It’s not cool being the
MURDER CAPITAL
My definition of VIOLENCE
By Femi Adigun
Homewood–Flossmoor High School
By Damien Foster
Manley Career Academy
To Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent McCarthy,
M
y name is Femi Adigun, and I will be a senior at Homewood-Flossmoor High School. I notice some things that anger me as a resident of the Chicago area. It seems like people in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs pride themselves on belonging to the murder capital of the U.S. This is the mindset that runs rampant among the youth of the Chicago area. Many teens are killing each other simply because they want to live up to the reputation of terror that has been bestowed upon Chicago. This mindset doesn’t only apply to inner-city youth, but to suburban teens from all the way north in Evanston to the southwest suburbs of Homewood, Markham, and Harvey. The youth think that the thug lifestyle is cool so they try to emulate it. I live in the Homewood-Flossmoor community and I have been to multiple parties where the festivities are cut short because people would get in a physical altercation or draw fire on another person, who was usually another teen. People don’t care about it because they think the action does not directly concern them, but the reality is that it affects everybody. There are teens that are becoming numb to violence because they see it so much. They feel that it’s just
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something that comes with the territory; the territory known as the murder capital. Some teens boast to others about the deadly reputation of our once great city. Others upload videos and incriminating pictures of them or people they know participating in violent acts. Why? Because those kids feel it’s cool to partake in random acts of violence and like to brag about it.This thought of violence being cool needs to be changed dramatically. If not, acts of violence will continue to occur at an alarming rate. During this era of extreme technological advances in entertainment and news, most teens get their information from television or the Internet. To reach these teens and inform them of just how uncool violence truly is, one must reach through these channels. Instead of our news stations containing 25 minutes of killings and five minutes of the youth’s accomplishments, they should show more stories of positive things done within communities. This would help teens realize that violence is not the only thing that goes on in their community. Funding should also go into making more after school programs in Chicago communities. In these after school programs, there should be workshops and mentors who can show teens the negative consequences of violence and that we need to rid our city of its reputation as the murder capital. In addition,
we should have police officers come to schools and talk to kids and tell them real-life stories of death and violence in their neighborhoods. Then it would hit home that violence affects all of us and that we need to solve this problem. To handle the state of emergency that plagues Chicago, we first need to figure out the reasons why violence is so prevalent in our community. That starts with changing the image that the youth hold of the city. If they are aware that the city of Chicago is not a battlefield but rather a place full of opportunity, then they will pursue these opportunities rather than a life of violence. This idea of a Chicago full of potential is what needs to be“cool to the youth. Teens need to understand that being the murder capital is not something to be proud of, but the positive things going on in the city are worthwhile. If this mindset can be properly cultivated among youth, it would spread from the city to the suburbs of Evanston, Homewood and Harvey. It would not happen overnight but slowly and surely, the city would be once again peaceful. We need your help. This can only be truly effective if you take action. Please help us make this place wonderful again. Sincerely, Femi Adigun
W
hen I think of violence, I think of fighting. But violence also can be a state of mind. Sometimes you want to use violence as an way to take out your anger, but you cannot because you’re not that type of person. Some people are. Violence can provoke these people to start fighting and causing problems without considering the lives or feelings of others. That is why, in my opinion, I feel that people in Chicago could benefit from a program like CeaseFire that teaches people how to handle their anger without resorting to violence. A lot of killings happen to kids who have something good going for them, but they get mixed up with the wrong people. I remember reading stories by Scoop Jackson, an ESPN columnist, who wanted to help out a promising young basketball player LaTravis Hawkins. Scoop tried to help him get off the streets, but he didn’t know where LaTravis was. Scoop would only hear from LaTravis when he called or texted. Then, LaTravis got mixed up with the wrong people trying to make ends meet and was killed. Scoop had to find out the hard way; he called LaTravis’ phone a few times. One night, he got a text saying that LaTravis had died. A lot of people already have inner rage and can’t release their anger. The first thing triggers them, makes them want to fight. To deal with her anger, Keisha Willis started
S.P.E.A.K. (Speaking Publicly Eliminates Another Killing) after her brother and his best friend were killed late one night. At a vigil, she let her emotion out. Anger and violence go hand and hand, but I feel that those who turn to violence are stupid. When something is done to you, it doesn’t mean that you have to do something back. Violence makes violence. If something is done to you or a family member, you want to do something out of anger to get revenge. I can relate to this because my brother was jumped on by his friends. He wanted to go and fight back with a gun, but my other brother and I wouldn’t even let him out the house. We knew that it was a phase and that it would pass. I feel if more people reacted like that, they would create a chain that would never end. Violence is more an aggressive mindset than anything else. People who are violent had to grow up around it. As a young child you saw someone do something bad and you thought it was the lifestyle that you wanted. Violence is a lifestyle, but it’s not one you have to live. At least, that’s my definition. Damien Foster is a sophomore who lives on the West Side.
He is a senior who lives in Homewood in the south suburbs. 23