Walker 1
A. Walker
Professor Olsen
English 1301
June 22, 2012
Rate of Killings Rises 38 Percent in Chicago in 2012
A recent article written in the New York Times revealed alarming homicide statics. The murder rate has risen to an all time high of 38 percent this year in Chicago; which is the third largest city in the US. Other crimes such as rape, robbery, and burglary and auto theft are down by 10 percent. The violence seems to be spreading throughout the entire city, the wealthy parts of the city that has never experience such crime is now experiencing what the lower income neighborhoods experience on a regular everyday basis. Law enforcement agencies ...view middle of the document...
Chicago is not the only city experiencing this epidemic, as we watch our local news and world news; we see nearly every major city across the United States of America is faced with this growing problem. In 2006 there were approximately 785,000 active street gangs, and in 2011 the National Gang Intelligence Center of the FBI reported an approximation of 1.4 million gang members who were active on the street and in prison and the members are totally committed to their gang and the gang lifestyle. Gangsters are now using the internet to recruit new members; they are using social media such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Myspace. The internet provides a forum for gangsters to provoke rival gangs, glorify their gang and themselves. They also use the internet to facilitate criminal activity and to spread their message across the nation.
What concerns me is young children of today are being influence by older gang members and they idealize the gangsters. Young children are joining gangs because they view gangs as glamorous, they see them as a powerful group and they feel if they are a member of a gang; they will obtain lots of money, respect and protection from their crime family. Most children that join gangs feel unloved and unaccepted by their natural family; they feel ostracized from the community, no self esteem and have no social support. It’s time that parents with at risk children wake up and realize their children are at risk for joining a gang. Parents need to be hands on and take a more active approach...
