Writers Circle: Gun violence in Cedar Rapids, part 3

On Sept. 21, in the wake of the shooting death of Aaron K. Richardson and the arrest of a 14-year-old boy for the crime, members of The Gazette Writers Circle came together to discuss gun violence in Cedar Rapids. Some of the questions discussed included: Is violence on the rise in Cedar Rapids? If so, do we know why? Is our community unsafe? What are community leaders and institutions doing to change this trend? What would we like them to do? What can average Cedar Rapidians do?

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VIOLENCE IS A DEEPLY INGRAINED DISEASE

Michael Richards, Writers Circle

We have a problem with violence in Cedar Rapids. We have a problem with violence in the U.S. Violence is a tragic global problem. What are the biological, social and economic forces that contribute to our evolutionary development as the most violent species on this planet? The intelligence to forge tools also provides a double-edged sword capability to produce lethal weapons.

There is a common thread in most violent human action: territoriality. There is a continuum of violence from a drug turf war that leads to violent attacks in our own community to our political war activity of taking territory and resources held by others by extreme violence. It is difficult to hold a moral high ground to condemn and judge youth killing youth in our own community, when the violent attack of others is built into the very DNA of our collective political existence. We have a moral obligation to defend ourselves, but clear facts demonstrate that much of modern war is by choice. We have major portions of our local and national economy dependent on continual war, so we rush to battle long before all other intelligent diplomatic options are exhausted. We all then have the responsibility to develop a creative, just and healthy society that exists beyond the scourge of violence.

The U.S. was forged on the bloody edge of mass genocide. European settlers arrived in ships to find a fertile land. This exceptional land was captured from its sovereign indigenous inhabitants with the force of musket, bayonet and field cannon. Territoriality expressed through force is the root of our history. Eighty to 90 percent of the indigenous peoples of North America perished from a disastrous combination of outright murder, the introduction of new strains of disease and the immoral and forcible removal from their rightful home territory such as the infamous Trail of Tears.

Indigenous people of the African continent were brought to this land by violent force to plow, to labor and die without human freedom and dignity. The long historic shadow of racism darkens our national experience to this day.

Our present human population is the missing link between a savage and a civilized culture. We cannot yet claim to be a civilized species when violence remains intrinsic to the human condition. We all are shocked when one of our children in this community falls to an early death by gunshot. We are even more shocked to learn that this young victim was murdered by another child. There are no easy solutions to such tragedy. Children are fed countless images of violent acts from an early age by our mass culture of violence. From violent TV to Gangster rap, violence is a packaged consumer product.

From soul-crushing poverty to the millions sacrificed to endless war, violence marches on. Violence is a deeply ingrained human disease. A disease cannot be cured only by treating the symptoms. Finding the root causes of any disease is the first step to a cure. The roots of human violence are deep. The cure requires a profound cultural shift. Such a shift is a shared work.

In our own community, much of our street violence rises out of systemic poverty and despair. A youth who does not see a clear road forward to a healthy, prosperous and happy adult life feels that they in fact have no future. If you have no future, then your life and the lives of others have no value. Violence is an outlet for such existential despair.

Is this community ready to ask the difficult questions to find a new way into a future free of violence? We can find the solution to a problem only by facing its root cause. That takes courage.

' Michael Richards is an entrepreneur and community activist who has lived in the Corridor for 20 years. Comments: soyawax@aol.com

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WHEN CHILDREN CAN GET WEAPONS, WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?

Linda Seger, Writers Circle

Recently, I attended a candid, honest and civilized discussion with an assortment of individuals gathered to share opinions and suggestions regarding the increase in youth violence with lethal weapons.

This was not a hand-picked panel or forum of the obvious experts. Yes, there were some familiar faces, but for the most part it was a diverse group along age, racial, gender, economic status, and educational lines. I liked that it included people with 'street smarts.”

