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Joe- How can one find a new path after illegal business?

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Joe- How can one find a new path after illegal business?

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A man named Harley Blakeman was 17 years old when he started engaging in illegal drug trade. He grew up with an addict mother and a non present father, very similarly to the other Wes. He served a year in prison and turned a new, graduating top of his class but he could not find a new job. His past was holding him back, so he decided to create Honest Jobs: a website that can link former criminals to employers that offer a second chance. There are lots of companies that offer second chance jobs, and they also have lots of openings. This Honest Jobs allows the people to find a new path with ease. 2/3 of unemployed men in their thirtys have a criminal record, so with a program emphasizing a second chance, others can see these past criminals as normal humans. It allows them to escape their past environmental influences, and live up to the potential that was always within.

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Honest Jobs provides pathways to opportunity for job seekers with criminal records

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Honest Jobs is a second chance hiring platform that matches candidates with a criminal record to open positions with second chance employers. Click for more.

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Austin - Can others really influence your own behavior?

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Austin - Can others really influence your own behavior?

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Those who live in poverty and live amongst a culture of violence and illegal behavior are often left without any helping hand. This sense of lonesomeness only causes the cycle to continue for eternity. When others are there for each other, ensuring good respectable behavior, it will only provide a new culture for a strive of greatness. Studies show that those who band together, most likely accomplish what they set out to do. In our culture today, there is not nearly enough of that. People wake up everyday and accept what has been dealt to them. They have this philosophy that there is no way to break the chain and they will be stuck in place forever. The mentality one should have, is the one the author gained at Valley Forge. The mentality that it is up to you and only you to make a change. But this does not work when alone. There must be a community that adhere to this and then change will start to occur.

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Solidarity Is the Core of Our Movements — It’s Also Messier Than We Often Admit

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Sarah Schulman discusses her new book, which examines solidarity as a practice, creative endeavor and performance art.

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Cole Chapter 7-8 Social Issues where can the poor go if there is nowhere left for them

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Cole Chapter 7-8 Social Issues where can the poor go if there is nowhere left for them

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Poverty is a problem that every major city faces. It is detrimental even thinking about how the homeless live their day to day lives. Rain or snow they could be out, with nowhere to go. The website End Homelessness provides step by step instructions in order to survive and thrive as a homeless person. They highlight that the first and most important step is to access local support for urgent needs. There are many organizations and individuals who are always willing to help those in need. All one would have to do is ask for it. This relates to the other Wes Moore who has continued to battle poverty in all of the ways that were negative in order to survive. It's difficult to blame him for the actions that he did but it is easy to understand why he did them. Having four kids and making 9$ an hour to provide for them is just not enough. He had to do something but dealing drugs and robbing stores was not it.

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How to Get Help If You Are Experiencing Homelessness

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The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a nonpartisan organization committed to preventing and ending homelessness in the United States.

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Austin-Chapter 2- Can the presence of a father change the behavior of a child?

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Austin-Chapter 2- Can the presence of a father change the behavior of a child?

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The trend of absent fathers in poverty is on an upward spiral. The consequences of not having a father is very prevalent in our society today. We often see fatherless kids stray away from any sort of moral compass, and tend to lean toward an immoral way of life. Having a father figure, a sturdy man of the house, will help teach young men and woman the principles of life. Fathers of boys, are necessary for their evolution to manhood. For the incarcerated Wes, a father figure could have changed his life. The closest thing he had to a father figure was his older brother Tony, who was a thug.

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The Consequences Of Fatherlessness | National Center For Fathering

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Some fathering advocates would say that almost every social ill faced by America’s children is related to fatherlessness. Six are noted here.

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Drug dealing is a constant negative impact on countless lives. Some overdose on the very thing they purchase while others kill each other to get as much dope or profit possible. A shooting occurred in Kansas City over this weekend. Two men were confirmed dead and two others were wounded from the gun fight. Kansas City Police Chief, Karl Oakman said that three individuals went into an apartment allegedly to buy drugs, attempted to rob the dealers, leading to a shoot out between them. The two men found dead were ages 19 and 20. Two young lives were stripped right from beneath caused by nothing more than greed and violence.This emphasizes the immense danger that automatically comes with dealing drugs. It is also broadly presented throughout the novel when Tony is shown recovering from gunshot wounds and Wes' terrible, malicious habits picked up from being around it for so long. Both boys were introduced to drug dealing at a very young age and as presented in the research, it is not difficult for these people to be killed. Overall drug dealing as a whole is a very dangerous game and shouldn't be played by any means.

