In Chicago there are about 1800 gang related crimes committed every year. While this number may seem small for a whole year, it eventually adds up. Gang violence has led to many people deciding to leave the neighborhood because they simply didn’t feel safe and had enough of the violence. People shouldn’t have to worry when they go out if they’ll come home. The problem with this is that even the police can’t do anything about it. I myself and the rest of my family have felt the effects that this has left. In Pilsen where I am from there tends to be a lot of violence and gang activity around the warmer months. During the summer most people are hanging around outside including gang members. In the summer a ton of violence tends to happen because all the gangs are out due to the nice weather and end up running into each other. This leads up to a fight or someone pulling out a gun and shooting the other.
Going back to how this has affected my family, two of my cousins unfortunately have gotten involved with a gang and joined one called the Satan Disciples or the Sds. Because of this, my parents do not feel comfortable letting me go hang out with them. I have missed many family parties and have missed out on seeing my two favorite cousins because of the choices they made. My cousin’s involvement in the gang activity has gotten to the point where he was jumped by 3 guys and advised that he leave the city and people even advised him to leave the country. He has repeatedly said that he wouldn’t leave and has been seen with firearms and substances along with multiple people that a 14 year old should not be around. What makes me mad about this is that nobody tried to intervene until it was too late and he was already initiated into the gang.
While this seems like a big deal, this isn’t the only problem. I have seen bottles thrown and seen them break my neighbors window. I’ve heard my sister wake up in the middle of the night due to nightmares from a shooting that happened in front of my house. I have heard stories from a neighbor who was caught in the middle of a shooting while riding his bike home.
I think the solution to this problem would be to fund the police more. Invest in more cameras around the city and to implement more social intervention programs which would change the person and prevent them from getting involved at all.
I think by funding the police a more, we can have more police stationed in neighborhoods where gang violence is more common. I think this is a good idea because it’s been proven that a 10 percent increase in police hiring can reduce crime by 3-10 percent.(The American Experiment John Phelan). This may seem small but reducing crime little by little is better than not reducing crime at all.
I think the second most effective option would be to start social intervention programs to target the youth in neighborhoods where gang violence is very common. I think this would be very effective because it prevents youth from getting involved. These social intervention programs are beneficial because they address critical issues and aim to improve the quality of life for vulnerable populations (people in neighborhoods where gang activity is a big problem).This could help prevent youth from joining gangs by creating a supportive environment and discouraging gang activity.
Lastly, another option would be to install more cameras in neighborhoods where a lot of gang activity is reported . This wouldn’t end gang violence all together but would help catch leaders and people that are in a position of power in these gangs. The only reason I think this is less effective is because it might impose on people’s privacy. This is how I believe we can end Gang violence in Chicago.
Giancarlo De Leon – De La Salle Institute – DMSF Class of 2029
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