Life's worth

Ladies and Gentlemen, I’ve stated more than once that I am a native Washingtonian. What does that mean you ask? It means I’ve seen more scandal, heard more lies, and witnessed some of the most intriguing things you could possibly imagine. I actually grew up in the neighborhood of Capitol Hill. This tells you how close to the action I am.

This should mean I’m becoming immune to the sins of my fellow man, right? That’s what I thought until I read the newspaper during my afternoon break. The district released its homicide rates for the year. More importantly, it released its homicide rates for African American teens in the area. Nineteen children were killed this year as of December 16th. In 2006 and 2007 twenty-nine children were killed. Considering that there were about 30 shootings in the course of 2 weeks over the summer, nineteen children is a blessing inside of a curse.

Children and young teens are being targeted now on our streets. Boredom, juvenile delinquency, and ignorance are once again the blame. The “what to do now” card is being pulled out of the deck as the increase in bodies has people coming from under their “there’s nothing we can do” security blankets {cue flashback of Linus here}.

What to do now? Put stronger anti-gay task forces on the streets? Up the amount of officers in problem areas? Open more after school programs? Teach our youth not to slay each other senselessly? Start being a part of our children’s lives? WHAT DO WE DO? Screaming communities want to know!

I say all of the above and never look back. The problem is once people see the dropping homicides rates they assume their work is done. No, this means your work has just begun. You don’t teach a child to walk and then lead them to a corner of a busy intersection and go, “Ok cross when it’s your turn”. What type of person would do that? It’s a recipe for disaster. The same goes for keeping children safe, out of trouble, and supported while things are chaotic. You must keep up the support and effort. What good is a full-time job, if you’re only a part-time parent? Same goes for coaches, mentors, teachers, relatives, and friends. There is no clocking out when it comes to saving lives.

‘Til next time