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Tiara Garland Professor Susan Lago English 1100 37 5 November 2013 Violence in Newark Newark, New Jersey has transformed from a city filled with culture and opportunity to a city filled with crime and fear. According to neighborhoodscout.com, it has an estimated population of 277,540 people with a projected crime rate of 13,923 incidents reported in 2013. Out of the 13,923 incidents that emerged, 3,300 are violence related. Two of the highest incidents reported are shooting and robberies. The negative occurrences have handicapped the community with fear. The first problem Newark faces is around the clock shootings. Majority of killings are caused by young adults due to easy access to guns and the growing rate of gang violence. These young adults have loss hope. The answer to this problem starts at home. Many of these kids are not being parented and are in a sense raising themselves. This is where the lack of self respects and admiration for others come into play. Children have to know that there is hope for them and their future. If you go into many neighborhoods in Newark and ask the kids what do they see for themselves in the future, many will not see themselves living past a certain age. This is sad when we live in a world where our youth are so lost that they are happy to make it to the age of 30. Therefore, I believe it starts at home. Offspring need to be loved, taught right from wrong and led by example. If parents do this, their youngsters may be less likely to be lead astray by

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awaiting gangs; they may be less likely to pick up a gun and harm someone else; they may want to live and enjoy life without fear. Residents should not have to worry about their safety, as the community is constantly looking over their shoulders. News 12 reported an incident that came pass in Newark, New Jersey, Shaquille Faines, 20, and two others one seventeen year old and one sixteen year old faced a number of charges in connection with the murder of Jesus Torres. Senseless violence like this takes place anytime of the day. In addition, News 12 reported a story with the head line, Man shot, killed in broad daylight on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in Newark. This story was chilling because Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd houses many high schools, private schools and colleges. The high school I attended is located on this street. The reports stated that A man was killed when gunfire erupted on the street that afternoon. Police were called to the scene just before 12.30 pm on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd between Court and West Kinney Street. Regretfully the shooter did not care who witnesses the violence or whose life was put in danger. It is disturbing because it couldve been me that was shot and killed outside my school. Police and ambulances sirens have become the sounds of Newark. Furthermore, an article published in American Society Of Criminology stated, In New Jersey, Irvington and Newark have received the most attention by law enforcement due to their serious violent crime problems. Recently in Irvington there was an incident involving a drive by in which four people were killed randomly. The news from these two towns is predominately murder related whereas surrounding towns report minor crimes. Even more, this article communicated that Both communities are highly disorganized communities in which there have

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been serious problems with gun shootings, set into the context of competing gangs and widespread drug dealings. Shooting, gangs and drugs are destroying our communities. The youth no longer value their lives and the lives of others. Secondly, Newark faces elevated robbery rates. NJ.com reports that Newark has seen as 23 percent jump in robberies in 2013, and the city is on pace to have its highest annual robbery total since 1999, according to Uniform Crime reports compiled by the State Police and city crime data. Unfortunately the police are unable to handle the high volume of the crimes that is wrecking the city. What is more, NJ.com stated that As of Sept.30, there had been 1,759 robberies in Newark, up from 1,435 during the same period in 2012, according to Newark Police Director Samuel DeMaio. Robberies have risen steadily in Newark since 2010, as carjackings and cell phone thefts become popular and profitable crimes, records show. The increase in unlawful actions have left neighborhood to live distress. The fact that, Pew Internet Projects research related to mobile technology recorded as of May 2013 91 percent of American adults has a cell phone, means that Newark citizens are at a greater risk of having their cell phones stolen compared to adjacent cities. NJ.com quoted Newark Police Director Samuel DeMaio as saying The stolen phones have a resale value of roughly $200, and most cell phone robberies are over in seconds, DeMaio said. Your average thief could easily turn a thousand dollar profit after just a few minutes of work. This statement is alarming because I have a horrible habit of spacing out while walking with my phone in my hand. With my eyes glued to my phone, I am either texting, tweeting or posting on Instagram. Luckily despite my obsession with my phone, I have never been subjected to robbery.

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With regards to, the extreme rate of robberies, NJ.com declared that Since robberies are crimes of opportunity and often deterred by active patrols, experts said the surge could be a consequence of Newarks massive police layoffs. The lack of patrolling officers provoked my high school to initiate the buddy system. We were encouraged to walk home in groups and carpool. On the subject of reduced work force, NJ.com also broadcasted This is precisely the kind of targeted enforcement that often must be sacrificed by police executives when they are faced with manpower shortages that strip them of the ability to move resources into a specific area for a specific crime problem, said Wayne Fisher, a professor at the Rutgers Police Institute. The absence of police alarmed many parents with school aged children. Many guardians elected to designate an authority to escort their adolescence home securely. As a result of being a young adult, who lives in Newark, the constant scare of being a victim of the violence affects me negatively; I often feel anxious and fearful if a stranger walks too close to me. Being a person that loves the outdoors, I have to remind myself that likelihood of me falling victim to violence is greater than someone who lives in enclosing cities. Residing in Newark for over a decade, I have witnessed the changes in the community firsthand. Ten years ago I was allowed to play outside without supervision, now you rarely hear the voice of children playing due to the constant violence. The randomness of violence has forced todays juvenile to entertain themselves behind closed doors. In summary, police should focus their attention on the areas that are trending in violence and provide around the clock surveillance. There should be additional police patrolling high crime regions trying to prevent violence before it comes about. Residents and councilman should unite; create programs to help reduce violence such as neighborhood watch, leadership groups and gun surrendering locations. The neighborhood watch would allow locals to report criminal

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behavior from the safety of their homes. The leadership program would provide extracurricular activities, tutoring and violence awareness to the youth. The gun surrendering locations would allow individuals to turn in guns without being questioned. These programs should be dedicated to those who have lost loved ones due to violence with hopes of rebuilding a community that is being robbed of its vibrancy.