With the current spate of arrests and incidents of youth violence in the southeast Valley — particularly Gilbert — spiking, the negative effects of wealth on children are being discussed anew.
The issue has become more insistent following the beating death of 16-year-old Preston Lord at a Queen Creek house party in October.
While Gilbert is no Scarsdale or Brentwood, it does have one of the highest median household incomes in the Valley — $105,733 according to the U.S. Census Tract in 2021 versus $97,409 in Scottsdale.
The word “affluenza” exploded into the national discussion in June 2023, when a then 16-year-old from Texas received 10 years of probation after pleading guilty to killing four when he plowed his truck into a group of people while heavily intoxicated. His lawyer said the teen had “affluenza” and couldn’t tell right from wrong.
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