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Marian Wright Edelman: Still Hungry in America
Anybody who has watched gangster movies knows there's usually a code for criminals that varies from not whacking "made men" to refusing to engage in gunplay on Sundays. Unfortunately, in real life, things are increasingly becoming like the Wild Wild West, where all bets are off.
A recent New York Times article reveals a frightening trend, where retaliation shoot-outs are taking place at funerals, candlelight vigils and even churches in Oakland and Richmond, Calif. Young people aren't stopping at the murder of one another; they are taking the violence to a whole new level by targeting the victims' family members and friends in sacred spaces.
In the latest attack, Rachael Green, 19, and two teenagers were critically injured shortly after midnight Wednesday in West Oakland. Green had graduated from high school the previous week and was attending a candlelight vigil for Damon Williams, 17, who was shot and killed Monday night in the parking lot of Eastmont Mall in East Oakland.
The police said assailants sprayed gunfire into the crowd of mourners. No one was arrested.
In April, gunfire erupted inside the Cosmopolitan Baptist Church, also in East Oakland, at a packed funeral for a teen who had been shot to death at his 18th birthday party. No one was injured, but the shooting sparked pandemonium. Two teenagers were arrested.
In February, gunmen entered a service at the New Gethsemane Church of God in Christ in Richmond to kill two teenage brothers. The brothers were wounded, and an 18-year-old Richmond man is charged with three counts of attempted murder.
Oakland had the highest crime rate of any city in California last year, and it has already registered 40 homicides in 2010. Richmond had the third highest crime rate in the state; it has had nine homicides this year.
Unfortunately, this is a similar story in cities throughout the country.
Reverends and community activists say that many of these young people have grown up witnessing violence and gunplay all their young lives, desensitizing them to violence. Somewhere our young men (and sometimes young women) have made a pathological turn, where their fury knows no bounds.
I can't imagine what it must feel like to actually murder someone. That is one major issue -- feeling so angry, destructive, uncaring and hateful that you have no qualms about ending another person's life.
On the other hand, to then take the time to find out where your victim's family and friends are grieving and then attempt to end their lives too or seek out your victims while they worship in sacred spaces, such as a church, is an entirely different level of destructive and vengeful behavior.
These teens have devolved into animals, and you have to put the blame on the parents, who clearly haven't nurtured, loved and reared their children enough to let them know that life is sacred, valuable, limitless, precious. They haven't raised these children to care, to love, to seek a better tomorrow, to enjoy what life has to offer, to believe. To have FAITH.
"Faith" is both a powerful word and concept: faith allows you to conceive above and beyond your present circumstances. Faith enables you to understand and know in your core that it isn't what is around you that matters but what you can create, manifest and accomplish through your own efforts and hard work. Faith effaces the self-pity and pushes you to know and do better.
The many voids and lack of purpose in these teens' lives speaks volumes. Until we take a hands-on approach in dealing with these abandoned children, we will have to live in a very real, tangible fear -- faith's antithesis -- with no comfort or refuge to be found.
Comments: (72)
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By: dvine on 6/28/2010 12:18PM
so sad.. but blaming parents isn't the answer.. there are parents out there who care for their children and raise them in the way they should go, but sometimes it's just not enough.. these young teenagers are more impressed by what they see in movies, videos and in the streets.. you have grown ass men recruiting these children and convincing them that this is the life.. Fast money, cars and guns.. they teach them - u got the heat - everybody will respect you..
parenting isn't easy.. i should know.. i have a 13yr old boy. i enroll him in basketball every yr. he's in martial arts now, and i'm trying to enroll him n baseball or a summer program for the summer so he's not in the streets.. we attend church regularly, got 2 the movies, out 2 eat, and attend family gatherings.
his response is he doesn't want to do anything. he wants to stay home all day and hang out w/his friends later in the day. I keep explaining to him why he can roam the streets all time of day and night, but he doesn't get it.. i'm trying to do the best i can raising him alone, but if he ventures off and commits crimes knowing i raised him better than he should do the time not his parent... some may not agree but we can't be in our child's presence 24/7..
