Tuesday, October 16, 2012

5 killed, 25 wounded. Where did this take place?

I came across this headline:  5 killed, 25 wounded. Where did this happen?  Afghanistan?  Iraq?  Nope.  Chicago over the weekend.  Sounds like a war zone.  I guess we in the US have become desensitized to this sort of thing.

This story brings home the human element.
For the second time in her life, a South Side Chicago grandmother learned one of her grandsons was shot to death.

Florine Monroe said she received the call Saturday that her 17-year-old grandson, Richard Modell, was killed. The news came months after Monroe buried another grandchild, 21-year-old Marlon Monroe, who was shot in the chest and killed April 28 in the Woodlawn neighborhood.

"They've got to get these guns out of young people's hands," Monroe said, quietly crying.

Police said Modell and his 18-year-old friend were on their way to meet a friend around 9:30 p.m. Saturday when someone shot them in the 6300 block of South Rhodes Avenue. Authorities said Modell may have been targeted because of a fight between rival gangs.

"He was trying to get a scholarship for football," Monroe said.

The 18-year-old with Modell was shot multiple times and taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition. Police said they don't believe he had any gang ties.

What's the answer?  Since much, I presume, is gang related, gangs need to be addressed.  They are a surrogate family in many respects.  That's where family and marriage in to play.  Kids needs their fathers involved in their lives.  To give them discipline, direction, and tough love at times.  That needs to be a priority.

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