Chicago!

​          I would like to talk about the city that I was born and raised in and that is Chicago. The violence has been displayed all over the media, and talked about by high level politicians. Chicago is an amazing city with people that are amazing. Chicagoans love their city and are proud of their city. I was born and raised on the west side of the city. I lived on the north side as well and have great experiences with the city of Chicago. We have an amazing skyline, University of Chicago is #3 ranked in national universities, home of former President and First Lady the Obamas, and ranked #41 out of 313 cities in the United States for its diversity.
          The few things that I listed, and I am very sure there are many more things that I could have listed that are not mentioned in the media, why is this the case.  Why is the media primarily focused on the murder rate in Chicago? Here are the numbers dating back to the year 1990. 1990: 851, 1991: 928, 1992: 943, 1993: 855, 1994: 931, 1995: 828, 1996: 796, 1997: 761, 1998: 704, 1999: 643, 2000: 633, 2001: 667, 2002: 656, 2003: 601, 2004: 453, 2005: 602, 2006: 471, 2007: 448, 2008: 513, 2009: 459, 2010: 436, 2011: 435, 2012: 516, 2013: 441, 2014: 432, 2015: 492, 2016: 762. As you can see from the years 1990 – 1996 the murder rate was higher than our last year’s murder rate. The difference in the early 90’s and the year 2016 is SOCIAL MEDIA. 1992 had a staggering 943 HOMICIDES. This year alone has 181 more homicides than 2016. The early 2000’s were just as bad but of course social media was not as relevant. 2016 was the highest murder rate year since 1997. I am not blaming it all on social media but the influence is tremendous.
          The question that the world has right now is how can the homicide rate be lowered all together? The resolution is not in the near future, and the public and the people that live in the city have to realize just that. The media must take what they air into accountability. Social Media only goes so far, once it hits the television the effect becomes greater and reaches national viewers. The individuals that are pulling the triggers are going to take a lot longer to slow down than most think. Jobs, better schools, after school programs will not fix this issue. The issue starts at home with parenting and this is generational. This will take generations to fix an issue this major. Parents in the inner city or what we call the “Ghetto” must invest a bit more time and attention into their child.
          Parents must talk to their child about their lives and days, be in tune with their education, and show love always. Unfortunately, as a parent in the hood, you should invest more effort and time into your child in comparison to a child outside of the ghetto. We as ghetto children are neglected in many ways and surviving becomes our only mission in life. Ghetto life comes with a bunch of excuses and reasons for the violence in our neighborhoods. Parents that are involved in their child’s life are busy providing food, shelter, and clothes for the child. Those things listed become the only and primary involvement that the parent has with the child. It’s a very tough battle and no one is given a book or taught how to be a successful parent. The violence can be lowered if the involvement from the parents in the hood was higher. Take responsibility and educate your child. Their actions are all your responsibility until they are no longer living in your house. You must ask them questions, sit with them from time to time with homework, pop up at the schools and visit the teachers or just see how they act when you are not around, plan weekend fun and educational things. None of what I just mentioned comes with a great cost but it does come with some effort. My opinion will not cure the issue but I feel it will definitely help. Spread love!!

​Written By: Ronald Anthony Wilson.