As the news pages boil with stories of children gunning downchildren, the pens, typewriters and computer screens of youth aroundBoston are spilling over in disgust. This summer, Peacework, thenewsletter of the American Friends Service Committee, held an essaycontest titled 'The Violence in Boston and What We Can Do About It.'
Peacework offered $500 for the top essay, $100 for second andthird places and $25 for the remaining top 10. Mind you, $500 isconsidered a mediocre weekend by some teen-age drug sellers.Contrary to notions that urban youth are uninformed, unmotivated andlost, Peacework received 282 entries.
Finalist Ben Cowart, 17, of Roxbury, wrote: 'They say youth arethe problem. I say they are wrong. Most acts of violence are linkedwith guns or drugs. Therefore the problem isn't the youth. It's themanufacturers of guns and the constant flow of drugs entering ourcountry. So until the government and the politicians decide to stopthat, the violence will continue.'
Liveda Clements, 18, of Mattapan won second prize for writingabout attending the funeral of a friend who died by a bullet.Clements wrote, 'As I walked closer to the casket my legs became likerubber bands, tears descending from my eyes like water dripping froma leaking faucet. . . . He had a great dream of becoming a criminaljustice lawyer. . . . Now I am here to pursue both his dreams and mygoals. Education, acquiring general knowledge and developing thepower of reasoning and judgment is the solution to the problem ofviolence.'
The following are excerpts from some of the other 30 finalists.They see quite clearly who is lost: we, the adults.
Tasha Morris, 16, Dorchester -- 'Give us media without murder as aside dish, and make more information available.'
Julie Feeney, 16, Jamaica Plain -- 'Extreme measures such asstopping the sale of all handguns and expulsion for first-timeoffenders should be considered as possible solutions. . . . The cityshould work to provide places for public school children to go afterschool. There should be more job opportunities offered to highschool students, not only during the summer but for winter monthsalso.'
Melinda Huang, 19, South End -- 'Society can hand out punishmentto juveniles . . . yet the deadly tumor of our society cannot becompletely cut off. . . . Schools and libraries need money for morebooks. . . . The effectiveness of violence reduction in society alsodepends on the media's influence. The younger ones watch `NinjaTurtles,' `X-Men,' `Road Runner' and buy the corresponding toys,while the older ones watch `Rambo,' `Dead or Alive' or other crimedramas and put their hands on real weapons.'
Tyrone Sutton, 18, Roxbury (tied for third place) -- 'If Bostonhad a system of community leaders who would take the youth of theirneighborhood under their wing to initiate change, I believe thedifference would be evident.'
Aru Manrique, 17, Cambridge -- 'A country in which you need an IDto buy a package of cigarettes but you can buy an automatic weapon onthe corner in some neighborhoods can be pretty confusing.'
Keisha Jones, 14, Dorchester -- 'The city should take abandonedbuildings and make them into recreation centers for sports clubs,dance groups, computer classes and places to be so kids wouldn't haveto hang out on the streets.'
Antoinette Johnson, 17, Dorchester -- 'Peer pressure convincesyouth to do wrong, but it can also have the opposite effect ifstrong-willed students who are against violence and crime convey apositive impact on their peers.'
Kharis Eubanks, 18, Roxbury -- 'Today's society glorifies the fastand easy dollar. . . . Every other commercial is about a new way tomake money quickly. . . . Teenagers begin to rob, steal and selldrugs. . . . The adults of the community get upset with the youthfor being violent when they need to work on the people bringing theguns in.'
Stacy-Ann Gordon, 16, Dorchester (first place) -- 'Instead ofsaying `Maybe we should,' say `I will and I am.' '
Gregson Luke, 18, Dorchester -- 'Our mothers and fathers areresponsible for instilling' values. 'The churches need to open theirdoors . . . the police and other law enforcement officials need toget out of their patrol cars . . . the mayor and other governmentofficials need to create . . . after-school workshops and communityhalls. . . . We the youths must come to our senses and realize thatwe have only one world and one life.'
Michelle Durham, 15, of Roxbury (tied for third place) -- 'I havea very small voice and never really speak out; Maybe this just mightbe the chance for me to get my message out. . . . But I just can'tseem to shout loud enough for the world to hear me; sometimes I wishI could pull everyone near me. If I could, then I'd whisper, `Whenare we going to stop?' And hopefully in the end, all the guns woulddrop.'
