Outside reading post 4

                                    
                                        Book: Gangs

The end is near, I have about 20 pages left in this book. I have really enjoyed it, this issue is a lot bigger then I thought! Day by day many are being killed in gang related shootings, its just not fair. Gangs take place in city's,  farm towns and even in jail... law enforcement officials have not found a way to contain it. I think this is crazy, there needs to be a plan implemented. This is a game and cops need to come down hard on these people. Its not fair that people have to be afraid of walking down there street at night. We must not let gangs rule the world. In court rooms gang leaders on trial will send other member to videotape witnesses and later kill the person who came clean or snitched. Something must be done. I cant wait to finish the book, its really good.

Outside Reading Post 3

Life Swap:

Book: Gangs

If I told you that tomorrow you would wake up in someone else shoes. The shoes of a poor black child living on the south side of Chicago involved in gang activity  This boy has 8 brothers and sisters and a single mother who works three jobs and is never home. The south side does not have a lot of places that will hire kids so young. You need to make money to support your family and want to be in something where people have your back, this is where the gang comes in. Children will trade in the life of doing thing the legal way and go sell drugs in a gang. This is a huge issue, we have kids all around truing to gangs feeling like there is no other way. The book takes readers through the journey of a kids initiation into a gang, its very interesting and sad at the same time. We are lucky to not have this issue here.

Outside Reading Post #2

Book: Gangs

Over the past weeks I have embarked on finishing the book Gangs... so far I am hooked. I find this topic very interesting, it shows that the criminal justice system does not know how to handle gangs. In areas with high gang population new plans implemented, what we are doing is not working. Each day a child joins a gang should be a day gone wrong. According to the book most join the gang or "family" because they have no place to go with a sense of brotherhood. Scientifically kids like the feeling of someone having your back in situations and when both your parents work and are never home the gang becomes a second family. Many origination like, cease fire and "the interrupters" are working to solve this problem but it is law enforcement job to do this. Do we think that the police are doing a sufficient job? Every day kids and adults are being killed in drive bye shootings and gang retaliation... is this problem being taken seriously? 

Issues SR. project

Today was a great day, I finished the filming of the issues simulation lab and got started on the poster. As I go farther into my topic of homelessness it becomes more of an issue. There is no solution, people dig themselves so far deep into a hole there is no way to get out. That's the problem... it a huge issue that no one is talking about. New laws need to be made and services implemented to help these people down on their luck. Ill keep you updated. Come check out my lab at the Marketplace of Ideas, May 15th at Deerfeild high school.  

Issues project post 2

You haven't eaten in 2 days, you have 56 cents in your pocket, the cloths on your back and a shopping cart filled with empty cans and bottles. How would you dig yourself out of the hole? Think....

Senior Project Entry 1

Today in class I took on the task to do some more research and compose my publicity campaign. Homelessness is a huge issue, Walk down a street in any metropolitan area and I can guarantee you, you'll at least run into 3 homeless people. These are our war veterans who cant find jobs, ex-criminals who cant get back on their feet and LGBT community members that been kicked out of the house. There are dangerous shelters but no good solution. In the past the assisted living complexes or the projects have been buildings full of sex, and drug trafficking its a huge problem. Through out my journey with this topic im determined to fine a more viable solution to fix these problems. 

Homelessness is an epidemic; there are 21 homeless people for every 10,000 in the general public. That’s over 12 million in the entire world...

Gangs- Outside Reading 1

Book: Gangs
Author: Linda M. Schmidt

I'm not going to lie, this is a lengthy book. Last semester I touched on the issues of childhood obesity and how the schools are not helping the epidemic, so this semester I picked a book that deals with another large issue effecting kids as well. Gangs. Whether you live in the city, suburbs or rural America all of you have most likely know people that partake in gangs. From the first 50 pages my book it talks about the issue of children in gangs, how it taking over america. In Chicago we hear of countless drive by shooting that kill. Gangs Kill. Just recently a 6 month old baby's life was taken due to a drive by shooting of a rival gang, they had the wrong person. Schmidt talks about the system of how they enter the gang and how its very family oriented. For example if you dad was in the gang growing up, sold drugs and most likely ended up being locked you would have a 78% better chance of following in his footsteps. Its an old system that fuels on hate. Everywhere law makers and police are trying to implement plans to stop the gang violence but they have yet to come up with a sufficient plan. "Its not seen as breaking the system, it what their friends do, its as normal to most as an extracurricular activity"-gangs. Its a huge issue, people in these gangs don't see what they are doing and how wrong it is. Something must be done, I cant wait to read more on this controversial topic! Thoughts??