Circle 3: Violence in the Community

Concerns: 

  • Gun violence is generational
  • Potential for violence for babies (kindergarten – 6th grade)
  • Idolization of those who own guns, rap culture, etc. high school crime rates have been increasing
  • Territory wars
  • Social media
  • Drugs in the high school; a lot of laced weed, popping pills, etc., which is causing violence
  • Lack of resources
  • Lack of responsible father-figures or males in the households
  • Unsolved murders: no resources to solve the crimes, public concern or people stepping up
  • Snitch culture
  • Limited career aspirations: Amazon or McDonald’s
  • Parents not disciplining their children after fighting etc. e.g. parent fighting with principal after student got in trouble for fighting
  • Trauma and PTSD: young students don’t know how to handle the violence they’re experiencingTrauma and PTSD: young students don’t know how to handle the violence they’re experiencing

Solutions: 

  • Sports like football helps young men stay out of trouble
  • Parenting classes: traditional styles of parenting, creating structure of the household
  • Agencies who can solve crimes, rather than communities
  • Holding sheriff and police accountable
  • Community meetings, like solution circles
  • Bring in aspirational adults to speak to the youth to inspire them; ex. army, pastors, educators, STEM, etc.
  • Expose youth to opportunities
  • Holding parents, community members, sheriffs and elected officials accountable to the violence

➡️ Read more stories from the Delta Bureau here.

The mission of the Mississippi Free Press, a new nonprofit journalism website and multimedia network that launched in March 2020, is to publish deep public-interest reporting into causes of and solutions to the social, political and structural challenges facing all Mississippians and their communities. Mississippians need to know each other across regions and share our challenges and solutions despite geographic and other differences. We are introducing Mississippians to each other through our deep accountability reporting and compelling people-focused storytelling, and by convening online and physical “solutions circles,” using our statewide networks to ensure inclusivity and representation.