By LaMar BrownI have been a resident of Lansing my whole life. I am starting to see that some of the people who also live in my city have forgotten the value of life. There has been a tremendous increase of violence in a short period of time. I think we need to start effectively communicating with our youth, in a positive manner. Get more involved in youths lives by giving them activities to participate in other than watching adults make bad decisions. Give youth chores to teach them the art of work and appreciation. Maybe if they knew how to work for what they wanted they will appreciate what they receive. Giving youth responsibilities can play a major part in decreasing the violence.
Violence has tarnished a town that was once known as a place of peace and safety. Lansing should be a place to raise children without the worries of violence. Somehow through all of the confusion, we have lost the sense of educating each other on violence. It has been glorified in the wrong manner.
Have we forgotten that what we see on television or hear about in music is only ENTERTAINMENT? I can imagine that everyone that encourages violence does not like the outcome of it, especially if they were involved in it in any way. You rarely hear about the physical and emotional pain that comes along with it, like the tears, agony and heartbreak that it brings to families and loved ones. The time you have to spend by YOURSELF in a 6 x 8 feet cell while being punished for a crime is not in the script or the spotlight.
Due to the fact that it is easy to become violent or become a victim of violence, it has become hard to avoid for some. Sometimes a bad situation can find you and that is where poor thinking comes in. It only takes one bad decision for a lot of lives to change DRAMATICALLY. On the other hand, it is going to take a lot of lives and work to change one big (bad situation).
I have lost more than enough close friends and family to violence as a young teen, a young adult and as a grown man. I have seen parents mourn the loss of a child, as well as, and children mourn the loss of a parent. Children do not get a chance to get the full attention and love from a parent that is behind bars. The loss to the family and community is something you will never get used to. Unfortunately, I have seen violence from both aspects of it, from the victim and the victimizer. Guess what? There are no WINNERS.
We as adults should try to teach our youth that violence affects both parties. One person hurt or worse and another incarcerated. We are wasting a perfect opportunity to make life easier for our future, especially our children. If we lose important people, who do we leave behind to guide our children? It is time we stand up, STOP being lazy and get more involved in their lives. It is called Active Parenting. No one is perfect but, A LITTLE EFFORT GOES A LONG WAY.
If we can at least show that we care enough to pay attention, I think that would be more than enough to give the younger generation some kind of hope for a better future. The children are the innocent ones. During acts of violence people tend to forget about the little boys and girls that are subject to become victims themselves. They do not even consider their own children that they leave behind to face this cruel world alone. What is more heartbreaking is the responsibility they place upon others to protect their children while they are incarcerated.
There is an old saying “that it takes a village to raise a child.” What happens if we leave behind a village full of lost children with no guidance? We have to think of what options are going to be left for the children. Who will teach or educate them? Who can they depend on to protect them? Of course everyone wants to see results but if you are not part of the solution, you could very well be part of the problem! Let us not wait for one person to make the first move. We need to stand up as a unit to take our city back!!!
LaMar “Skrap” Brown has been putting paper to pen for years. He is a rapper and resides in Lansing, MI.
This was printed in the January 15, 2012 – January 28, 2012 Edition
