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A theory/practice of art

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Chicago, Illinois just experienced what law enforcement has described as the "bloodiest weekend in history". As of the last week of August 2018, there have been 379 homicides this year, and 319 of them were from gunshots. This averages a person murdered about every 15 hours.
Guns, Gangs, and Grandpa's Rifle
I grew up in South Central Illinois, and these statistics refer to the largest, most recognizable city in my home state. The problems affecting those who live in Chi-town rarely, if ever, trickle down to effect those who live outside the"state of Chicago". The rising rate of shooting deaths, however does weigh heavily on the minds of many of us downstate.

Chicago residents aren't all gang-banging, gun-wielding, sign-throwing thugs any more than my neighbors are all hayseed, tobacco chewing, overall wearing yokels. We southern Illinoisans have more in common than we realize, especially when it comes to a need for gun reform. Hunting seasons, open carry laws, and FOID laws are all part of the complex issue.
Got Beef?
So, what is motivating all of this gun violence? Well, Spike Lee, in his 2016 film Chiraq believes that there are multiple forces at play that have instigated and continue to aggravate the gun problem in Chicago.

In the movie Chiraq, Lee focuses on this issue, and explores the underlying socioeconomic issues that have fueled this epidemic by setting the ancient Greek play Lysistrata by Aristophanes on the streets of Chicago with a star-studded cast of veteran actors that mostly hail from the Windy City itself.

Chicago has been at odds with itself since its earliest days. While it displays a bustling metropolis of go getting business professionals, that shiny exterior gains a more worn patina throughout the interior of the city. In the stockyard days,poverty was also hidden behind the visage of grand buildings and banks of rolling fog.
How Communities are Fighting Back with Love
The citizens of Chicago are trying to take back their streets, schools, churches, and stores and make them places of safety and comfort once more. In the wake of such staggering amounts of bloodshed, the people are tired of living in fear, and are rallying together to help enact changes to Illinois gun laws.

The issues surrounding gun reform in our country are as complex as the people that wield them. I don't know that I believe anyone really knows the right answer to the problem. I do know that we have to try to solve it.
Be Proactive
Children should never have to be afraid to live and learn. When the reality is that they aren't safe in their schools and community parks because they might get hit with astray bullet, the time has come to stop this violence.

There are countless ways to enact the changes we want to see in our society. Thanks to the rights we have as citizens to enact that change, we have an obligation to our future to do so.

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Chicago, Illinois just experienced what law enforcement has described as the "bloodiest weekend in history". As of the last week of August 2018, there have been 379 homicides this year, and 319 of them were from gunshots. This averages a person murdered about every 15 hours.

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The occupation of South Austin began promptly at 6 p.m. to the plaintive groove of a Marvin Gaye record. Chris Burton grabbed the microphone on this warm Wednesday evening and began to preach to passing motorists at the intersection of Madison Street and Central Avenue in one of the city's most violent communities.

"C'mon, honk your horns! Show some love. Put the guns down," Burton, a minister, implored as the music pulsed. "We say, 'enough is enough.' Stop shooting our kids. This is a call to the Austin community. Lift up those horns if you're standing with us in peace!"

The motorists responded. They honked as they drove, adding to the cacophony of Burton preaching ("It's time for the Austin community to wake up!") and Gaye singing ("Mercy, mercy me/Oh things ain't what they used to be"). What an unexpectedly upbeat scene we were witnessing: a blast of energy and defiance in a neighborhood that knows more despair than hope.

If you've wondered whether residents of troubled Chicago neighborhoods accept the idea of living in fear, this protest, organized by a group that calls itself #1STV (as in, Stop the Violence), provided an answer. Resigned to their community's dire fate? Not on this night, not on this street corner.

At about 3 p.m. that afternoon in Austin, a 26-year-old man was shot and killed on a sidewalk in the 100 block of South Lockwood Avenue. He was ambushed by an assailant who exited a vehicle, fired multiple times, jumped back in and fled. Three hours later, several blocks over, #1STV volunteers were setting up a hot dog grill, doing a mic check and starting the show: an anti-violence vigil and block party.

Neighbors and kids soon appeared, lining up for free hot dogs. Several Chicago police officers arrived to be part of the mix. A representative of Circle Urban Ministries who calls himself Brother Andre was there, too, ready to provide guidance to the jobless and homeless. Everyone was welcome, including a small group of young men hanging out at a nearby liquor store. "They can hear me," Burton told us of presumed gang members in the area. "They're the ones involved in this war." Of course none came over.

The gun violence that rips apart some West and South side neighborhoods has many causes. Much of it is gang-related, attributed either to drug-selling or territory disputes. The mayhem has intensified the past two years, with at least 2,288 shooting victims this year, and more than 420 homicides, according to a Tribune tally.

Crimefighting is more effective when residents trust the police enough to cooperate. CPD knows it needs to rebuild that trust after too many incidents of cops abusing their power. The department's willingness to support street-corner vigils helps. In June and July, community policing officers worked with members of the 100 Blocks, 100 Churches movement, which held anti-violence rallies each Wednesday at Austin intersections. CPD also organizes occasional "Operation Wake Up" anti-violence events in response to high-profile shootings. #1STV keeps its activities going throughout the year.

These vigils are crucial, yet get little attention. Do the aldermen who represent these neighborhoods take a lead in the fight against violence? No, and that's a travesty. We praise aldermen when we notice them rallying residents in the battle against gun violence, but we don't see enough from them, or anyone else. "There should be more support," Cornelius Parks, pastor at a South Side church, said of the aldermen, civic, religious and business groups.

What's needed are more events and organizations to draw residents together and show the gangs who really controls the streets. Residents who are afraid to leave their homes can't contribute to the fight against gangs. The next, bigger step is to provide more resources to create safe havens for kids, and to help create jobs for young people so they have a viable alternative to gang life. "Look at that school," #1STV founder George Bady Jr., a minister, said at the Austin vigil. He pointed across the street to the shuttered Robert Emmet elementary school. "What would happen if that were a youth center?"

Good question. Here's another: If residents of Austin haven't given up on their community, should other Chicagoans look the other way as a city neighborhood tries to defend itself? No. Everyone has a role to play in combating gun violence. That was the message of this street corner vigil in South Austin. Honk your horn if you agree.

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The occupation of South Austin began promptly at 6 p.m. to the plaintive groove of a Marvin Gaye record. Chris Burton grabbed the microphone on this warm Wednesday evening and began to preach to passing motorists at the intersection of Madison Street and Central Avenue in one of the city's most violent communities.

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-  Poverty
- Anger
- Stress
- Gangs
- Dice Games
- Robbery
-Arguments
- lack of respect
- Bullying
-  Abuse

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The Conflict is that Chicago is turning into another Chiraq because they are having tons of killings dealing with guns.