Every community is grappling with an increase in violence. Unfortunately, despite the response of both police union leaders and elected officials across the nation (pushing to add more law enforcement officers to every department, create stiffer penalties, and explore shortsighted alternatives for what “experts” think will prevent or reduce violent incidents), such approaches continually fail to produce effective long-term results.
On the contrary, if communities large and small ever realistically expect to disrupt the rising wave of chaos, it would behoove leaders at every level to stop wasting time and resources and instead consider addressing the problem with a serious game plan, instead of reacting to it with Band-Aid responses.
It does not take a genius to recognize how multiple variables have contributed to people losing their moral compasses.
A combination of factors has virtually made it a crime for parents to correct their own children in public or within their own homes when adolescents need it most, and it has stripped educators from being able to provide proper discipline to unruly children in school.
Add peer pressure and mental health challenges. Then, factor in the process of allowing the naive minds of children and young adults to be flooded with desensitizing and mesmerizing lifelike imagery involving gun battles in video games. Observe misleading and adrenaline-producing lyrics from rap songs and music videos laced with catchy beats and feminist movements that have sought to emasculate men.
Social services, prosecutors, and court systems have played a behind-the-scenes role in creating further tension between fathers and mothers by nonchalantly encouraging young mothers (and their children) to view fathers as little more than human ATMs instead of loving disciplinarians and masculine voices of reason.
Mahatma Gandhi stated that “poverty is the worst form of violence.” This is more reason why elected officials responsible for communities across America must begin to realize that the solution to curbing community violence will not come from one approach, but instead, multiple creative strategies.
First, implement legislation that will reward local businesses with creative tax incentives for hiring and retaining employees who are ex-felons in need of a chance at reestablishing themselves in life. Continuing to ignore such a segment of any city is a foolish approach that only increases the burden on local and state resources. But helping such citizens become successful and economically independent increases the likelihood of these residents becoming a new stream of revenue for the city in the form of taxpayers, property owners, business owners, and more.
Require state boards of education to make curricula on effective decision-making and conflict resolution skills mandatory from 6th grade to 12th grade in all schools.
Implement laws that enforce strict regulations on predatory payday lending, predatory mortgage lending, and pawnshops aimed at preventing questionable financial hardships and averting home foreclosures.
Support legislation at the municipal level that will supersede labor union protections, allowing for increased punitive repercussions (via criminal and civil charges) that will deter law enforcement who act irresponsibly from exhibiting a sense of invincibility when abuses of force or civil rights violations have been proven.
Finally, create life-improving economic opportunities, especially for people of color struggling in urban communities. This would involve ensuring a fair, adequate distribution of economic development dollars to black communities. Investment in the infrastructure of urban neighborhoods should also be a necessity in order to make them “live-work-play communities” that can become appealing, mixed-use, self-sufficient safe havens that inspire hope, instead of disadvantaged streets that spark bitterness and dissension.
Ultimately, these strategies have the potential to benefit an entire city, county, or region.
Santura Pegram ([email protected]) is a freelance writer and socially conscious business consultant who has helped to advise small businesses; nonprofit organizations; city, county, and state governmental committees; elected officials; professional athletes; and school systems.