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FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Police are releasing more information about a shooting over the weekend in Kansas City, Kansas that left two men dead and two others wounded.

KCK Police Chief Karl Oakman said three people went to an apartment complex on North 70th Terrace on Saturday night to buy drugs and attempted to rob the sellers, which led to a gun battle.

The two men who police say were purchasing drugs were killed. They have been identified as 19-year-old Javon Brown and 20-year-old Delorean Jackson, both residents of KCK.

Two other people were struck by gunfire and hospitalized. They are expected to recover.

Oakman said the police department continues its efforts to combat illegal drug trafficking and violence associated with it.

"Whether it's cocaine, methamphetamine or fentanyl, our narcotics team, as well as working with the DEA and our partners from ATF, we are doing what we can to focus on these individuals that are trafficking these drugs and attaching it to the violence that it's attached to," Oakman said.

KCKPD released photos from a drug operation last week that resulted in their team seizing a large amount of cocaine and marijuana along with 11 assault rifles.

Police say two people are in custody in connection with the shooting and double homicide investigation, however charges have not been filed at this time.

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Deadly KCK shooting happened during drug deal, police chief says

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Police are releasing more information about a shooting over the weekend in Kansas City, Kansas that left two men dead and two others wounded.

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Joe- How did the spread of crack affect the african american neighborhoods? 3-4

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Joe- How did the spread of crack affect the african american neighborhoods? 3-4

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The outbreak of crack cocaine created a storm across America because of the severity of this new drug. It was cheap and easy to smoke, so as a result it hit these low income, frequently drug dealing neighbor hoods pretty hard. There was a myth that kids born from a mother that did crack had tremors or other sorts of disabilities, calling them "crack babies". This is actually a result of premature birth from the mothers who are doing crack while pregnant, then the babies come out with disabilites. This myth and stereotype hit the black kids very hard as some teachers would assume there was something physically or mentally wrong with them if they were acting up, then claiming they were a crack baby. The reason crack was so evident in the black neighborhoods is becauses so many people picked up dealing as it is so easy to sell and create. The drug dealers were not always ones ready to shoot if they were threatened, it was black citizens who were struggling to get jobs during that era. Especially the black teens could not get a job during that time, so they resort to easy quick money that looks very appealing as a teen. This connects to Wes picking up drug dealing after seeing his brother doing it for so long, and he can afford nice clothes. He is repeatedly told to stop with that business as a teen, but he refuses to stop. The easy access of crack during the epidemic made drug dealing desirable for Wes, so he kept going even after his mom flushed the drugs down the toilet.

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Why the crack cocaine epidemic hit Black communities ‘first and worst’

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“We won’t heal until we make sense of the crack epidemic,” Donovan X. Ramsey says. His book, When Crack Was King, examines the drug’s destructive path through the Black community.

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Austin - Chapters 3-4... How could solidarity in their lives shift their destiny?

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Austin - Chapters 3-4... How could solidarity in their lives shift their destiny?

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Solidarity, a sense of unity and purpose within a community, is often absent in many aspects of everyone's lives. Those in poverty, especially those who grew up and know nothing but poverty, feel repelled against community and grow a "Me against the world" mentality. This only leads to the endless cycle that we see everyday of people struggling to find opportunity. The article listed above, provides real world examples of how solidarity in a community effects their lives. A sense of camaraderie amongst the people and interconnectedness, leads to people prospering not only with currency, but with your mentality. In the authors life, and especially the imprisoned Wes' life. This would have drastically shifted the outcome of their lives. If jailed Wes had a strong bonded community, his life may not have turned for the worst.

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Solidarity: The History of a Powerful Idea and how it can Shape Philanthropic Practice

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Editors’ Note: Activist Leah Hunt-Hendrix discusses the history of the idea of “solidarity” and how it has shaped her own philanthropic projects, including the Solidaire funders&#…

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Joe Chapter 2 (Where in Ohio are the most Juvenile crime rates)

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Joe Chapter 2 (Where in Ohio are the most Juvenile crime rates)

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According to Fox News, juvenile crime rate has risen heavily since 2019, prominently car jackings. In major cities like Philadelphia, Chicago, and NYC carjackings have risen over 200%! The state officals have seen the most frequent culprits between the ages of 15 and 20. 23 police veteran Tyree Jones said the past 2 years have been the worst in car jacking especially the youth. Experts say that carjacking can lead to violet crimes down the line. As the pandemic hit, the access to healthcare, food, housing, and education for the youth was heavily diminished, so many looked towards crime. In these bigger cities, kids have less opportunity and services to point them in the right direction and keep them away from crime. Lots of these kids have no people to get support around them, so they have no guidence to their behavior. When conflict comes, they may end up turning to violence, just as incarcerated Wes Moore did because the only thing he was taught growing up was to protect himself and not let others disrespect. This goes back to the question How do our experience of the world shape our views of ourselves and others in society?. Some kids experienced how to deal with anger and conflict from their adult figures just as the Author Wes did, but the other Wes had to support, so he's only experienced protecting himself alone.

