One of the most noticeable features of Logan Square, an economically diverse, predominantly Latino community on Chicago's northwest side, is an abundance of anti-violence advertisements on lampposts, billboards and store windows.
One says, "Stop. Killing. People." Another proclaims, "No destruyas un sueño. Salva una vida. Entrega una arma." (Don't destroy a dream. Save a life. Turn in a gun.) An anti-violence group, CeaseFire Chicago, distributes signs like these in 15 city neighborhoods with high rates of violent crime.
In Logan Square, one of the latest instances that sparked the community's outrage was the June 25 murder of 13-year-old Schanna Gayden. A top basketball player at a local middle school, Gayden was among dozens of children enjoying a local playground in broad daylight when a gang member shot her in the head.
The murderer was aiming for a member of a rival gang, the Chicago Tribune reported. The gangs fight over territory, and the playground where Gayden died marked the border. She was the third child shot by a gang member in the previous five days. What makes Gayden's murder more of an outrage is that she was the 34th Chicago public school student killed since September, when the school year began. That's more than one child every two weeks.
It's also more than the number of soldiers from Illinois who have died in the war in Iraq during this period, according to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who addressed the issue in a campaign speech on July 15.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the 34 children were all poor and either black or Latino.
Remember how Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards talks about two Americas? This could be Exhibit A. Not only is the "other America" suffering far more from the recent upsurge of violence in our inner cities. It's also the only part of the country that seems fully aware of what's happening.
The Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times have covered the community response to the most recent deaths admirably. But a search of Google News and Lexis-Nexis shows that the first children to be killed received little to no media attention.
Also problematic is that journalists have made minimal effort to investigate the issues underlying the rise in violence. And there's been virtually no mention of the slain children in national media.
Why has this tragedy failed to provoke the widespread grief that the Virginia Tech shootings did? I wonder if we should blame racism, classism, sensationalism or all of the above. Our inattention to these killings is shameful.
Mary Pattillo, professor of sociology and African-American Studies and chair of the sociology department, says the problem isn't limited to Chicago. Here's what she says contributes to inner-city violence nationally:
- Poor public schools, which are "ineffective in attaching young people to education." In Chicago, only six out of every 100 students entering a public high school end up obtaining a college degree.
- A criminal justice system that's too harsh on non-violent offenders, particularly those who are ethnic minorities. Incarceration doesn't rehabilitate these criminals and may provoke more crime, Pattillo says.
- A weak labor market with salaries for high school graduates that haven't changed since the late 1970s.
- The virtual nonexistence of stringent gun control.
- A "culture of toughness and violence" in media, movies and black cultural products. Without alternative ways of attaining success, inner-city youth often have nothing left to master but violence and physical dominance.
I encourage you to try to make a difference. Educating friends and family about what's happening, or, better yet, volunteering, could go a long way.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, located throughout the city, is calling on Chicagoans to help it keep children safe and away from gangs. (Sign up at bgcc.org, and click "Volunteer.") Once fall begins, NCDC and OASIS will start frequent volunteering trips to after-school centers.
At dailynorthwestern.com, you can find photos from Logan Square and the playground where Schanna Gayden died, names of the 34 slain children, and links to further media coverage of their deaths.
Reach David Spett at d-spett@northwestern.edu.
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