“Crack is wack!”
Not sure if that
enlightening epiphany by the illustrious Whitney Houston was meant to have an
exclamation point or just a period at the end. Whatever the intention, that
moment of clarity that crack cocaine had lost its cool effect…no longer an
accepted method of normative social interaction… it made you look twisted, lose
your teeth, and made you look like the evil-er twin of Skeletor from
Thundercats echoed what the hood already recognized as the end of the crack
era. Contrary to unpopular belief, it
wasn’t Nancy Reagan’s “just say no” slogans, or Bush #1 and Clinton part 1 and
their lock up the drug dealers and drug
users for double digit years that initiated the decline of cracks popularity. Analogously, why is the media telling us that
we can solely legislate our way out of this pandemic of gun violence? How can
we get to a place where we can say, reminiscent of Whitney, “gun violence is
wack,” instead of thinking that we simply “say no” to gun violence through gun
legislation.
Don’t
misunderstand me, I agree that limiting access to weapons helps, and is
necessary. However, popular media would have you believe that gun control
legislation is the panacea to our killing and wounding problem, and that the
NRA are only folks out there that are benefitting from the wanton usage of guns
and munitions. Joe Scarborough, from MSNBC’s Morning Joe, although I feel his energy, would have you thinking
that the only cowards in this country in this gun violence debate are the US
Senators that voted against the recent proposed gun legislation. Come on,
people (in the words of the ever controversial Bill Cosby), we know better than
that.
We
have a killing culture in this society that is exacerbated and normalized in
inner cities by generational poverty, generational marginalization,
generational racism, generation discrimination, and general fuckedupness
(excuse the neologism) that adds up to normalized trauma.
Here’s
the math: generational poverty
+ generational marginalization
+generational discrimination
+ generational fuckupness
normalized trauma
Allow me to work out my math. So
imagine we had family anywhere in Ghetto, USA. Let’s focus on the son. At
four-years old he hears gun shots outside of his window; he gets scared and
cries. At five, six, seven, eight, nine…
(you get the point) he hears the same cacophony of gun shots on regular basis,
most notably on New Year’s. His mother is barely upper poor class, and his
father is undereducated with a prison record, so they can’t afford to move to a
better place…the ghetto and all of its abnormalities is home sweet home. By the
age of prepubescence, this boy has heard gun shots almost daily; he has heard
from media, the streets, and school (where his teachers are under-resourced)
that violence is the way to handle problems, especially if you are a male. So
when this boy reaches about 16-years old he has been conditioned to believe
that having a gun to: (1) ensure masculinity; (2) secure protection; (3)
celebrate a new year; (4) attain peer social acceptance; and to (5) hide
insecurities is normal. In essence, a culture of violence, particularly gun
violence, is normalized by the conditions of which this boy has been exposed to
from early childhood. The conditions are inclusive of societal ills that are
accentuated in urban spaces that are neglected, under-resourced,
law-enforcement heavy. Being in a fucked up state is normalized. So what do we
do?
One
approach is propagating that what seems normal really isn’t normal. Another
method is engaging those most deeply affected by the normalized violence—those
that shoot and have been shot. Working with them to understand that their
behavior is not cool and not the only way to live. Working with them to figure
out what they would like to do with their lives and then helping them reach
those goals. Included in this measure is creating safe spaces within these
plagued communities with activities, conversations, and events. Lastly, and
most importantly, educating the mass within these communities that gun violence
is not normal and unacceptable with inspiring messaging, with clear intention
not to criminalize anyone.
This
approach to addressing gun violence that can be done on a community level is
being done in many places throughout the country courtesy of the Cure Violence
model founded in Chicago and replicated in many places throughout the US. Right
here in Brooklyn, Save Our Streets (S.O.S.) Crown Heights is working every day
to get people to think and say that gun violence is wack. But beyond highlighting any one organization,
we need to conscious of what legislation has done for us (…or to us)
in the past. When we just said no to drugs in the late 80’s to early 90’s our
incarceration numbers jumped out of the window and black and brown people were
disproportionately subjected to draconian Rockefeller drug laws. So before we
get on the gun control bandwagon, let’s make sure we are fully informed and not
moved by episodic initiatives that are siloed and not considerate of its long
term impact on marginalized communities.
Kudos
to those working to limit accessibility guns and munitions. In that same vein,
do the harder job of working with the people within these plagued communities
to change the mindset that gun violence is not
normal.