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A handful of teenage boys' tragic killings have made local and national headlines recently as a result of violent crime incidents in Philadelphia; Baltimore; Washington, D.C.; Chicago and other cities or metropolitan areas.

Sean Toomey. James McGrath. Jasmine Brunson. Ethan Liming. Blu Bryant. Robert Yocum. Christian Beamon.

While their names may look familiar, there are hundreds of teenagers - particularly teenage boys - who have been impacted by violent crime trends, often at the hands of other juveniles or young adults, in recent months.

Victims

McGrath and Liming were beaten to death. Toomey, Brunson, Bryant, Yocum and Beamon - the 18-year-old brother of Fox News contributor Gianno Caldwell - were fatally shot. Suspects have been named in less than half of their cases.
FOX NEWS ANALYST GIANNO CALDWELL REMEMBERS BROTHER, 18, FATALLY SHOT IN CHICAGO: 'ALL I WANT...IS JUSTICE'
"The defund the police movement has created chaos. People talk about studies saying there is no correlation between defunding the police and the increase in crime. But that's absolutely not true. I don't care about the studies you're referring to. It's a mentality," Caldwell told Fox News Digital about crime impacting juveniles in Chicago, where he grew up, and other major cities.

He added that the "defund" movement has "created a mentality where the criminals" get away with burglary and other property or non-violent crimes and eventually turn to more violent offenses. Once they do commit violent crimes, such as taking another person's life, they "forfeit" their own "right to life," he said.

"You lose your right to live because either, one, you're going to jail, or two, eventually you get murdered," Caldwell said when asked if he had a message for violent offenders. "That's when it automatically becomes a vicious cycle. My family's paying the price."

Violent crime

It is true that violent crime and juvenile crime have decreased in the United States since the 1990s and early 2000s.

It is also true that violent crime has increased in certain major U.S. cities or metropolitan areas over the past two years since the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated hardships for Americans across the country and rhetoric regarding law enforcement shifted.
SEAN TOOMEY'S FATHER SPEAKS OUT AFTER 2 PHILADELPHIA TEENS CHARGED IN FATAL SHOOTING OF SON: 'ROT IN HELL'
Families living in those major U.S. cities are witnesses to - and victims of - those increases in crime, and they have concerns for youth growing up in those areas.

"I was born and raised in this area," Sean Toomey's father, John Toomey, said of Philadelphia in an interview last week. "Nothing like this ever happened before. ... I'm not simply talking about my son's shooting. ... I just had my truck stolen two weeks ago. It was parked on the side of the street."

He added that he is hearing "terrible news" about "carjackings" and other violent crime not only in Philadelphia, but in other cities like Chicago.

"The sad thing is, it's something government can't fix. It's for the family," he continued. "It starts with these kids. I would put a lot of money on the fact that none of them have fathers. They all come from a one-parent background. They're not brought up right."

In Chicago and Philadelphia, homicides are down this year, even though they saw increases in homicide in 2020 and 2021.
CHICAGO 5-MONTH-OLD BABY GIRL DIES AFTER BEING SHOT IN THE HEAD: 'A DISGRACE'
In Philadelphia, total homicide numbers are down about 5% year-over-year, but there has been a rise in violent crime driven by a nearly 61% uptick in armed robbery. Property crimes in the city are up 30% on average, with every category of property crime increasing since last year. Commercial burglary is up about 53%, theft from a person is up about 64%, theft from auto is up nearly 48% and auto theft is up 16%.

In Chicago, total homicides have decreased year-over-year from 336 in 2021 to 204 this year, other forms of violent crime, including robbery, aggravated battery, burglary, theft and motor vehicle theft have increased since the same time period last year. Total violent crime in has increased 34% so far this year.

