When I was growing up, gangs were friendly groups of people!
When I was growing up, life was different from today’s mess which is flying everywhere. All we did was read, laugh, learn, play, and respect our elders. There was nothing as technology except a square wooden box which works sometimes when you hit it twice or one. Those wooden boxes called Television only showed us black and white scenes. Well, life wasn’t bad at all for real, it was a sweet reminiscence. We teenagers then had groups of friends but we were never dangerous gangs like you see them today. In fact, some elderly people can smack a naughty kid without anyone to challenge them except the parent will thank the elderly person. Apart from that, the first thing we learned was respecting the older ones unlike most teenagers of today who do not give a damn who they hurt with curse or weapons. We normally walked with three or four friends who sit with us to play with sand, or flowers or kite? Or some other games. At night we told and listened to stories!
Today, groups of teenagers are gangs who are bent on killing people
Let’s be realistic by reminding each other that not all groups of teenagers are gangs. No, some of them are lovely kids who feel comfortable walking with friends in a group who they have known since primary school or maybe from the previous neighborhood. Apart from the good ones, on the other hand, we have the really bad ones who are unruly teenagers going about to attack others. Why are teenagers now killing each other on the streets? Let us ask ourselves, are they being loved? Are they educated, are they empowered, are they happy, and are they employed? It seems most teenagers are frustrated, leaving them bitter and hopeless. I have heard some teenagers complain bitterly that the government has nothing good to offer them. They complain that there’s nothing to do other than smoke deadly substance and feel safe in a gang where there’s unity.
Whose fault is it?
We will be missing the ball if we start pointing fingers at the government or parents. Although, I believe this is the time absentee fathers who do not show love or support to their children should come out and start laying good examples down. Single parents can’t do everything alone either. Teachers and carers need support from parents while government needs resources to improve and develop lives of teenagers while we need severe resources for police officers.
May souls of all those victims of gang crime rest in peace!
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