Breaking the Cycle of Inner-City Gang Violence
I grew up in South Central LA. It's where my family is, it's where many of my friends are and it's where I learned to play basketball. Having grown up in this area, I know what it's like to be surrounded by gang violence, so when Stacy Peralta approached me to produce his documentary, Crips and Bloods: Made in America, I jumped at the chance to get involved. I had two goals for the film. First, I wanted to show people about why we have gangs in our inner cities, because unless you understand the history you can't address the issue. And second, I wanted to show people what we can do to resolve this.
Until we stop looking at these kids as monsters we will never break the cycle of gang violence. People need to understand that in communities in which family units have broken apart and there are few, if any, economic opportunities, gangs become like surrogate families, identities.
Throwing people in jail is not going to solve this problem. As NFL great and youth advocate Jim Brown says in our film, "If more police or jails were the solution, the problem would have been fixed 30 years ago." If we are going to address this issue in a meaningful way, we need a new approach.
That's where Congressman Bobby Scott's Youth PROMISE Act comes in. PROMISE stands for Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education -- it's exactly what we're advocating in our film and we're proud to get behind this effort.
The Act is based on prevention and intervention programs that work with local schools, community centers, faith-based organizations, and parents to prevent violence before it begins. The whole idea is to give these kids another way, another option, instead of joining gangs.
Stacy Peralta, my producing partner Cash Warren, and I have been asked by Congressman Scott to show our film and speak at his Youth PROMISE Act rally in Washington DC on May 7th on the west lawn of the Capitol Building (the same place where President Obama was sworn in). So please get involved. Go to cripsandbloodsmovie.com, order the DVD, watch it with your friends and family and then write to your Congressman or woman to support this important act. Let's end the killing in our inner cities -- let's work together for a better and more peaceful future.
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Very good post Baron! Good to see NBA players expressing themselves on HUFFPO. Please don't let this be your last post on this site. I enjoyed - and agreed with - your post.
Lack of economic opportunities is a big cause of inner city crime, but there is a bigger cause that few will talk about because it is too politically incorrect. The welfare system that for three and four generations has spread the message that if you want financial aid- don't get married, and don't work- - has created a whole culture in which 15 year olds are encouraged to have children. Now I don't know about you but I don't personally know of one fifteen year old who is ready for the emotional responsibility of raising a child to be a well functioning citizen of the community. But as I said, such truths are political suicide and so consequently- few speak the truth.
What a ridiculous thing to say. You obviously have no understanding of American history, the sociology of black America, or black people in general. Reminds me of when people describe global hunger as mainly a problem of overpopulation (read: 'the hypersexuality and quick-breeding tendencies of non-white races').
Look at the statistics- ninety percent of all state prison inmates come from families that rely on state aid in one form or another. If you honestly believe that there is no connection between family structure and behavior than you're the one who knows absolutely nothing about sociology.
I fully support this, Baron. I'm proud of you as I'm sure we all are for bringing this issue forward until it's actually resolved.
Great writing skills too!
-Mansoor
The issue of communities in despair is so complicated and will require self evaluation by the community itself,a of changing worn out ideas within and without, a rethinking of our drug laws and the way police interact with innercity communities, heavy investment in education, a rethinking of our local, state and federal governments quick fix ideas to long term problems, gun control, job opportunities, and so on. Most of all it will require acountability on all parts. Obama's election is a great step forward but in order for his election to be a beginning of something important real long term solutions must be proposed and sustained. Hopefully Baron's movie will help move things forward but in order for things to really change all sides must take accountability for their parts in things getting to be where they are today. Unless that happens the cycle will continue.
It is much much more than just a lack of education, opportunity, and/or capital (or the opportunity to earn). Too many times the "I didn't have a chance," thing must be replaced by, "YOU HAVE A CHOICE."
The cycle is a self-hatred so deep that it will take a HERCULEAN effort by all involved to change the course. As a contractor, I've worked in some of the worst neighborhoods known to man. I have lived in some of the worst neighborhoods known to man. In the hard-core community there is a self hatred that manifests itself in reckless behaviors, escapism (through drugs and alcohol), and an all out disregard for the value of life. It is constant posturing, menacing, and acting out. Sort of like the "only the strongest survive" concept, with anger as the backdrop.
The hatred runs so deep and so virulently that children convince themselves that people who have no respect, regard, or interest in the sanctity of life are "family."
Some children are absolutely not interested in being members of this "family," yet to resist indicates that "you think you're better than me," or "he might be a snitch." It's more like, "if I can't get out, he won't either."
