Intervention makes violence unwelcome By Kyler Sumter Lindblom Math and Science Academy
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iolence has made a home tories in 24 of the city’s 25 police young people by recruiting comfor itself in Chicago. districts, according to the Chicago munity members who have been Chicago’s violence rates Crime Commission. involved in violence and turned are nearly double the rates CeaseFire, a community organizatheir lives around. Earlier this year, for New York and Los Antion that works to prevent crime, has the city gave CeaseFire a $1 million geles, even though both grant to assist police in preventcities are larger. Officials have ing violence. Photo by KYLER SUMTER tried to stop the violence in “Now that we have the disease different ways. Citizens try orand the cure for the disease, we ganizing block clubs and groups cure it,” said Bob Jackson, exto watch out for the community ecutive director of CeaseFire in while others are intent on passRoseland. “If they had the flu, you ing laws taking away the guns. would give them a flu shot. Since Most people think it’s time for it’s violence, we give the violence a new approach. University of shot. You bring people in from Chicago researchers say that the community who have been “violence is a learned behavior,” affected by violence and take and that it would be more effecthem so they can tell other peotive to approach it as a public ple what they need to do. They health issue. Violence has had tell them ‘I’ve stopped robbing, a negative impact on everyone I’ve stopped killing so let’s heal and spreads throughout the city, ourselves.’ ” much like a disease spreads CeaseFire has been working among people. If a disease can hard to prevent and to stop the be diagnosed, treated and cured violence. Members work as with specific steps, we can take “interrupters” where they go out these steps with youth violence to halt the conflicts occurring in to achieve a similar remedy. their communities before they Inside the office of CeaseFire Roseland. Violence keeps spreading escalate into fights. They also because some say the police and citi- decided to approach youth violence work with young people, because zens aren’t doing enough to stop it. from a public health aspect. Ceaseyoung people are the ones who are The violence isn’t just happening in Fire recently changed its name joining the gangs and the gangs crethe “bad” neighborhoods--it is hapto Cure Violence, but individual ate violence. pening all over. Gangs have a preschapters, like CeaseFire in RoseFormer Chicago Police Superinence in nearly all parts of Chicago. land, haven’t changed their names. tendent Jody Weis estimated that Earlier this year, gangs had terriAt CeaseFire, they try to reach out to gangs are responsible for 60 percent 5