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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The issue is the cycle. Where does the cycle begin ? Where does the root of the cause surface ?
How bad does the issue have to be before society takes dramatic action to protect the other Non-gang citizens ?
I don't believe the cycle begins with lack of opportunity. Lack of local (key word local) jobs is the result denegrated neighborhood environment runs out legitimate businesses with crime and low wage neighborhoods.
Businesses regardless of who owns them do NOT want to operate in a bad neighborhood. It's suicide. It's not an investment it's a nightmare. Why would they locate in bad neighborhoods ?
If mothers and fathers REFUSE to parent but keep having children the issue is going to get worse wherever THOSE parents live. Nobody wants to live next to the family who's parents are horrible to their children.
We spend ALOT of tax dollars on prisons. The average cost of one year stay is $60- 90,000 per inmate. If we spent the same on after school WORK programs (not fkg basketball) we'd see some progress.
Unfortunately, there is no lobby for after school programs. However, there are enormous and powerful lobbies for law enforcement and prison guards.
I agree to a certain extent...but I'm confused by your anger towards basketball!!!
President Clinton decided to implement a mid-night basketball league in the inner city to reduce crime.
Guys, what drugs do you want legalized? If it is marijuana, OK, I don't like it, but can live with it legalized. But you can't legalize heroin, this is poison. So if you can't legalize heroin, what are you guys talking about? There have been gangs throughout history in various societies. The only way they disappear is through offering alternatives to the people exposed to crime. We are talking here about economic opportunities, about less stigma and discrimination.
For drugs like heroine, you can offer maintenance clinics that take most of the harm out of the drug use and de-glamorize it. Serious drug policy reformers champion "harm reduction" policies for the entire gambit of recreational drugs.
If you just regulate cannabis and leave an illegal market in place for all the other drugs, though, you're still taking 70% to 80% of the profits away from cartels and street gangs and seriously disrupting their trade.
What is needed, truly needed, is better schools and educational opportunities for the young men AND women in the "inner cities" can't have strong men without strong women.
Finally. Someone who is willing to recognize and attack the social problems associated with crime instead of regurgitating the same "we need more gun control" rhetoric.
Best of luck, Baron.
Everyone who thinks legalizing drugs is the answer to inner-city gang violence needs to get off your yuppie high chair and look past your pasty suburban upbringing. If drugs were legal or even if wiped out then there would still be gangs and gang violence, it would just center around prostitution, illegal gambling - hell if this economy keeps going the way that it does gangs will begin dealing in food, the way they do in other parts of the world. In fact there are gangs dealing in legal prescription medication now.
Legalizing drugs isn't the answer, because drugs aren't the cause of the problem. Having worked in neighborhood centers with inner city gangs and having been born in an inner city - I know that opportunity and education is the answer to the problems of 95% of these youths. There's a reason gangs aren't a problem in Beverly Hills - there's access to the best education and economic opportunities for the youth.
Tribalism is ensconced our genes and with out effective or complete (two person) parenting many inner-city youth turn to gangs to complete their tribe. This is a good thing, where young people who are lacking love and structure and acceptance are able to find them amongst their peers. However, without education (knowledge of self) and economic opportunity these tribes turn into cancers for their community.
I applaud you brother Davis, opportunity and education will lead to meaningful changes in the lives of youths involved in gang violence.
You should write a full post on this.... Well done.
Thanks - I sent them an email trying to become a blogger, never got a response.
great post!
TY
Although innercity schools are inferior compared to schools in more well off suburbs, these kids still have access to free public education. I believe 95% of kids in gangs belong to them because of an absentee father and a mother who has to work excessive hours. The gangs become their extended family where they can "belong". It also doesn't help that getting an education is seen as "acting white" in some quarters.
The breaking down of the family is definitely the root of most of these problems. A strong family is the best weapon against most of society's ills.
"Everyone who thinks legalizing drugs is the answer to inner-city gang violence needs to get off your yuppie high chair and look past your pasty suburban upbringing."
First of all, not a good way to win people over. And its an intellectually bankrupt argument to tell someone their opinion is invalid because of where you think they grew up. What's next? Religion? Skin color?
In fact, there is a pretty strong historical precedent that we can look at when it comes to prohibited substances. Just look at what happened when they criminalized alcohol in this country.
You also are ignoring the facts. From 1976-2005 71% of all homicides in the US for the age group 18-34 were drug related.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/teens.htm
If other forms of crime are going to bring as much revenue as trafficking, why are more people still getting killed over drugs?
Also, why not legalize drugs and prostitution?
