A 15-year-old boy was shot and killed in my city. The hurt and anguish in the community is high and people are asking what we can do to fix it. Everyone is posting on social media, voicing opinions about who is at fault and responsible for letting this young man die. Some are blaming the parents. Some are blaming city officials. Some are blaming the media for what many see as glamorizing violence and gun life that is readily available for viewing on our phones and televisions.
Who is watching and monitoring the kids and their actions? I think all of the above are or should be. I know what I am about to say is going to cause friction in this community, but I think it is important to express the cold hard truth about what leads a 15-year-old boy to open fire on another teen, thereby derailing a child’s future.
Parents are supposed to create an atmosphere of learning and are by the very nature of their title supposed to provide direction to their children. As a community today, we cannot police kids who are not our own. Kids these days have more influence on how adults deal with them than interest in listening and/or follow directions. I believe we (parents) must be more accountable to the actions of our children. I propose that If a child acts up or does something, not only does the child get into trouble. but the parent also must accept the responsibility of the child’s actions.
The role of city officials is to provide programs and activities in our community; to make our cities, counties and towns amazing places for our children to play and learn. City officials want to be there when an incident happens. We want to provide support and prayer during times of need. However, city officials have not been providing adequate youth services in Roanoke. Basketball nets were removed in northwest parks. Rec centers are closed so our youth cannot participate in afterschool programs. I know some of these actions were taken as part of COVID-19 control, but some of the nets were down before the pandemic began.
The media in some ways glamorizes the use of gun violence on television and social media. We watch series of violence through our Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, Tweeter and even newer platforms in which gun violence and shooting are featured, all available for the viewing of our children.
We as a community need to remember that a 15-year-old boy with a future ahead of himself is dead. We cannot keep talking about solutions. We need to start implementing solutions.
Tags: Publisher's Note, Youth
Share On Facebook
Tweet It
