The Mirror To The Trauma in Chicago Lives
Written by Stephen on February 21, 2013
Lives lived amid violence’s stain
We’ve turned a bend in the road. No, violence hasn’t evaporated. And I’m not sure we’re measuring the reach of the plague well. The bend we’ve passed is how we tell the story of violence. How we plumb the depths of what it does to a family, a street, a neighborhood, a city. Much of […]
Written by Stephen on February 21, 2013
Guns Don’t Just Kill.
Guns kill. But they do more. They maim. They cripple. They paralyze and they explode the potential for doing harm. During calendar year 2011, 707 young people age 18 and under were shot, and 83 (12%) were killed in Chicago. Almost 20% of those shooting victims were on probation at the time they were shot. […]
Written by Stephen on January 28, 2013
Clearing Out The Roots of Violence
Stall the gangs. Push them off the corners. Into jail. Into hiding. Out of crime’s way. That’s one strategy we’ve read news reports about. But what else are Chicago and Cook County officials trying to do as violence does not ebb? Juliana Stratton, executive director of the Cook County Judicial Advisory Council, can talk about […]
Written by Stephen on January 22, 2013
Hearing about the pain
After the family tells their story. After the funeral and more stories. After the blood is washed away, or the room of the victim is cleaned up, what about the family? Does anyone turn to them to help them through the time ahead? Often there’s no help, no counseling, no sharing of advice and support. […]
Written by Stephen on January 22, 2013
What Do Know About Violence Here and Does It Add Up?
Let’s count the ways we explain the plague of violence in some Chicago communities. We report on the roll of gangs. But we also say that sometimes it’s a clash of wills, a culture of being tough, a web of entangling fears. We talk about guns and getting guns off the street. But we know […]
Written by Stephen on January 20, 2013
So much violence, so few answers
I am frustrated and maybe you can help. I hope you can. When I first read the news accounts of six-year-old Aliyah Shell’s death, it sadly seemed like so many other news stories. A child killed by a random bullet. Police say it may be gang-related. Family, neighbors, and many others are heart-broken and outraged. […]
Written by Stephen on March 27, 2012