Are things getting worse, or is it just me? Every day I hear and see news about young people dying on my streets. I grew up in this neighborhood since I was born, and yeah, street violence has always been a mainstay of this particular urban environment. But com'on! Im getting sick, tired, and scared. No lie. Im afraid for the life of myself, my family, and my friends, it really is that bad. Senseless acts of violence don't only cost the lives of the intended targets, they also claim the innocent. We all know this, but here I am acting all surprised. I mean, im not all that surprised, just deeply concerned for the mental, physical, and spiritual health of my people.
Last week a girl got shot in the head from a stray bullet. My brother was moments away from witnessing a full out murder outside his job. He was just steps away from the door when he heard the sound of gun blasts. A friend of mine was stabbed to death at 4am while on his way home from a bar on 116th street. And not too long ago another teen gets shanked coming from the neighborhood pool. The stories are endless and the mothers who have to bury their sons and daughters keep crying rivers of tears.
Recently there has been a a call to action from community leaders and residents, especially the youth, to address this issue. My question is what are we going to do about it that hasn't already been done? This is a HUGE issue and I just dont see any really large scale solution unless the government steps in and gives us a shit load of money. With job trainings, education, and more options the youth will find not a gun in their hands, or a knife, but maybe a hammer, brush, or pen. But no, stuck in two wars, and banks raping us, inner city youth turn on each other.
Im going to do my part. My vision for Barrio Media, my production company, is to create an extension that teaches and hires youth and give them the skills and motivation to look within them selves. The answers, unlike what a lot of people think, are not "out there" but within. The mixed signals they get from the media are especially harmful. The environment they call "home" can at times be destructive to their focus and concentration. So where do they turn to if this is the case? You know, i don't have to spell it out.
These are my thoughts for now. I hope to write more on this topic as more things develop and I have something to report on.
Big shout out to Youth Build and Amon Rashidi: agents of change in our community!
Well said and thoughtful.It brings to question: is there any hope in an era that seems as one of hopelessness. I realize that many people in other parts of the world have been living in dire despair for the longest, but one would think that living in the center of wealth and power, that the progression would be to expand the quality of life not only for us here but to be exporting it to other less fortunate than us (what was called the American Dream; Freedom and Democracy). Instead, the US corporations export death and destruction with their war machinery while gun manufacturer sales are running amuck in poor countries; now finding their way to our barrios as well.
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