Serious mental illness is another issue that is …show more content…
In Chicago gun violence soared to over a thousand people being shot in the first six months of 2015, a greater number than much larger cities like Los Angles and New York City combined. Eighty-percent of all shootings and murders in Chicago are gang related, and one very important way to do this is to end the cycle of poverty. Stringent laws and larger amounts of patrolling cops may only be a temporary, if at all, solution. Chicago Now states “Chicago cannot police [their] way out of this. The city cannot legislate its way out of this] (Peter V. Bella, 10 June 2015). To truly fix this problem, we need to focus on the youth in areas desperation. In many of our central cities across America, gangs are persuasive to young minorities who feel they are out of options. Growing up in areas with limited opportunity and resources as well a many disparities, the route to college and careers seem so unattainable. On the other hand, what is more attainable are gangs. These people are not evil, rather victims of circumstance, not granted the prospect to live a successful life based on their social background. Like us, they are committed to protecting and supporting their families. In order to end the this repeating cycle, we need to focus on extending a hand to children in teens in poverty and get them to find their passion, something to strive for, a goal in life. I believe that once we are able to do that, gangs will not seem so enticing and there will be no members to supply them