Black and brown people are being murdered by police officers at an alarming rate, and nothing is being done about it.

Argues that there is no single strategy, institution, or discipline that can create the changes needed to reduce violence in America. Preventing violence requires long-term commitments, a comprehensive set of strategies, and new partnerships combined and focused on prevention of, not responses to, youth violence. (GR)

Adults condemn violence but teach children to fight back. The message that aggression is legitimate causes grave harm to untold numbers of children and youth in our violent culture. Children are literally losing their lives trying to gain "respect" and preserve their "dignity." The author draws on extensive direct professional work with violent…

Urban education is working and will continue to work if budgetary problems are resolved. Urban schools can and will succeed if less emphasis is put on negative issues, such as crime. (CJ)

Three mothers whose children were connected to Dallas (Texas) gangs told their stories at the Fourth Joint National Conference on Gangs, Schools, and Community. It is said that gang members come from dysfunctional families, usually from homes where fathers are not present or involved in children's upbringing. In spite of a great deal of research…

Most of what the world envisions of the period of westward expansion in America has been crafted through Hollywood cinema. The myths of the West are so ingrained in America's culture that they have taken on a truth all their own. In a series of recent films, which began with the release of "Boyz N the Hood," Hollywood is at it again, presenting…

Books in the Opposing Viewpoints Series present debates about current issues that can be used to teach critical reading and thinking skills. The variety of opinions expressed in this collection of articles and book excerpts explores many aspects of juvenile crime. It is a commonly held view that the number of crimes committed by juveniles is…

Many commentators have expressed alarm over the increase in the number of single-parent families in the United States over the past four decades. The growth in single-parent families has been fueled by a rise in the number of out-of-wedlock births. Whether children are more likely to suffer social and economic problems when raised by one parent…

This autobiographical narrative describes the early life of Luis J. Rodriguez, a journalist and poet who was immersed in the youth gang culture of Los Angeles (California). Framed by the story of the pull of the gang life for the poet's son, it recounts his experiences from his childhood on the United States-Mexico border through his family's…

Discusses ways of reducing violence in America involving the integration of scientific approaches and youth violence intervention and community programs that address both family and social environments. The paper argues that these efforts exemplify the notion that violence is more a product of racism and poverty than of race. (GR)

This paper offers an analysis of urban youth gangs and intervention and prevention strategies for schools, and describes an example of a Cleveland (Ohio) school-wide response. After reviewing the scope of the problem and recent attention to gangs and youth violence, the paper looks at why youth join gangs and lists 12 conditions. Another section…

This book provides an account of life in the inner city from World War II to the present. Poor, jobless, and racially outcast young black people are economically and socially excluded from the American mainstream. To compensate for this, inner-city children turn to American traditions of consumerism and violence. Buying into the implicit message…

Contends that urban violence involves not only acts against individuals but also systemic violence perpetrated against the ethnic-minority poor. Argues that this systemic violence is a form of human rights violation. Maintains that moral educators should utilize a human rights perspective in curriculum planning. (CFR)