Over the years I have had the opportunity to work alongside people I respect in neighborhoods as far flung as Mallory Heights and Collierville, Smokey City and Cordova, Beltline and Bartlett. No one I've met in any of these different places wants litter, drugs, gangs, and crime. We have more in common than you think.
Three people were beaten by a mob in a Kroger party lot while a 14-year-old was shot & killed while sleeping in his own bed. Students were robbed on the U of M campus and an elderly man was beaten in a laundromat in Glenview. Violence is everywhere and the victims are of every race, age, and income level. Press conferences will not stop it. Nor will bumper stickers or billboards.
People have different opinions about emphasizing policing vs parenting vs programs and more. I don't have answer, just an opinion. I see two mandates for people who are willing to choose fight over flight:
Three people were beaten by a mob in a Kroger party lot while a 14-year-old was shot & killed while sleeping in his own bed. Students were robbed on the U of M campus and an elderly man was beaten in a laundromat in Glenview. Violence is everywhere and the victims are of every race, age, and income level. Press conferences will not stop it. Nor will bumper stickers or billboards.
People have different opinions about emphasizing policing vs parenting vs programs and more. I don't have answer, just an opinion. I see two mandates for people who are willing to choose fight over flight:
- Do not be a victim. Educate yourself about protection and be ever vigilant.
- Support causes and/or programs that have a chance of turning a kid away from gangs and toward positive activities and associations.
It is not about race. It is about fighting evil. Our weapons are will, determination, and
engagement.