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By: sandra on 6/29/2010 10:20AM
Divine, you sound like your an excellent parent. your putting forth every effort you an to raise a well-balanced, positive decent human being. God Bless you and your family. But parents can only do so much. In my opinion,in order to end violence in our community we ned multi-lateral change;within individuals, culture and society. Black culture is being destroyed by the despair of false dreams perpetuated by money, drugs and violence.
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By: Trace on 6/29/2010 10:39AM
You are absolutely right. If parental love and guidance we enough, none of God's children would stray from what is right. I think it's going to take ALL parents doing what you are doing, and instilling the values you are giving your child to make a difference. I'm praying for you!
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By: E on 6/29/2010 12:10PM
I am a parent of a 13 y/o boy as well and I'm sure that it can be hard for you sometimes. I force my son to go with me so that I can pour more into him that the streets can. I also filter and monitor his friends, because the fact of the matter is that he'll most likely mimic what his friends will do if he hangs around the bad ones. I also attend church and, even when he doesn't feel like going, I make him go so that he can get that Word up in him that he will need when it comes time for him to make wise decisions. The men at the church take him to archery fields, to play soccer, all kinds of places because they see that I am a single mom with 3 boys (not men in all chruches will do that, just some consider the single moms). My 13 y/o is is in a summer basketball camp, did soccer, and is about to do martial arts and in the fall acting classes. Live up to your commitment to send him places, and SO WHAT if his friends aren't going. They aren't going anywhere else. These things are to culture your son. And he will meet new friends who are on the same path that he is. I'll pray for you in your quest to strive and raise a responsible and safe (that he will look out for his own life) black man. I told my son that even when I am not there, that he must make wise decisions ON HIS OWN. Have a few serious talks with him and let him talk (I mean really talk). If you need a responsible man that he looks up to to have one with him, that's good . Bottomline is that you are still the adult and his parent. He doesn't HAVE TO wind up in the streets:)
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By: Gus on 6/29/2010 12:53PM
Dear dvine I pray that your son stop and hear you but there are so many ways to help him please ask the pastor at your church to start a program that men in the church will start spending time with our yong boys to help them grow to be young men.dvine you can help young girls by let them know its hard to raise a child by your self may god bless you and keep you but men have failed in the job and being fathers to our kids and husband to women god left men in charge.
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By: selfish people on 6/30/2010 1:33AM
The bottom line is sin. We need to preach repentance, turning away from sin. We need to read our bibles and apply what is said in the Word of God to our lives.
There is no other answer but Jesus Christ.
How can you know HIM if you dont read HIS Word.
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By: dvine on 6/30/2010 12:25PM
All your comments are so uplifting.. I'm going to speak to my Pastor as well.. I have been taking him w/me every where I go.. He hates it but at least i know where he is..
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By: Gary on 7/04/2010 6:36PM
Hello Divine, I agree with what has been stated here by the different commentators, I to agree with your methods of rearing your child and I encourage you not to give up you are doing a wonderful job,keep the Faith sister, I will say this, I work with you every week, I have been a mentor for 15 years and have seen a mentee shot, get incarcerated and become involved with the wrong crowds in the streets. We as the parents can only do so much but I beg to differ with anyone that says they don't want big Gov't. We need big Gov't. I will tell you why, It is because we need Gov't funding for programs that give our kids summer jobs, Rec. Centers and after school programs that help to redirect kids in positive ways, when we were kids I'm (45) there were still a number of programs that were available to us as well as places for us to go that were safehavens if you will. So again yes we have a job to do but we also need to get our local, state, and federal gov't to respond to the needs of the community, in other words we need to make our elected officials do the jobs they were hired to do at all levels, law enforcement included. We pay our tax dollars for these people its time they did their jobs.
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By: Fee on 6/28/2010 8:05PM
This is nothing new. This has been going on for years. Parents can only do so much. Like the lady Divine, she is doing the best she can. She has the right attitude, this kids need to be kept busy in a positive environment. Unfortunately, growing up in the LA can be very dangerous. No matter how good a home you come from, kids are drawn by peer pressures to the street. Some are out there because that is the only survival they know. God Bless those parents trying to do what's right for their children. It takes a village to raise a child.
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By: GUS on 6/29/2010 12:50PM
Fee&dvine please help young ladies by tell to stop having babies out wedd lock its to hard rasie kids out side of god will in think its going to be right.
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