My Blog Reflection...

I really enjoyed doing this blog project. This project was much easier than a research paper. It still has the same effect as a research paper but it was much more fun using this blogger website. Anybody can write a boring research paper for their teacher to read but a blog is much more interesting. I like my topic of Chicago violence because Chicago is where I live. I felt that someone needs to talk about the violence in the Chicago community so I did. The violence rate in Chicago is on a rapid increase and I feel that people should know about it. Teen violence is on an all time high and is increasing everyday. Why teens are so mad or violent is the question asked by so many parents. The answers vary from not enough attention from parents to being bullied in schools. Most bullies bully children in school because they don’t receive attention at home. Therefore they bring their problems to school and bully someone who does receive attention or maybe even someone just like them. Whatever the reason is for teen anger violence is not the answer. Violence only begins more violence. This causes a never ending circle of killings and violent acts.

I feel that we should come together as a community and try to stop the teen violence that is going on. Let’s try something different other then trying to pay people for bringing in guns, let’s pray as a community, and let’s pray for the parents who teens have been shot, abuse, or raped. Let’s change the teen’s minds, the ones who are changing their mind frame. Let’s stop the devil from taking over the teens mind lets put god in their life. In conclusion I feel that the only way that teens will change from having all of this hostility is by having someone in their life that cares. Like for en example I came a long way I was in a predicament where I didn't want to go to school no more until I found someone special. She stops me from selling drugs and seeing the real world.

Student Violence Continues..

The world has been caught off guard by all the shootings taking place all over the U.S. It has an effect on not only our own thinking, but the thinking of the shooters we see in the numerous slayings. This shows how disturbing these shootings are to our society as a whole. Almost every one of these kids has a reason for shooting up there schools, and it isn't like they were left to starve as small children, or had to live in a cardboard box. It usually starts with teasing or some type of mental abuse. Something that would usually seem completely harmless can wind up in a school shooting. As I continued on with my research I notice that some parents feel that when children wear uniform to school they will be safe. To me that's not true because several students have been jumped on or shot because of what school they went to.

For example, at our basketball game against North Lawndale College Prep there was a student named Jermaine Winfield who was shot in the leg after the game. Meanwhile, two 16-year-old Collins students were cited in a juvenile petition with simple battery in connection with the shooting. At the time of the shooting our school was getting on the bus heading back to our school when North Lawndale and Collins was fighting on our bus. When the shooting started the shots from the gun sounded like a cap gun, also the squad car that was at our game he didn't do anything, he just stayed in his car and called for back up. What's the point in having police to help our community, the only time the police shows up is when a white man or women gets robbed killed or rape. Why can't we get the same treatment there are kids who are trying to make something out of their life besides sell drugs and kill innocent people

Chicago Gang Violence History

Gangs have been classically viewed as a by-product of social disorganization, the weakness of traditional institutions, like the schools, to replace the lost primary networks of the traditional world. But race would profoundly shape the history and contours of Chicago's gangs. While other ethnic groups were on the ladder of assimilation, African Americans were crowded into the south side "Black Belt." As WWI brought more and more African Americans into Chicago to find work, tensions rose. In 1919 race riot broke out spear-headed by Irish gangs or "social athletic clubs." In the following years, African Americans would stay segregated, while European ethnic groups did not. Violence met attempts by Black families to move out of apartheid conditions into white areas. When Black families tried to move out they were rejected by the white community. The white community feared that if they let blacks into their neighborhoods that the violence would follow.

Another major gang leader was Al Capone which was responsible for the Valentines Day Massacre. The Valentine’s Day Massacre was a ghastly crime that has nothing at all to do with romantic day that it was named after, other than the date of February 14. The Valentine’s Day Massacre was the gangland slaying of members of the Bugsy Moran gang in a Chicago garage, attributed to rival gangster Alphonse (Al) Capone. It was on Valentine’s Day in 1929 that Chicago was marked with the gangland violence of criminal warfare. Called the ghastliest crime in Chicago’s history, the multiple murders were part of a gangland war between the Bugsy Moran Gang and notorious Al Capone, later dubbed “Public Enemy Number One. This is one of the many gang violence stories that chicagoans have to share about their city. Gangs have been affiliated since hundreds of years ago. Gangs started out to protect the neighborhoods and turned out to be the leading factor destroying them.

