Another Chicago student victim of violence

A cover story in The New York Times today highlighted the Chicago Public School’s effort to curb youth violence. Instead of a traditional approach, Ron Huberman, chief officer of public schools is using data analysis to predict and pinpoint potential victims. The city also announced a $30 million project targeting 1,200 high school students identified as high-risk victims of gun violence, providing them with full-time mentors and part-time jobs.

I was disturbed to read about Derrion Albert, the 16-year-old Chicago high school student beaten to death with wood planks by South Side gang members. The school year has barely started and three young people have already died. Again Chicago is in the national spotlight not for the Olympics but for its numbing violence.

Here are few recent headlines from the Chicago Tribune:

•Boy, 16, found dead on Far South Side
•Cops: Teen stabbed mother's boyfriend
•What (Not) To Do With $38M In Violence Prevention Funding Slain student, 17, is mourned
•Chicago school violence: District rushes to put anti-violence plan in place as gunfire claims new victims


This summer I had the amazing opportunity to spend some time with the folks on the frontline of Chicago’s violence problem: Carl Bell, a well-respected psychiatrist, Tio Hardiman, director of CeaseFire, an anti-violence coalition and Jermaine Rhodes, a 21-year-old CeaseFire violence interrupter.

Jermaine, the young man who I interviewed for this piece asked me why I wanted to write a story about his West Side neighborhood.

“Your story, you know. It’s important,” I told him. “The world needs to hear it.” Seconds later, I felt stupid for my shallow and idealistic answer.

Even after I wrote my story Jermaine and I knew his life wouldn't change drastically because of it. The ‘hood would still be the ‘hood and he would still be wrapped up in it.

“Well tell the world this,” Jermaine said. “Chicago is a fucked up place,” Those words hit me in my gut and I remember walking past scraggly lots with worn men hunched over on milk crates. I knew what Jermaine was talking about.