2009-07-02

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 .

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