By Staff
The epidemic of drugs and gangs has caused our lifestyles to be altered greatly. I have heard many speeches from our civil rights organizations, churches, neighborhood organizations and others. While they are addressing themselves to the problems, they are not viably seeking solutions.
Everyone seems to be trying to work alone, and doing so very slowly, but it is going to take unity and cooperation from all to solve the problems that confront us of this nightmare that we are all facing.
We must organize our communities by working with neighborhood associations, churches and others to identify the problems that confront them.
(a) Explore existing community programs that are geared toward motivational methods of discouraging youth and young adults from engaging in drug gang activities.
(b) Churches and community groups should provide on site access to their facilities for teaching, information and training. Using printed pamphlets and other subjected materials and information pertaining to drugs and their destructive influence upon the lives of people. Available also should be videos, and speakers from local law enforcement agencies, concerned pastors from neighborhood churches.
(c) Network programs and projects in educating parents who are either grade or high school dropouts by giving them the opportunity to achieve a level of communication and understanding by obtaining educational instructions that will enable them to be knowledgeable of the various studies that their children are involved in school.
The problems that are now in existence is due in part to parental "unintentional neglect." This is through no fault of their own, except they are grade school or high school dropouts and do not comprehend the problems that they face. They have been caught up in an unorthodox system of generations of welfare, which may have crippled them mentally, and deprived them of a stable and better life and vision. Our churches and civil rights organizations have either ignored or put aside the essentials of family relations and family responsibilities. There was a time past that a whole neighborhood raised a child and the entire neighborhood took pride in a child's achievement. The formula for good and sage neighborhoods is not through government, but rather through our churches and neighborhood organizations. What must be done first of all is:
(a) Churches and neighborhood organizations must come united in planning and organizing the community, combined expertise could develop positive directives.
(b) Meet with the known drug dealers and gang leaders in an effort to address the seriousness that they are creating by making the neighborhood a drug haven and battle ground thus endangering the lives of others. Endeavor to impress upon local gang and drug dealers that they are endangering the lives of their own family and become part of the solution rather then part of the problem by inviting them to serve on committees. Working with committees that will be able to view the total situation and this could cause them to be concerned. We must include law enforcement agencies. These agencies should be an asset along with neighborhood associations, churches and neighbor centers lending their expertise and methodology.
So many times we criticize our current condition and blame the system. We never put fourth combined efforts to work out the solutions to our problems. I have offered possible ways of solving our problem by not criticizing, but actually making efforts to combat the problems that we face throughout America. It is going to take the united efforts of all to solve these problems, and it is going to take a whole lot of "brain storming" to do so.
We must also guard against a misuse of financial grants that may be rendered to support these neighborhood endeavors. Strict accounting of the funds spent should be documented so that each dollar will be spent for progress to come to solutions of this problem that has affected us all.
Last, but not least, a united people cannot be conquered. A determined people cannot be compromised. In our recent election we witnessed a lot of negative campaigns. Republican and Democrats at war with each other, and we have racial divisions and gender divisions. The holy scripture informs us that "a house divided against itself cannot stand." Wars historically has brought people together. This war on drugs, gangs and violence should bring us together in unity. For either we unite in our efforts today, or face even graver consequences in the future.