Gang violence in Chicago has gotten out of control. So far this year, 228 Chicago residents have been killed, while the number of US troops killed in the active war zone of Afghanistan is 144 reports the Huffington Post.
The murder rate in Chicago is four times that of New York City and double that of Los Angeles, known for its gang activity, according to CBS.
This is a call-to-action for Chicago Fathers - It's Up to You to Protect Our Youth. We have to come together and provide more father involvement to protect the future of our youth.
Father-absence and gang membership is a common thread shared by gang members.
“Gang activity and school violence is often an unfortunate and direct result of father absence. When male youth do not have a father figure in their lives, that’s when they join gangs to fill that emptiness and look to gang leaders to fill that ‘fatherless’
The solution to stopping the growth of gang membership and protecting our children is to stop kicking fathers to the curb.
There is a critical causal connection between a father’s absence, juvenile delinquency and anti-social aggression in our youth. Delinquency and crime are among the many damaging effects created by father absence.
Fathers who are not in the picture need to step up to the plate, but there are also a lot of great dads out there that are being pushed out of their children’s lives. There are many caring fathers out there, but gender bias and parental alienation is preventing many of them from getting involved in their children’s lives.
We must restore fatherhood as a societal norm in all our communities.
For more information from Jeffery Leving on combatting youth violence, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/