Juvenile crime

Juvenile crime also increased in major cities. Carjackings, armed robberies, assaults and burglaries involving juveniles has risen in cities such as Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and others since about 2019, with carjackings being the most prevalent among juveniles.
CARJACKINGS IN CITIES LIKE NYC, PHILADELPHIA JUMP OVER 200% - OFTEN WITH KIDS BEHIND THE WHEEL, OFFICIALS SAY
Carjackings have soared by 286% in New York City from 2019 to 2021, while Philadelphia saw the second-highest increase, 238%, according to National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) president and CEO David Glawe. Chicago followed with the third-highest increase, 207%, from 2019 to 2021, then Washington, D.C. with a 200% increase and New Orleans with 159%, Glawe previously told Fox News Digital.

Chicago officials have cited data showing carjacking offenders are most often between the ages of 15 and 20.

In Washington, D.C., homicides are up 14% and robbery is up 29% so far this year. Instances of motor vehicle theft, theft from auto and "other" auto incidents are relatively unchanged since last year, when auto theft and theft from auto had increased since 2020. Juveniles have made up the majority of carjacking suspects over the last two years.

In Hinds County - home to Jackson, Mississippi - Sheriff Tyree Jones said in a May discussion that he has "been in law enforcement for nearly 23 years," and "within the last year or two, it has been the worst" he has "ever seen it regarding our youth," according to .

Experts have previously told Fox News Digital that carjacking incidents can often lead to violent crime.
PHILADELPHIA MAN, 2 MINORS CHARGED IN BEATING DEATH OF ELDERLY MAN DURING CARJACKING
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw told Fox News Digital in a June interview the "pandemic exacerbated a lot of the social inequities that we saw around access to health care, access to housing, access just to food, when...the administration shut down the schools because of COVID."

"[W]e lost a lot of our warm touchpoints, specifically around young people, because we're seeing that our shooters have gotten younger, and our shooting victims have also gotten younger," she said.

So far this year, at least 104 shooting victims in Philadelphia are under the age of 18, according to the Officer of the Controller.

Preventative measures

Maria Tcherni-Buzzeo, associate professor of criminal justice at the University of New Haven in Connecticut, pointed to the prevalence of firearms in major cities as part of the current juvenile crime issue, which she noted has decreased over the last three decades.

"There is this natural instinct to say, 'Oh, kids are out of control. What is happening?' ... But whatever is driving this trend in homicide - it's clearly different from the trends in other violent crime because every almost every other violent crime has been down," she said. "And so there must be something that is different about homicides specifically. And actually another category of crime that has been going up is mass shootings. And so my guess is that it probably has something to do with guns, because why do we see other violent crimes not affected as much?"

"It takes a village," including services and opportunities, as well as treatment and counseling, to prevent juveniles from committing crimes and keep them safe in their communities, Tcherni-Buzzeo continued.

Renee Williams, executive director at the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC), said juvenile victims of crime need to receive adequate support after a violent encounter to ensure that they do not fall into a cycle of violence.

"It is a learned behavior," she said. "It is not something that is natural for the juvenile."

Williams added that it is "a pretty high statistic of juvenile offenders that have gone through children's services and then become offenders."

While different services for victims of crime differ jurisdiction by jurisdiction, Williams suggested crime victims seek therapy, victim advocates that are often offered by prosecutors or law enforcement offices, and centers that offer help to those who have been subject to violent crime. Additionally, NCVC's free hotline connects crime victims with specialists trained to help victims "identify services" and compensation applications to ease the recovery process.
Fox News' Stephanie Pagones contributed to this report.

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Juvenile crime hurting young victims across major US cities: 'A vicious cycle'

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The killings of seven teenage boys have made local and national headlines in recent months, highlighting the impact of violent juvenile crime on juvenile victims.

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My question was would it be best for the people who live in violent areas to sell their house and leave? This survey article highlights that the number one reason for people moving since the pandemic was crime and safety. It also says that this factor is often outweighed by even the cost of living and quality of schooling. Cities are slowly but surely depleting in population and the reasoning seems to derive from the fear of crime in those areas. This relates tremendously to the author Wes Moore in the novel because that was a major factor in his mother's decision to leave his previous neighborhood and move in with his grandmother. This also ties in with the essential question asking what distractions get in our way from finding meaning. Violence in general prevents countless individuals from finding their full potential. Lives are cut short in the blink of an eye and the accomplishments they could babe achieved die with them.

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Survey: Crime Data Shapes Half of Owners’ Relocation Decisions

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The safety of an area was even more important to these recent buyers than the cost of living or quality of schools, new study shows.

