Parents are key to preventing violence, but so is the community

When violence strikes, so does the itch to affix blame.

Such was the case this week when the community was faced with two more deadly, tragic incidents of violence.

'Where are the parents?” asked Rita Robinson, a neighborhood association and local NAACP member.

Cedar Rapids City Council member Justin Shields, while noting the entire community has responsibilities, nonetheless led his remarks with the statement, 'Parents need to be parents.”

Of course, parents are responsible for their children, but that doesn't mean the community is off the hook. To truly tackle violence among youth in Cedar Rapids, there must be concerted efforts and concrete plans to help parents who are trying to raise their children well, and people and programs willing to show kids a better way if their parents can't or won't step up to the challenge.

Brandon Johnson, the 21-year-old believed to have been gunned down by a 16-year-old in northeast Cedar Rapids, was known to law enforcement.

He was one of five charged with disorderly conduct following a February 2014 brawl at Lindale Mall. A year later, he was arrested for firing several rounds in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

The public has been told the recent incident wasn't random, but a product of an ongoing family feud. Details of the feud, or of possible interventions intended to diffuse the obviously volatile situation, aren't forthcoming.

But we do know that violence is not incubated in a vacuum, separate from the rest of society. Grinding poverty, cultural debasement and racism are heavy burdens that too many local families must bear.

Not every child is raised in a stable, loving home where they are taught the tools and values that will help them grow up to become a productive member of society.

To help our youth along a better path, we must support parents who struggle to provide for their children and support minors who have been saddled with parents who don't.

After-school programs and summer camps can provide alternatives to life on the streets where young people are too easily seduced by the lure of gangs and drugs. Robust mentoring programs provide necessary support to young people whose parents are absent or overwhelmed. Early learning programs and tutoring prepare students, keep them from falling behind and staying behind.

Our youth need less time to hang around negative influences, and more opportunities to make something of themselves.

During the last election cycle, several City Council candidates, including two who were elected, campaigned, at least in part, on providing more opportunities for our youth. Yet, school playgrounds remain closed to the public. Existing community facilities continue to fall short of community needs. A proposed southeast recreation center hasn't moved beyond discussion.

Yes, parents are responsible for their children. But blaming parents won't solve the problem. And it surely does not absolve the community of its own duty to do right by our kids.

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