Gangs Riddle the Streets of Springfield… Who’s to blame?

EDITORS NOTE: THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN FOR AND PUBLISHED IN DAIZZEE’Z DIRRT BACK IN 2005,  SO THO 20 YEARS HAS GONE BY, CHANGE A FEW NAMES, ADD MASS SHOOTINGS IN SCHOOLS AND VENUES EVERY DAY AND YOU HAVE TODAY!!! SO EFFING SAD. WE HAVE TO COME TOGETHER PEOPLE. 5 MINUTES, 5 DOLLARS, THEY CAN BOTH CHANGE LIVES. WE CAN CHANGE LIVES  TOGETHER!!

 COME ON PEOPLE!!! WAKE UP! How many more have to die before you get off your a@# and do something!  You want to know what the problem is. IT STARTS WITH YOU! Too many people that are supposed to be caring for our kids don’t care about anything or anyone but themselves.  From the parents to the politicians, it’s no wonder our kids have lost hope.  Where is the support system? Daddy’s gone and mommy’s high, the rich keep getting richer and the rest of them are left to die.  Child abuse, drug abuse, and a system with no out and no way up.

The fact of the matter is that violence breeds violence, and in a community where there is not only hunger, but nothing to do, what do you expect to happen?  What does Springfield really do for our kids?  Every time I turn around I hear about budget cuts and programs being dropped from schools while in the works are plans for new museums and more tourist attractions. Do you know there are no auto mechanic’s classes offered in my daughter’s high school??  What is that about?  The government would rather push them through the school system with as little work and money as possible, than to encourage individuality and creativity.  All they have to do is make sure that some of them can read and then if they want to further their education they need to come from money to do so. More of the rich getting richer if you ask me.

Not to mention the fact that here in Springfield, every time a venue opens that offers a bit of hope, it gets shut down before anyone even knew it existed. I know of at least 3 places that were created for teens here in town that were shut down with in 6 months of opening. I also know from personal experience in dealing with local government and trying to get zoning for a place to put on shows, pretty much of any kind, Springfield makes it as difficult as they possibly can to provide entertainment for teenagers. They are more concerned with the appearance of downtown to tourists than they are about the safety of our youth.  There is no place safe for the kids to hang out, no juice bars or teen dance clubs, no skate boarding signs in every parking lot in town, and now fear of being shot from playing in the front yard.

But the blame doesn’t lay with government alone.  Another disheartening reality that hundreds of thousands of kids have to deal with everyday is problems in the home. With the lack of decent jobs and affordable benefits combined with the drastic raise in the cost of living (thank you Mr. Bush!), for many families just keeping food on the table and shelter over their heads is a challenge that many just are not able to handle.  When money is short and people are hungry emotions become hazardous. Depression, anger and desperation can quickly turn any household into a recipe for abuse and neglect. Mom’s on the pipe trying to erase reality while daddy takes out his anger in any way he can think of.  Kids become victims of rage created by society and it’s all down hill from there.

So where are they to go for help? The police? DCFS? We all know that the hands of the police are tied; they can only do as child advocates give them permission to do.  Unfortunately, for the kids, DCFS and child advocates are only allowed to act when the abuse is physically visible, a mistake many people learn to cover up really quickly after their first encounter with the police who weren’t able to do anything to begin with.  Kids are being forced to fight for survival in an environment that was meant to be home, and then taking that skill to the streets.

Part of the reason kids get involved in gangs and drugs is because they are seeking out something they don’t get at home, or they are trying to escape it.  Most of these gang members are kids who have been abused or neglected in some way, and they are trying to create a sense of belonging and respect in their life.  This desperation mixed with bad influence and nothing to do, and that kid is paying for it the rest of their lives.  Another soul lost in the system.

Common sense tells me that to fix this problem; you need to stop it before it starts! How about making it a little easier for families who are really in need of help to get help? Give more funding to public service organizations and counseling facilities; provide something for the kids to do that doesn’t require a lot of money. The more open venues there are across this community, the more the chances are that every kid will be entertained and occupied.  Put more into the schools.  And above all…STOP THE ABUSE!!!  Straighten up the system and keep abusers behind bars. Help our children feel safe and loved so that they can learn to break the cycle before they have kids of their own.

~Change has to start somewhere!~

        KP