It was evident that most of us entered the room with a point of view and a few hours later left with a lot more to think about than we had anticipated. The onion got peeled and truth took precedence over political correctness.

What to do about these revelations is the bigger question.

The focus needs to be on children from all corners of life as our concern. Some people could ignore violence when it was hundreds or thousands of miles away, but the violence virus now is touching lives in Cedar Rapids. Why do children feel they are placed in a world where they must settle disputes or protect themselves not with words but with automatic weapons or knives?

Before you begin pointing fingers about who is to blame, take a moment to understand where we are as a society. America has more than 200 years as a nation of advances for good. We also have 200-plus years of not-so-stellar behavior.

We are a nation of immigrants with the exception of our Native American families. The melting pot which was embraced by Founding Fathers as freedom from oppression in our mother countries quickly degraded into the same mistakes being administered by the oppressed. Google it if you have any doubts.

Our society is vastly changed from 100 years ago. I am a septuagenarian (no it is not a religious sect). When I was growing up, family was the foundation of our lives. It matters not what the makeup is of a family as long as it is based on simple honest human rights for each other and those around you.

So I am placing family at the top of the list as remaining strong to protect children from violence.

Men and women across all social, racial, ethnic and economic lines, be real and take care of your children in a positive way. Love, support, respect and protect them or you will carry the pain of watching them suffer in a world where the weak rarely succeed.

Poverty is another issue we have faced throughout our history.

In the beginning, everyone virtually had nothing and depended on working together to survive. When I was little my family was poor. I didn't know we were poor because everyone in my life was. Today, we are seeing the classes of people grow further apart because of unemployment, greed and a changing world struggling to stay afloat.

One negative aspect placing youth in danger is they make easy pawns by those who are unscrupulous and seek them out to use to advance their own illegal agenda. A lifestyle of money, popularity and self worth is dangled as a quick trip to dreams come true. Sadly, those dreams often end with life becoming a nightmare.

Finally, I think a loss of empathy and compassion for other humans has risen. The detachment of feelings and no respect for the life of another person for whatever reason give many no accountability for violence and death. We hear excuses why some people are of more value than others but it boils down to life on earth for everyone is important. Have the spiritual leaders failed their followers? Do we place wealth and possessions above all else? Is not the child in South Chicago as worthy of happiness and life as the child in the suburbs of Dallas?

A group of people gathered together that day to discuss gun violence, and what happened was a positive beginning to a dialogue of hope. We all drank from the same cup that day and took with us respect, understanding and a commitment to be a part of the solutions that are ahead. The answer to the question of who is responsible for the children? We all are.

' Linda Seger is past president of the Northwest Neighborhood Association. Comments: lsiglin44@gmail.com

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LET'S START BY RESPECTING EACH OTHER

Les Deal, Writers Circle

Earlier this month, our writer's circle met to discuss gun violence. Blame wasn't put anywhere specifically; it seems the fault is everywhere.

It's too overwhelming and complicated to figure out, so I suggest we approach it with our collective hearts.

We need to change attitudes so that all of us respect and care for everyone else. All races, religions and whatever other groupings need to be respected equally. That doesn't seem too difficult, right? Doesn't everyone's religion say something about being nice? I suggest we make it a reality.

Show more care for the people you interact with than you have before. People at work, at home, in businesses, everywhere, go the extra mile to be helpful.

What is the benefit? It makes others feel great and in turn they will treat people similarly. We will be what we want our community to become. Especially when we deal with people who are different from ourselves we make for better relations by being open.

This might be the only 'trickle-down” that actually works. As more and more of us spread this extra measure of care, it will work its way into all the nooks and crannies of our society. We create a caring community that eventually everyone feels. Our injustices will diminish and gun violence will decrease accordingly.

OK, so what happens if it doesn't work? It doesn't cost anything. A whole lot of people will feel a whole lot better. But what if it does work?

' Les Deal is a retired remodeling contractor living in Cedar Rapids. Comments: ldealandw@aol.com