Community and Domestic Violence - Essay Example

BHE-415Community and Domestic ViolenceGang violence has affected the states of America for many years. Though the percentage of violence varies from region to region, the consequences of this type of violence affects the entire country. Gang violence affiliation is the perfect motivation for children who can be easily influenced to remove themselves from the drudgery of their lives and enter a world where the ideas of violence are glamorized and shown as courageous and effective in reaching the required ends.

Most gang members are pulled into the world of violence because of a number of flaws in the system. Basic essentials are denied to the youth and his concept of being caught in the same cycle as his parents frightens him into choosing any path available to escape it. It has been proven by the National Academies Press that gang violence hits the areas that are economically backwards the hardest (7). These gang members are motivated by the life around them to find a way out. Thus, by joining a gang the individual ensures a sure-fire way of achieving an income.

An income that is presented through shows of courage and loyalty to the gang is important as it comes with the due respect. The arms available to any gang has increased by the hundredfold. In 2001,the Boston Globe printed an article speaking of an unregistered arms dealer was sentenced to 13 years in prison for selling grenades to members of street gangs Thus revealing that in America today, it has become abundantly easy for any young gang-member to obtain arms. An individual case of this violence comes from Mario Banuelos who was a member of a gang in Morgan Hill, California.

He speaks of an incident where he was beat up by a boy. Unable to fight back he expected the boy to terrorize him but learned a lesson when after the first beating the boy returned to apologize for his actions (Morgan Hills Times). The evidence in this story proves that Banuelos chose to fight as had been taught by the street culture but in turn forgot the basics of humanity that instill an individual to apologize when they feel they have wronged a fellow being. When the boy came back to say sorry, Banuelos was reminded that fighting was not the solution to every problem.

And this self-realization allowed him to change his life. There are countless solutions for problems to gang violence. Amongst them are calls for the economic situation in these gang-inflicted areas to be improved. There are also calls made to improve the education system and enforce the idea that there is equal opportunity for all individuals. However, more basic themes have been adopted by organizations like United Teen Equality Center to convince the youth to stay away from gangs (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation).

The first and foremost is to mediate conflicts between the different gangs. Events can be held to promote peace and give the youth more space to innovate. But, the family is considered the breeding ground for gang violence. Proper parenting is vital to prevent a young individual from choosing guns over books. After parenting, the community :families, neighbors, service providers and funding organizations should involve itself into motivating the youth of the area and ensuring that they are well-informed enough to stop them from feeling the need to form a gang.

Solving the problem of gang violence is no easy task. Only when these basic principles are met will any community be free of the affects which can hamper and degenerate the growth of an entire generation. BibliographyMario Banuelos, One solution for reducing gang violence, Morgan Hills Times, August 14 2008, June 14 2009, http://www.morganhilltimes.com/opinion/247614-one-solution-for-reducing-gang-violenceNational Academies Press, viewed 14 June 2009 http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12016&page=7Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Streetworkers Mediate Gang Violence and Connect Teens to Health Services in Lowell, Mass, November 2008, June 14 2009 http://www.rwjf.org/reports/grr/048872.htm