Perhaps the truth is, that more than anything, and POWERFUL POSITIVE IMAGES are what our community needs.
Thanks BARON. You're a great start for the NEWEST generation. You and the dude in the Oval Office.
The fault lies clearly in the lap of the parents. These gangs have a nothing but negative effect upon these communities. I feel sorry for the young children living as hostages in these communities.
Thank you Baron Davis! You are one of the TRUE role models in the NBA. And I don't mean a role model for just kids, I mean a role model for kids and adults which includes a majority of other NBA players themselves.
It's nice to see a professional athlete have the guts and intelligence to use their influence and stage for the good of the community in which they came from themselves!
I'm tired of hearing that "money won't fix it". That's BULL! If cities invested in bringing jobs into these neighborhoods, jobs that pay a 'living wage' , then more fathers would be in the homes able to face their women & nuture their children. This isn't a 'black problem'- look around right now, in neighborhoods where the good paying factory & construction jobs have suddenly disappeared- domestic violence is skyrocketing, murder/suicides, stabbings, child abuse, dwi's, property crimes.... this is what's happening in formerly middle-class white neighborhoods in just a year of bad economic conditions. Inner city black neighborhoods have been suffering under these conditions for decades. Families (of all colors) need opportunities & investments the same as 'Big Business' does. It's time to invest in America's Families.
Having more jobs with a living wage is not necessarily going to keep a father or mother in the home. It comes down to the repeated patterns of being raised by a single parent or grandparent(s), cycle passed from generation to generation. Some of it's due to the parent(s) on drugs or alcohol, and some just because they don't want anything to do with their children, period. This is the only life that a lot of kids know, therefore, it's repeated in adulthood.
The topic here is about breaking the cycle of INNER-CITY GANG VIOLENCE by finding ways to rebuild community support and looking to positive alternatives and yes, trying to bring jobs to the cities.
Yeah, I get that families of all races need opportunities, in full agreement, but when you have a situation where there are more black men in prison than in college, something is seriously wrong, and to me, that is a crisis that has to be addressed quick! We are losing WAY too many young black kids now more than ever, to prison or death. Our children are dying: this is supposed to be the real point of the story, not about how non-blacks are suffering across the board because of the economy. And I'm past sick and tired of white folks using the "we-have-it-rough-too-so-why-aren't-you-discussing-that?" complaint! Like Mr. Davis says, unless you understand the history, you can't address the issue.
(cont.)
Inner-city neighborhoods with a majority black population have been through this for decades, yes, but now is the time to find new and better solutions. Past ideas haven't worked too well, and now things are worse.
It should start by bringing back a sense of community to neighborhoods and schools, where people look out for each other, become that village it takes to raise children (trust me, that really works), ban together to rid crime from their streets, campaign to bring in community centers, parks, afterschool, weekend and summer activities for the kids, and better programs to help teenagers and adults find jobs.
I'm not whining about the suffering of "non--blacks" affected by the economy- my point is that the breakdown in the family unit & of the community is a direct result of LACK OF OPPORTUNITY.... NOT the color of one's skin. OPPORTUNITIES supplied by grocery & clothing stores, local banks, barber shops, hair salons, professional offices, day care centers & restaurants. For decades the only industries investing in the ghetto were the illegal drug industries & the liquor, loan shark, bookies & pawn shops. How are you supposed to raise a family in that?! What after-school opportunities do those industries offer? The very same city & county leaders that will provide millions in grants, tax incentives, loans, small business counseling, & financial aid to bring back the middle class neighborhoods at the same time claim that "money can't solve the problems of the ghetto"....and I say that's BULL!
I'm of the agreement that money alone will not solve the problems of these communities, Ghetto isn't just a place its a state of mind. Many of these people don't know nothing else, and for t hem this is as good as it gets. These people are dangerous because for many of them there is no tommrow, so they have no respect for life not for themselves and not for anyone else they don't have any reguard for anyone , and there is a pathological behavior that is passed down from one generation to the next. You want to change somthing you have to change the way people think first and thats a huge task, money alone will not help these people
Right on, Baron! Thanks for getting involved in your community. It's nice to see a big star like you get involved in the details on a prevalent issue that doesn't get attention on the news. I'll call my Congresswoman about the Youth PROMISE Act!
thanks Baron Davis! I think it's very important that people from the community get involved and show there can be a POSITIVE outcome. Your words and actions will mean so much to the young people in your community and nationally.
To receive goverment aid black families had to put male/father out of the house. This fact is lost in this debate. It was added to the welfare bill to do just what it has done.
