It’s always been amazing to see the public reaction when animals or children are taken out of squalid conditions.

That was the case last week, when social media was ablaze about a situation on Peach Street and then caught fire again after two city residents were charged with several animal cruelty crimes. A search warrant ended up being needed to make contact with the Jamestown residents and to check on the animals. Officers found four adult dogs, one puppy and two cats living inside the residence. One of the adult dogs was in need of immediate veterinary care and a deceased puppy was also located on the property. Officers found the apartment was filled with accumulated feces, urine, bugs and refuse.

Later in the week, officers responded to a west side residence to check the well-being of four children. Inside the residence, there were animal feces, urine and garbage everywhere, according to a police report, leading to charges against a Jamestown man.

Let’s be clear, no child or animal deserves to live in such conditions. But our reactions are too often visceral and focused on each horrendous situation individually. Yes, those responsible should be held accountable. But our visceral reaction to these incidents too often leaves out a crucial question – why does this happen so often both here and elsewhere? Jamestown is far from the only place where these types of incidents take place.

This isn’t a recent phenomenon. We’ve been reading about these types of incidents for decades. Our response, as a society, has been to deal with these situations individually rather than holistically. In our opinion, one solution is to focus on poverty reduction – and that means education and an ability to earn enough money that people aren’t living in the type of poverty that results in the conditions police officers found on Peach Street or on the city’s west side last week.

Outrage moves the needle sometimes, as it did last week in bringing the Peach Street situation to the attention of the proper authorities. But as a society we have to move beyond outrage and push for solutions to the root cause of the outrage.