Tragedy

Last week a deadly fight broke out between gang members who are apart of both the school and neighborhood surrounding Chicago's Fenger High School. A grisly video tape of the massive brawl was released to the press and aired on Fox, the video depicts a riot, where dozens of males are furiously running, screaming, and fighting. Although a gun was not used, huge planks were to strike numerous students, resulting in a broken jaw and the first blow to the student who died, as a result of the injuries sustained during the fight. The fight's aftermath has yielded several responses from the public, which have me mulling the fight over. On the news a school representative called the school a war zone, telling the mayor to disregard the 2016 Olympics and worry about providing the school with security comparable to the National Guard. And while listening to the radio the people texted, emailed, and called demanding more of a police presence in these communities.

What all the people I heard failed to say, was that the community needs to be more responsible and held accountable. Take for instance, the kid who video taped the entire fight. He literally saw a boy being beaten to death in front of him, and not once did he say he thought the police needed to be called. Rather you heard him comment on how funny it was to see another kid being beaten and stomped. No action was taken by anyone to try and get the kid out from the bottom of the pile, nor was there any action taken to break the fight up. It was left to escalate as the droves of people who weren't fighting, sat on the sidelines and watched or ran. In an era where everyone has cell phones and the world is literally the press of a button away, do you expect me to believe the police wouldn't be either?

Police make their presence known in neighborhoods where they are welcome. Sadly, in many urban areas police are viewed as the enemy and there are not enough responsible citizens who step up and answer the call when their community needs them. This is evident in the rampant murder rates and ever growing gang problem. Perhaps instead of asking where the police are, why isn't that school representative saying, "We knew this would happen. I've never once seen the kids parent(s) during any conferences or school functions." Parents and communities need to take the responsibility when riots like these occur because it's truly the lack of their presence that create the monster who stomps a 16 year old to death.