Break up the family group.
Without a male in the family the mother had to work leaving a void of parential control.
That jails cost more than schools is not a fact that is important to those who lobby for the prisons and the guards needed to man them. Harsh jail time for minor crimes are used to house many who could and would learn a trade.
Reagon traded guns for cocaine ( Iran contras) and dumped the cheap drug in the inner cities. On one is totally blameless here but many of these problems can be traced to deliberate political decisions made years ago.
Why cant we build more schools? Many older adults with great experiences could and would be teachers and if we used a fraction of the money needed to jail and hold our young people.
It would be a positive for the nation as a whole.
Not buying this line Master
"..It was added to the welfare bill to do just what it has done.."
to do just what ? Is this a conspiracy in the liberal wing of the government against black males ?
No, black males with money is a boon to business. Everyone wants more money the system. Everyone wants black males to have money and to spend it in the system.
The law was passed to help those women who had no "husband" because the men were perpetuating a cycle.
the cycle is allowed by women, women have the choice to involve themselves with men who will provide for them and their children, or not.
I think besides money and education it is an issue of empowerment, these people in the inner cities feel disempowered, helpless and hopeless. Kudos to Baron Davis for taking the first step towards empowering these people.
When are these excuses going to end, guess what, the government likes putting blk men in jail ,thats institutional racism. The way to change that is through education, by becoming lawyers , doctors judges etc.. not by blaming the welfare system for breaking up blk families because thats bull crap. The facts are they could build more schools, it wouldn't do the average kid in these communities any good since most don't see education as a way out, and the few that do are often chastised and for seeing it. school isn't a place for learning for most of these kids they've got to many other problems to deal with, school is a place to hang out, most of these kids aren't even socialized enough to function in school.
this is true, these kids don't see a way out AND they see the drug dealers on the corner driving expensive cars and wearing expensive clothes, but I think schools with teachers who really care, especially in the younger more formative years would make a huge difference. Schools and after school programs that effectively remove the children from the house for as long as the parent/s need or want....
If you're looking to government for solutions, good luck. Dems see the problem like any other and say 'Just throw some money at it, even if it doesn't go away they can't say we didn't try'. Republicans just say 'Don't raise my taxes or take my guns and go F yourself' lol.
You can start by pleading with the media outlets getting rich exploiting the situation in ghettos, but you won't get far. The biggest influence on teenage behavior in any community is peer influence. Movies, music and magazines tell your child's peers what's cool and then peers tell your child. I don't see many movies or any contemporary music telling our kids how hardcore or pimpin it is to get As in math class.
If a teenager is in a gang it's safe to assume he or she is not getting good parenting. You can't legislate that anyway. Most you can do is create outreach programs and pray someone shows up. The only place you can legislate is education. One thing you can't do is blame the teachers. They're educated neither in group psychology nor in law enforcement. What's needed fundamentally in tough inner city schools is control. If you don't create an environment of discipline and intolerance for rule-breakers then you'll simply have the same chaos in the classroom that the kids find on the streets. Better they find discipline and structure in the hallways of their highschools then where they'd inevitably find it: the penitentiary.
Corporations that promote gang violence in their marketing should be liable for damages to gang victims. I bet that would turn some heads in the board rooms.
As far as education, I will keep saying it: Give every kid a laptop computer with interactive educational programs. All the basic subjects are adaptable to that format. The inner city schools, like the prisons, are controlled by gangs and do not offer a learning environment.
Now your blaming the Corporations good grief... why not point the blame where it really belongs, blk men and women, try pointing the finger at the young girls who get pregnant and go on the dole with a child they can neither afford , nor nuture. How about pointing the finger at the blk male who is more into his gangsta rap and being hard then in learning something of any value. Maybe if AA would start doing that things would c hange.
Jobs, not jails.
lets establish special economic zones in the inner cities, for the purpose of providing employment.
but gainful employment, not poverty level
Sorry, I can't buy into this entirely.
Stop looking at them as monsters? How else to catagorize gang members who live on drugs and violence?
Time to stop blaming society for their failure as human beings and put the onus where it belongs - on them. Anyone who wants to pull themselves out of cycle can - perhaps with much more effort than someone with more opportunity. It can be done if someone wants a better life. But if they only want more of the same, you can start ten thousand community programs and stil have gangbangers handing out on the corner.
