Teens Killing Teens
Preparing for the morning news run today two headlines jumped off the page at me;
- Teen Gets Maximum for 2007 Shooting
- 15 Year Old Shot and Killed
The headlines are about teens in Rochester, New York. I find it somewhat ironic that the same day two stories involve violent crimes involving teens in the City of Rochester, the latest FBI Crime Statistics report for 2006-07 says the following about New York State;
- Crime in Monroe County, which is where Rochester is located, declined by 9.3%. That’s more than two times greater than the statewide drop of 3.7%
- New York has become the fourth safest state in the nation and the safest large state in the country
- New York has had a reduction in overall crime for 17 consecutive years.
The numbers may say crime is in decline, but with what I cover day in and day out, I’d like to find out exactly how the FBI are arriving at those numbers. Especially in Rochester where it seems violent crime is up. Not only does violent crime seem to be up, but it also seems like teens killing teens crime is up.
The first news headline involves 17 year old DeShequan Nathan who just received a sentence of 25 years in state prison for a manslaughter conviction. Nathan was convicted of shooting and killing 16 year old Christopher Jones in November 2007. Lets do the math here. If Nathan is 17 years old now, that means he was just 16 years old when he committed this murder. Add on top of this fact what he said at his trial. Nathan claimed he was drunk at the time of the shooting!
Next up, a 15 year old boy was shot and killed in Rochester, New York this week. Donald Stevens was found shot in the chest and authorities pronounced him dead at the scene. His Uncle and his father say Stevens was a good boy and they don’t understand what happened. Of course pictures of this teen show him dressed like a gangster from the hood. Making matters even worse, and more sad in this case are the items being placed at a growing memorial at the scene of the homicide. Aside from teddy bears, there’s an empty bottle of alcohol and a clip from an assault rifle. A good kid? If he was such a good kid, why is there an empty bottle and an assault rifle clip at the location of the shooting?
Rochester Police Chief David Moore has not come out and said Stevens death was gang-related, but since the beginning of the year, three other teens have been shot and killed along Hudson Avenue, the same location of this latest teen homicide. The Police Chief is also asking the question, “Where are the parents?” In the case of Donald Stevens, his mother died from cancer earlier this year. Where is his dad and other relatives? The pictures of them on the news look like they’re part of the hood too.
Is the answer to the problem of teens killing teens as simple as parental control? Probably not. That response is too simplistic. Reality is, many kids these days have no idea what a stable home life looks like. It’s not just inner-city kids who have the issues either. In upscale neighborhoods where the parents make lots of money, the drug of choice is heroin. Why? Because the never at home parents, or parent, find it easier to throw cash at their kids instead of actually parenting. There is no simplistic answer this problem. Inner city kids hang out with gangs while affluent kids play gang dress up thinking it’s cool. They believe they’re making a statement and being individuals. However, the only statement they’re making is that they’re full of rebellion.
We did not arrive at this point in time overnight. Instead it’s been a slow burn down the slippery slope of a society gone astray. We’ve gone from totalitarian control, to no control and do whatever makes you feel good. This does not work at all. I believe we’re now seeing the fruit of bad choices from years ago. Now we live in a society where parents want to be kids, and kids want to be adults. At some point we need to get a handle on this, and figure out a way to turn the tide.
How many teens will we have to lose at the hands of other teens, before society finally wakes up?
Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus
