“font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px;”>Violence is never the answer, but within the urban community it seems to have become a way of life and it breaks my heart. It has gotten to the point that when you hear of someone losing their life within the city, you are no longer alarmed.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Is this what the urban community has become, a war zone where a life is not valued at all? With such a climate of self-destruction, it would be difficult to maintain and sustain a stable community. Residents begin to feel that their life could end simply by being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The aggressors have no clue why they harbor such feelings for themselves or their victims. The only thing the aggressors understand is that he or she has built-up anger and it must be unleashed on something or someone. The aggressors carry this out as if they were some caged beast. Whether they realize it or not, this is how they are viewed by the rest of the world and they have no one to blame but themselves.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>I do realize there are individuals within society who are a victim of circumstance, but to over-indulge in the victim role could lead to self-destruction and a life of not holding yourself accountable for your individual actions. And believe me, people, as an individual who lost his dad at a young age, I am no stranger to trouble. Having been raised by a single parent within the mean streets of East St. Louis, I’m in no way a stranger to struggle.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Yes I do realize the enemy from outside the community is always plotting to destroy the community, but he seems to be getting a great deal of assistance from us. Rather, that is through drugs dehumanizing ourselves and a lack of self-respect for ourselves.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Regardless where the blame originated from, there must be some form of accountability when an innocent life is taken away by a stray bullet or gang beatdown. Accountability is something community activists tend to shy away from when it comes to youth, fearing that they may lose credibility among some.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>But ask yourself, activist, what’s more important, your credibility or saying to both the young and old men in our society that enough is enough. I don’t know how many more members of the human family we have to continue to hear about losing their lives to senseless violence, but enough already.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>There are too many being buried, so I urge those who are responsible for the bloodshed to stop. Give peace chances and say no to senseless killings and yes to life. We can do this, and we must.
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