This is exactly the type of thinking that hinders the ability to solve the problem. Yes, it may be true that it's possible for anyone to pull themselves out of a cycle, but that doesn't mean its realistic to assume that they will be able to do so. I think these type of programs are exactly what's needed here. No one is saying that people aren't responsible for their actions. Men and women involved in gang violence most certainly are. However, there are aspects of their upbringing and surroundings that have encouraged their decisions. This is clear. Many of these people, due to their environment, may not see that they have other options, and these outlooks and perspectives tare just as genuine as the ones you may hold yourself.
Your point is just, but in my opinion it's simply too rigid. It assumes that the problem can be solved by either focusing on the effects of a society on its people, or the effects of a people on the society they've created. The two aren't mutually exclusive. These programs aren't meant to excuse people from their actions. They are meant to educate, and augment decision-making.
It would be wrong for me to assume that you've had little experience with people of a socioeconomic background typically associated with more frequent gang inclusion. Just know that your comments give that impression, and seem a bit narrow-minded.
Unfortunately I have a good deal of experience with not only the people but the lifestyle; probably more than you. I fully understand the economic and societal roots of the problem(s) - the racism, poverty, cyclical dispair.
I do not have an answer to the problem. But I know the it's not in making apoligies for their actions.
Possum - I'm sure that you are full of opinions, but how educated are your opinions. What do you know about the inner city? Have you lived there -gone to school there -worked there, talked to the people- I don't think you have because if you had you would NOT make such IGNORANT statements.
I believe that you hate "these people" and all you can do is spew garbage at them. I wish for you and your family what you wish for these people.
How many Irish, Polish and Italian families started in this nation with members of their families in Gangs in New York City, Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, and Philadelphia? You are know NOTHING!
Shorter Possum:
"But but -- if we stop looking at them as monsters, then who can I BLAME? And if I can't BLAME someone then how will I keep pretending like there's nothing to be done? And if I can't keep pretending there's nothing to be done then how will I be able to justify sitting on my arse instead of working to make the world a better place?"
I can't buy it either, these people are monsters. I'm not saying its their fault but thats the end result and I'm not going to pretend otherwise.
Monsters, eh? Know who esle engaged in de-humanization? H i t l e r. Just saying. "It's not their fault but that's the end result." That's as r a c i s t as it gets.
Mr. Davis wrote:
" People need to understand that in communities in which. . .and there are few, if any, economic opportunities, gangs become like surrogate families, identities."
What kind of "economic opportunity" does a tweener need? That tweener's only "job" at that age should be going to school, getting an education, and looking towards getting a post-grad education!
it is disheartening that we as a people always scream "there are no jobs for our young black men, that's why they turn to gangs, drugs". Bullsh*t! Get your behind to school, graduate, go to college, and there will be PLENTY of jobs!
And, although I applaud Mr. Davis for his achievements, even he didn't raise the bar high enough. Sorry to sound cruel, but we have all the basketball players, football players, and rappers that we need - we need more white-collar professionals.
I was one of a few black kids in my engineering classes in college - why is that? Is it because only a few of us are intelligent enough to go to college? No, of course not; it is because the belief that a higher education is the best way to succeed is not ingrained in us. Ever wonder why Asian, East Asian kids seem to do so well in school? Are they more intelligent than the hispanic, black kids? No, of course not! But when school is out, they go home and do their homework, our kids hang out.
Economic opportunity for a "tweener" may be out of necessity...for example, if you are in the care of a drug-addicted or otherwise uninvolved parent, economic opportunity may be survival for a child with grown up responsibilities, such as siblings...you should not be so quick to judge...they are not contemplating the future, but trying to survive the present...as far as your engineering classes with a "few" AA kids...if you think that higher education in not encouraged in our community, you've spend too much time listening to other people...I went to a HBCU...try again..and as far as the other stereotype about Asians doing so well in school...I grew up in the San Fran bay area where there are as many if not more Asian gang members and criminals than AA...
I think your individualistic solution to the problem is very dangerous and such half truths--especially when espoused by black people--is really devastating. It is also very disheartening that you have obviously bought into the model minority myth. You can not talk about education opportunity without talking about discrimination in housing, employment, and the criminal justice system. All you do is allow whites to point to you as an example and go "see! I told you so".
The lack of jobs and visible opportunity in the inner cities certainly exacerbates this problem-- kids value education when they see people in their families and communities for whom education has paid off. When they, as many do now, see the most successful people around them involved in illicit economies of drugs and violence, they are more apt to aspire to that behavior than to work their way through school for an ephemeral, theoretical benefit that they cannot see in their own lives. That makes this partly a parent issue, and primarily a community/society issue. Hope and motivation can go a long way for these kids.
Well said. :)
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