Not trying to win anyone over, just stating the facts. The argument to legalize is bankrupt because it isn't true.
Having lived half of my youth in an inner city and half in the suburbs, I'm intimately familiar with the mentality of both areas.
I overstand that many violent comes are drug related - but some are perpetrated by dealers and some by users. Ending prohibition didn't break up the mafia and legalizing drugs won't end gangs or gang violence.
Now there are many good reasons for ending the criminalization of drugs, gambling and prostitution - but that won't end crime or gangs. Without economic opportunity and education gangs will only shift into other areas of crime or continue with the illegal propagation of legal crimes - like dealing prescription drugs or prostituting under age girls or forced prostitution/ human trafficking. There are places in Somalia and Haiti, among others, where the criminals steal U.N. food aid.
It has value for other reasons, but addressing the symptoms won't cure the disease.
No matter where the illegal economy is, drugs or otherwise, people who see no opportunity for legitimate work and advancement will seek it out. Legalizing heroin really wouldn't fix this, egyptianmysteryschool is correct.
Great Post Egyptian
I happen to believe that there is a cultural solution -- and that solution needs to be aimed at the young males in particular. Are you familiar with African "Age Sets"? If you have a chance look into it. "Age sets" in many African cultures were the basis for "rites of passage".
Thank you.
I'm familiar with rites-of-passage and I used to run a modest program when I worked in neighborhood centers. However, I'm not familiar with the term "age sets" - I will definitely look into it.
A cultural solution is definitely the best one because most inner cities are culturally disconnected from their natural way of life.
Gang violence will end for the most part when you end drug prohibition.
Quick history lesson: this country had gangs back when you could get cocaine in your soft drinks and grow weed in your back yard. Drugs aren't the problem.
Quick lesson in identifying shallow rhetoric: your argument only works if the pre capita homicide rate was unchanged during prohibition. It wasn't:
http://library.thinkquest.org/04oct/00492/Crime_Rate.htm
This was a great article Mr. Davis and as a Retired Marine I wish more young men like you would step up, if all of our so called AA Stars would at least adopt the school they attended instead of buying one car or watch etc. Or hows this have the record company or sports org. do it as a part of their contract.
I wish you the best, and always thought you were an awesome player.
Keep the faith...
Great article. This gives me hope for the youth and our inner cities.
Thanks for the letter. It's good to know there are at least some sports entertainers out there who've got some principles.
So...
Drug policy reform. Heard it, heard it, heard it. Before we go there, though, there's a more fundamental issue we might address.
Regardless of color, what might help- on all fronts in our society- is for people to stop legitimizing the idea that we're victims, and stand up and do something about their plight. In this case, seeing people (regardless of color or location) as monsters may be helped...if people wouldn't act like monsters.
If that's a generalization, so be it. Those who would be seen in a better light would do well to police their own in the name of their own self interest.
It is not clear what is meant by Mnemanth's comments with respect to the article? Who is being legitimized as a victim? Mr. Davis is clearly part of a group that is standing up and doing something about the problem. Does the comment mean that the gang members should just stop engaging in their antisocial activities, prompting the larger society to appreciate and admire them? This sounds like Nancy Reagan's "Just say no" advice. Obviously if these gang bangers knew better they would do better. Their ignorance is what Mr. Davis and his associates are attempting to address in addition to providing them with opportunities.
Also, the comment "... do well to police their own... ." Is it being suggested that citizens should organize in gangs to combat the existing gangs in their communities? What are they paying taxes for? Should they also build roads, fight fires, build schools, collect trash and levy taxes. This may be a solution, but if so, these communities should no longer be taxed by government to pay for services they are being asked to provide for themselves.
"Those who would be seen in a better light would do well to police their own in the name of their own self interest."
Should I assume that the "those" in your statement are blacks and latinos, since those groups are generally seen in a bad light because the gangs are in those communities? Glad to know that when its a gang problem its a "police your own" concept in your mind. Last time I checked those were OUR American children dying on the streets; both the innocent and guilty. So it seems to me that this is all OUR problem, not just those in the communities.
Bravo, Mr. Davis. Bravo. You truly are an outstanding person (not just a basketball player). Let us hope that you can inspire more wealthy African American athletes and entertainers to get involved in our community in a constructive and formative way. You have my vote for MVP of remembering where you came from and giving back. Once again, congratulations and God bless.
Good on you, Mr. Davis. Made my day.
