violence prevention

. after reading about chicago's ceasefire program,

where reformed gang members try to reason with those

currently at high risk for being

either victims or perpetrators of violence,

I recalled that the most shocking reports involved

perceived trespassing:

. people are passing through the wrong neighborhood,

or children from different neighborhoods are sharing the same school .

. the ceasefire program both employs ex-convicts,

and is proven to reduce violence; so, this is an obvious good;

however, for the long-term,

our nation's city planning must reduce perceived trespassing;

and, such plans can also be part of a greener, more sustainable strategy,

that minimizes commuting times to a neighborhood's essential sites:

places like the general store, grocery store,

and place of employment or schooling .

. another proven violence-reduction strategy

that is also proven to increase academic performance,

is to support boarding schools

-- places of learning that give kids a safe place at night

to do homework and sleep,

as well as by reducing the amount of commuting time

-- and perceived trespassing .

12.17:

. from the public's perceptions of boarding schools

there's obviously many a devil in the details .