their intention for publishing the cartoon was to provoke thought; the cartoonist never intended to hurt a family.

He said it is something to remind people the "vexing problems that lead to tragedy."

Nelson added that there had been a wide range of reactions regarding the material, with the family's being the strongest, who met him personally to express their negative feelings.

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"I understand their anger, and I'm sorry that something we published led to more sorrow in a difficult time. Would things have been different if the cartoon published a week later, after more time to heal? If the baby wasn't illustrated so accurately? Was there another way to make the same point? That's what I've wrestled with, as I have with other editorial cartoons that I've declined to run over the years when one crossed a line," Nelson further explained.

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