Parents who lost their children to teen violence agree that violence among children starts in one's household, and families need to be proactive in fixing it.
Five parents who lost their teenagers to murder opened up about the growing epidemic of violence among the youth of America in the recent episode of Lawrence Jones Cross Country.
When asked by host Lawrence Jones why the problem is getting worse, parents blamed the "absences of God," absence of parents, peer pressure, gang activities after school, and lack of strictness at home.
Sylvia Bennett-Stone, the mother of Krystal Joy Bennett, who was killed with her two friends in a gas station because of a gang shootout, stressed how the root cause of violence starts in the household. Parents are responsible for teaching children at home how to make better decisions.
Children suddenly taken away from their parents
"I concur with everything that's been said. God first, family. I came from a great family. I had my father in the home. I had my uncles. In fact, my mother used to hand out butt-whooping coupons in the neighborhood. So our community in Oakland in those days, we were accountable to and for each other," Donald Lacy explained.
Lacy's 16-year-old daughter, Loeshe, was gunned down, caught seven bullets, and killed. A young man in the neighborhood picked her and her friends up after her shift at Mcdonalds, her part-time job. Four assailants went to the front of the vehicle, shooting at the young man, who was eventually found to have a dispute before they were picked up. The man in the driver's seat ducked, and Loeshe got all the bullets intended for him.
Three other parents in the show were anti-violence activist Yvonne Pointer, whose daughter was beaten to death, raped, and found at the bottom of a stairwell; Yanely Henriquez, whose daughter wanted to be a doctor but was shot near her school last year after being caught in a crossfire; and Robert Mickens whose daughter was also beaten to death by MS-13 gang members a day before her 16th birthday.
MS-13 gang, a street gang born in LA but with roots in El Salvador, is called one of the world's most brutal street gangs, known for a string of brutal murders in America, according to BBC News. Currently, in Maryland, two members were sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, racketeering, and federal drug charges, the Department of Justice announced.
Going back to basics, going back to the family
Bennett-Stone begged lawmakers to prioritize people over politics to stop violence among children and teenagers.
Mickens, however, stressed that it begins with the family. Families need to "take things back to back to basics," which would mean getting stricter and "cracking the whip." He further said that there is no reason for children to be killed in almost similar ways, Fox News reported.
This has been the goal since the presidency of Barack Obama, who said that the government would not be able to fill what only the community, parents, teachers, and clergy can. Obama said it isn't a gun issue when a kid shoots another kid. Instead, it is an issue of the kind of community being built, where everyone, not only the government, has shared responsibility.
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