Youth violence: The blame game
Shootings. Stabbings. Fights. They've all happened in our neighborhoods and schools in recent months. And young people have been behind the crimes. So who's to blame for the violence from our youth? WDEF went searching for the answer.
People who care about our youth say we're facing a crisis and every child is vulnerable no matter which part of the city they live in.Yet from parents to schools, when it comes to getting to the bottom of the youth violence problem, we all seem to play the blame game.
Officer Michael Bolton, "The big gang here is going to be the Athens Park." It's another evening on the streets of Chattanooga. Officer Michael Bolton works for the crime suppression unit. Officer Bolton, "I've got five pages right here of gang members in the city." His main job, making contact with chattanooga's gang members.
Officer Bolton, "This store up here is a hot spot." On this day he spots a young man in a photo with alleged gang members.
Officer Bolton, "You know people are throwing up gang signs in there."
Young Man, "Them are just people who I'm cool with."
Officer Bolton, "He's putting sky line up. "
Young Man "I don't know nothing like that."
Officer Bolton, "I'm just asking you."
Young Man, "I don't know nothing like that "
Officer Bolton blames gang activity for a lot of Chattanooga's youth violence.
Marcus Lee, "They're tough enough out here I mean you can still get hurt easily being out in this area with the gangs that's already out here." It filters into neighborhoods like 15 year old Marcus Lee's, East Chattanooga. Marcus Lee, "I don't like seeing it how it is. All the violence and the drugs and stealing and all that stuff. I don't like seeing that." And ends up disrupting our schools.
Dr. Scales, "This is the one place where they come for seven hours a day so those tensions come back to our community. This school and other schools get blamed for a lack of discipline. Well, we're trying to control things that's probably out of our control."
Some parents say it's beyond their control too. For this mother all she could do wasn't enough to save her son from a gang. Tanya, "I woke up one day and my son was selling drugs."
Shela Van Ness, "Where ever you see gangs arise, those are substitute families." Sociology professor Shela Van Ness points to a break down of the family. Van Ness, "Many parents are working two or three jobs today. They don't spend that much time with their children." Leaving children to the influence of their peers.
Joe Rowe, "When I talk to people, they all point fingers at each other about the problem." East Chattanooga Weed and Seed volunteer Joe Rowe says we should be pointing the finger at ourselves. Joe Rowe, "There's enough responsibility, enough fault for us to all share in it. We all just need to come together lay down these false pretences come together and try to save our future."
Nordia Epps
28 April 2008