You can have all the “community outreach” you want, but this mostly comes down to poor parenting and environment. When you have children growing up in concentrated poverty where their role models are gang members and drug dealers, mom and dad aren’t around, no one to teach coping skills, impulse control, anger management, nothing will change.

When the communities aren’t resourced and supported and don’t have access to safe housing, food, transportation, job opportunities, and mental health resources, what exactly do you expect families to do? Poverty is not a choice. It’s systemic.

At the root of poverty are toxic behaviors that can’t simply be addressed by throwing resources at the problem. This is why poor people who win the lottery generally end up dead or broke. Not saying people don’t need resources, but it’s much more nuanced than that.

What he said and what you said don’t contradict. You’re both right.

I think it depends on how you’re defining resources. It’s of course about community supports but also folks in poverty could really just benefit from access to financial resources like a refundable earned income tax credit and child tax credit because money DOES help people.

What you said is even righter. Systemic yo.

It depends on the resources, though. If you can ensure that kids have 1. a regular breakfast, 2. a regular lunch, and 3. face time with positive role models you'll see improvements. All three of those things cost money.

Where are the violence interrupters mayor stonebrain is hiring ?

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Would the positive role models be hired from outside the community, is that the idea?

Not necessarily. Ask people in the area for suggestions--after all, they'll know better than anyone else. After-school and weekend activities provide another opportunity for F2F interactions between kids and role models as well.

Two parent households also help with all three of those according to data. No idea how we encourage that though, but I know I never see it talked about.

^^^ big ditto to your comment. There isn’t enough emphasis on lived expertise. Far too often the “experts” (lol) come in and make decisions FOR communities rather than with communities.

Or maybe just don’t have kids if you can’t provide those things?

Agree 100% w/ this. Bringing people into the world when you don’t have the means to provide for them is criminal

Rip Southside, again

Is “FaceTime with positive role models” code for having a responsible father around?

Why are people afraid to talk about the destruction of the nuclear family in black communities?

I meant exactly what I said and said exactly what I meant. Also--to be clear--I'm talking about face time as in face-to-face interactions, not iPhone video calls.