Senseless...
Senseless.
That word is used a lot and by many people. But, in my opinion, there is no way for a person to know, to truly understand, the meaning of the word. That is, until they lose a loved one to a violent crime.
It was one year ago in October when I learned the meaning of the word senseless. That is when a small group of teenaged boys shot and killed my 29-year-old cousin in a robbery.
Jerry Eure, Jr. understands that word as well. His father, Jerry Sr., was taken from him about a month ago in a truly senseless crime.
Yesterday, the police announced the arrest of two 17-year-old boys in connection with the murder. The boys had done odd jobs for Jerry Sr.
What the hell is going on in the world? How can we, a nation so rich in so many ways, have done so wrong by our youth?
The truth is, there is no simple answer to America's growing problem of youth violence. We can not blame it on video games or music, they are merely scapegoats. The real problem is us, society as a whole. We have lost focus. We no longer value the family dynamic over all else.
So, the question then becomes, how do we fix it?
How do we give a single mother (or father), who is working two jobs just to keep up with the rent, the time and energy to sit down to a family meal every night. For that matter, how do we make sure they have enough food for a meal every night.
We have tried a welfare system, and it failed. We have tried a reformed welfare, and that too has failed. We are raising the minimum wage, but economists warn us that we are again dooming ourselves to failure.
I don't have the answers, but I pray that someone else, someone smarter than I, can come up with some.
I can only hope that the death of an icon, like Jerry Eure Sr., is enough to shine some light on the issue of teen violence, and spur those with the power to do something about it.
That word is used a lot and by many people. But, in my opinion, there is no way for a person to know, to truly understand, the meaning of the word. That is, until they lose a loved one to a violent crime.
It was one year ago in October when I learned the meaning of the word senseless. That is when a small group of teenaged boys shot and killed my 29-year-old cousin in a robbery.
Jerry Eure, Jr. understands that word as well. His father, Jerry Sr., was taken from him about a month ago in a truly senseless crime.
Yesterday, the police announced the arrest of two 17-year-old boys in connection with the murder. The boys had done odd jobs for Jerry Sr.
What the hell is going on in the world? How can we, a nation so rich in so many ways, have done so wrong by our youth?
The truth is, there is no simple answer to America's growing problem of youth violence. We can not blame it on video games or music, they are merely scapegoats. The real problem is us, society as a whole. We have lost focus. We no longer value the family dynamic over all else.
So, the question then becomes, how do we fix it?
How do we give a single mother (or father), who is working two jobs just to keep up with the rent, the time and energy to sit down to a family meal every night. For that matter, how do we make sure they have enough food for a meal every night.
We have tried a welfare system, and it failed. We have tried a reformed welfare, and that too has failed. We are raising the minimum wage, but economists warn us that we are again dooming ourselves to failure.
I don't have the answers, but I pray that someone else, someone smarter than I, can come up with some.
I can only hope that the death of an icon, like Jerry Eure Sr., is enough to shine some light on the issue of teen violence, and spur those with the power to do something about it.
posted by Janine Logue, Pennington Post Editor at
1:32 PM
1 Comments:
Senseless,I don't understand the senseless violence either. However, what I do understand is a stark level of discrimination. I agree with everyone that the death of Mr. Eure, was senseless, tragic, and evil. Yet, I disagree at the media's response to the situation. Mr. Eure was a wonderful man, I personally knew him and became physically ill at the thought of how the last moments of his wonderful life must have been. However, my level of equality regarding his death, is factual, or at least from my point of reference. Mr. Eure's death is not the only tragedy in our area. The evil committed on children, in my opinion was much more tragic. Little girls, should not be shot in the face, while outside playing. Little girls should not be burned to death in their beds, by virtue of gangs violence. This I find to be the most tragic of all. Although, Mr. Eure's family and friends are devastated from the violence and senseless hate that can drive a person to committ such a horrific act, we should not and cannot dismiss or diminish the thoughts about the children. The children who did not have a chance to live, knew no other life accept innocence, should never be forgotten. We should not forget that their deaths, struck this city like a plague. Their deaths displayed a raging awareness of the violence we all live with everyday. You speak of a solution, as we all do. However, no plan put on paper, will overcome what has become a way of life for many residents throughout the region. Program after program has been put in place. Studies have been studied and yet, no conclusive results have flourished to the degree that problems have been solved. Believe me, the solution is not on paper, graphs or statistics. The solution is simple and plain. The solution is caring, respect, truth, awareness, allegience and togetherness. Seems too simplistic when it's spoken of in these few words, yet this is what it would take. These actions as well as reactions would reach the root of the problems. These actions, if respected by everyone involved would solve most of our problems almost overnight.
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