For people who don't have exposure to the inner city all of these kids seem like monsters. I believe this is done in order to desensitize the public and make it alright to stick so many young, poor people in jail. The media bias against minorities is ridiculous. Let's change that first and give these kids a chance just like we do middle class, suburban kids. As long as non-white youth are seen as animals none of this is going to change.
The intervention needs to take place much earlier, even before birth actually. High risk households, which are not hard to identify, need a social worker on the spot to teach parenting skills, delineate unacceptable practices, help arrange for day care and watch for signs of child abuse and drug addiction. The first three to four years of life are absolutely crucial, but no one pays attention until the damage is done.
Birth control must also be made available along with job training. Having babies on gov't assistance cannot be seen as an alternative to a career.
Every student these days should have a laptop computer along with interactive educational computer programs. This is especially critical in the inner cities, where the schools are so completely dysfunctional that learning by computer may be the only viable way to get an education.
B Dizzle
Your activism and leadership as a Professional African-American athelete is admirable. So many modern atheletes have been coached to take an apolitical stance for marketability's sake, but I am glad you have decided that the Black community is worth more than that. God Bless you brother.
We still got love you in the Bay Area. Much continued success
Nice to see a Brother who cares about his roots! Keep up the good work, Mr. Davis!
There will always be a gang problem as long as drugs remain illegal.
That's the fundamental problem.
All other problems blacks face stems from that.
That is just dumb! Gang problems exists due to broken family structures and lack of economic opportunities. Drug sales are a by-product. I watch a lot of old movies, you remember back in the days when only white people existed in America? Well... if you pay attention to them... street gangs use to run amuck all through the depressed areas of New York. Basically the same problems that exists in contemporary urban ghettos existed in what back then were called tenements. Irish gangs use to fight Italians gangs. New immigrants such as Polish and Hungarians were discriminated against, and of course the Jewish discrimination is another shameful chapter in our history. The police in the neighborhoods back then just as it is now were considered the enemy. What happened was World War II and programs like the GI Bill for housing and education. These programs created opportunities that led to the lifting up of these human beings. The gang issue is currently more prevalent in black communities for the exact same reasons they existed back then. Anytime people are systematically kept from reaching their potential the results are the same, it's not because they belong to a certain racial group. It is so easy for people to forget history and dole out stupid comments like the one you just did.
So if drugs are not a key factor in this problem, why are 71% of the homicides in the 18-34 age group drug related?
You are wrong. If that were true, why wouldn't it have the same effect on whites, Latinos, and Asians? The problems facing the black community in poor inner-city neighborhoods all over the country are FAR more complex.
Keep up the good work Baron. My church (Saddleback) does volunteer work in Compton on a regular basis and it's really refreshing to see a star like yourself getting involved in South Central. There are a lot of wonderful people hurting in the community and it breaks my heart to see how badly our social welfare policies have crippled black families.
Liberals have proven that they have no solution for urban America. I wish more young conservatives would sieze the opportunity, step up, and jump in/volunteer. There are plenty of 'shovel ready' urban renewal projects that you can get involved in, quite often in partnership with local black churches. Stop wringing your hands and GET INVOLVED!!!
It does affect whites, Latinos, and Asians. How can you be from Orange County and not know what is going on in Mexico right now? Or in Riverside? Or Little Saigon?
And the only conservative solution for Urban America seems to be: "Sucks to be you. Not my problem."
Right on rebrarenee, you took the words right out of my mouth as I was reading some of the other posts about drugs. Drugs is the subterfuge, the sedative, the money maker. It is not the cause of the problem in the lower income Black neighborhoods. I'm old enough to remember when just about everybody in my mixed neighborhood worked, especially the Black folks. That's because there were job opportunities no matter how high or menial. Even if you had a low paying job you could make it decently. It was frowned upon not to work. Kids did not drop out of school and young girls were not getting pregnant all over the place because the families were still mostly intact. The little starter type jobs that taught us the work ethic as kids and gave us pocket money are now taken over by immigrants from various countries. . We as Black folks are not blameless but the system must perpetuate felons for the prison industrial complex and limit the competition for jobs that those with the "complexion for the protection" seek. Drugs is just one of the ways that the power structure keeps people asleep and out of the competition. There is TOO MUCH money being made in the drug trade, it ain't NEVER going away. But it is not the only thing that ails poor Black folks.
Drugs is just the one of the symtoms of the problems that faces blacks in the U.S , think about why people take drugs. Drugs in an of itself is not the problem.
Drugs themselves are not the root problem but nobody is saying that.
The root problem is the prohibition of drugs. Gangs may indeed be repurposed if they are denied the profits of illegai drugs but the new purpose may well be a positive one.
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