Credible vs Non- Credible Sources

The difference between Credible vs Non- Credible Sources is, non-credible isn't a real sources it's something to make you think that you are getting the real thing but your only getting someone’s else point of view. I did some research last year and I went on Wikipedia and noticed that it was something wrong with the research that there where giving me. I notice that the research was produced in 2005 by a student from high school. When I had to do research on the story about the Trojan War I notice that the source have just been published like two years ago. On the Wikipedia web site anybody can go on their site and change it to their point of view. Like a ten year-old child can go there and say anything about global-warming. So if a child can go on your own site and say things that's on their mind, then you shouldn't have it posted on a site.

A credible site is www.ceasefirechicago.org . I feel that this is a good site to get some good research. One incident I read about on this website was when four high school students were hospitalized in fair to critical condition at area hospitals following two separate incidents of gang-related violence that occurred in Chicago. Delondyn Lawson, age 15, was reportedly killed by two shots from a .22 caliber semi-automatic handgun. Twelve other students were treated and released for a variety of injuries.

Me as a young black male still attending school I feel that school should be the safest place to a child. I also feel that school should have heavy security and medal detectives to make the school feel safe. Like my school it's safe because our security gaurds are like fathers to us. They make sure that when it is almost time for us to leave from school to go home they makes sure that there isn't any gang-members around to harm a student or anybody else like a student. This is truly sad how these young adults in our community have lost their lives to senseless gang violence. In the Chicago area there is truly a saddening amount of youth deaths.

What I Know and What I Want to Know

My name is Patrick Grandberry, Jr. I'm here today to tell you about what I see and here on the westside and southside of chicago. I know that the Hudson family was slain in the month of December 3, 2009. I feel that if Balfour did committ this murder he did it for money. I also know that someone had discovered Jennifer Hudson nephew in the back of a SUV truck which was owned by Balfour. I also know that the special investigators notice that the gunshot residue was on the hand of Balfour.

What I want to know?

Why would this man kill a mother also a grandmother? It's like people don't have anything else better to do besides kill their brothers and sisters. The violence is mostly coming from

the black males the ones who suppose to be putting for on the table for their families. Instead of killing and selling drugs go out and get a real job or pick up a book and read, violence is not the answer my brothers and sisters. Success is the word and the answer not violence. I'm still wondering why this man killed to of his girlfriend family members. Do he know that he will not be able to sleep for days, maybe years for what he have done to a child and a grandmother. I guess it's right what the wise man always says. He says that any man or women can kill but can they confess. Can they say that they did the crime without crying in front of the family and the judge. No they can't it's to painful. So there for if you can't take the pressure from what you have done to the famil and frindes and the victim you shouldn't try to be tuff. But I feel that people kill each other because they doesn't have a life.

City of Chicago Violence

Why do teens kill each other? Why do we fight?

In the year of 2007-2008 there were 1400 kids that were killed by family members or in a crossfire, the violence starts from the family and then leading into the children. I feel that when the family have problems they souldn't take care of it in front of the children because, children always takes up bad habits from their parents. I also feel that parents shouldn't let their children watch violent tv shows because children can pick up bad habits from that also.

Why do teens fight?

Teens fight for money, power and respect. Teens fight for money because etheir they don't have it at home or their parents don't have the money to give. Teens fight and kill for power and respect because they want their name to be known in the streets, so they stand on the corner and sell drugs to get known. So when a person from another block come on their side they ethier kill them or jump on them. I don't feel that it is right for kids to be around all of that violence that is going on in their family.

Why do teens kill eachother?

Teens kill each other through pressure. When I say that I say it because there's always a family member who pushes their little cousin, brother, or sister to do their dirty work. I don't feel that it is right to have your love ones to go to jail or get hurt over your stupidity. I know what it feel likes to lose a love over something dumb, well I didn't lose him he's just in jail. My cousin was forced to sell drugs for another man who can be his father. Now my cousin is in jail and he also has a one year-old daugther with no father.