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Austin: How does the other Wes break the poverty cycle

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Austin: How does the other Wes break the poverty cycle

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Even though Wes is surrounded by a harsh environment, it doesn't mean that he isn't capable of escaping poverty. The American Enterprise Institute shows that if someone follows their developed "success sequence" it is common for them to generate upward momentum financially regardless of their environment. The steps needed to be taken are, "(1) complete at least a high school education, (2) get a full-time job, and (3) get married before having children." This study analyzed that about 97% of the adults that succeeded in this sequence are not poor despite of race, gender, or upbringing. This relates to the novel because before his arrest, the other Wes Moore and his family were struggling financially, which led him to get caught up in gang activity. Instead of this, he could have benefited from this sequence.

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Florida's high school graduation rate has also risen dramatically in the past twenty years. In some ways, Florida is a national leader in promoting educational attainment. indicates that charter schools increase high school graduation rates, and in 2022, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools ranked Florida fifth in its ranking of state public charter school laws . Currently, of students attending Florida public charter schools are also Free and Reduced Price Lunch eligible.

However, Florida is one of only 15 states which has a dropout age of 16-years-old. A recent bill to raise the dropout age in Florida to 18 died before even reaching a vote. By raising the minimum dropout age, Florida could institutionalize a key component of the Success Sequence. Thus, lawmakers should consider revitalizing the bill during the next legislative session.

Additionally, the AEI/IFS report suggests increasing work-based learning programs in Career and Technical Education programs. Governor DeSantis recently awarded to expand entrepreneurship education and training across the state, as well as another nearly expansion for apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs through the Florida Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant. Continued and expanded support for such career development opportunities should be encouraged.
Step 2: Get a full-time job Earned Income Tax Credit
Since Florida does not have a state income tax, crafting a state EITC would require some creativity. However, the recently-enacted state EITC in Washington could serve as a model for Florida legislation, as in 2023 Washington will become the first state without state income tax to implement a state-level EITC. The Washington Working Families Tax Credit issues a refund to Washington workers for a portion of their annually-paid sales taxes. Refund amounts vary based on applicants' number of qualifying children and income threshold, as detailed in the chart below from the program website :

Implementing a similar program in Florida may be useful in promoting full-time job attainment. However, a useful adaptation of the Washington EITC to Florida workers might be removing the policy's marriage penalty and instead awarding refund amounts solely based on workers' incomes.
Reducing Violent Crime Step 3: Get married before having children
The third step of the Success Sequence is somewhat more social in nature. The choice to delay having children until after marriage is largely one of personal responsibility. However, there are still some notable policies which could have a significant effect. On this point, the AEI/IFS report suggests implementing social marketing campaigns on behalf of marriage and the Success Sequence, and it points to The National Campaign to Reduce Teenage and Unplanned Pregnancy as a potential model for future programs.
Conclusion
The "Success Sequence" is a potent formula for upward mobility. Though the positive effects of following its steps can only ultimately be achieved through personal decision-making, public policy can help create an environment in which taking those necessary steps is both possible and accessible.

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How To Break the Cycle of Poverty - James Madison Institute

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A recent report from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and the Institute for Family Studies (IFS) details the...

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Joe (What is the % of fatherless children in the US)

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Joe (What is the % of fatherless children in the US)

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A widespread survey has revealed that the proportion of children to fathers is at an all time high. Today, 5.3 million african American children live without a father, which is a record low since 1954. More than half the Black children in the US have a present father. A father's presence has always shown positive impact on the child, leading to less crime rates, poverty, sentenced to prison etc. This can relate back to the Novel as the incarcerated Wes more was very negatively impacted without a father figure, as he had to pick up responsibilities he was too young to handle.

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[Press Release] Proportion of American Children Living with a Father in the Home Reaches 34-Year High

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As more U.S. children grow up with involved fathers, trends in father presence are supported by nationwide efforts to build capacity in organizations to engage and serve fathers.

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My question was how important is solidarity? This website as well as the novel both emphasize the importance of solidarity in the lives of humans. The website states "But that then requires solidarity. A recognition that we’re all in this together—in the long-run, but therefore, also right now. If environmentalists don’t stand with Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) now in this urgent struggle for justice, then this continuing wound of racism will prevent any real solidarity in the future." This is relatable to the novel as it shows two characters alike, separated by solidarity and the big effects that that causes.

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But that then requires solidarity. A recognition that we’re all in this together—in the long-run, but therefore, also right now.