Crime in New Orleans
Taking back the streets of New Orleans Man gunned down in the streets of New Orleans is the typical news headline in New Orleans. Crime has increased so drastically that citizens have moved to different parishes just to feel safe. The crime rate has increase and New Orleans has been labeled the “Murder Capital of the World”. There are undoubtedly many factors contributing to crime but the focus should be those connected to the root of the problem. The systems in New Orleans have failed our kids and it’s up to the citizens to begin the process of taking back our streets.
Crime in the city is a great concern but if we can help change poor education, job opportunities and poverty this community can be what every citizen imagine too live in. Giving children some hope instead of turning the other cheek and watching them go down the wrong path in life can help. Taking back the streets of New Orleans is no easy task but as citizens we need to get more involved in the conditions and work together with finding the most effective solution. The first thing we as a community can do to help fight crime in New Orleans is to educate our kids more.
The mass majority of crime committed involves young, African American uneducated kids. Lack of education leads most to lack of understanding. Kids are not being educated in the school system due to the shortage of qualified teachers. Teachers need to be given more training and tested to show that they are skilled to teach. The school system is failing the kids of New Orleans and it’s been proven by different educational systems stepping in and taking over schools.
For example, before Hurricane Katrina hit the city of New Orleans Public Schools system was ran by the N. O. P. S. B. (New Orleans Public School Board). Kids were placed in other surrounding cities after Katrina where most of the public students failed. In the state of Texas kids were given assessment test for the Texas school system to find that most kids from Louisiana were far behind. Education is the key to success and without this concern addressed more kids will drop out only to increase the rate of crime in New Orleans.
Second, we need to work with the city to begin a job fair and training that includes employment for convicted felonies and young African Americans. Unemployed people have no job, no money, while they still live with their own needs and responsibility for their family. Most crimes are committed by ex offenders because of lack of job opportunities. For instance, when a convicted felon has paid their dues to society it’s still difficult for them to find employment in New Orleans. Many employers will not hire a convicted felon once it’s noticed on the job application.
This is what turns most convicted felonies back into the criminal activities that they were once involved in. The strain of being unemployed or feeling like a failure to their community can also lead to the life of crime. Giving convicted felonies and young African Americans a chance to earn a living will eventually decrease the crime rate in the City of New Orleans. Third, poverty is a concern that has affected the crime rate in New Orleans. The most common areas that crimes are committed are in areas that are subjected to poverty.
Many kids are influenced by the community they live in. Poverty puts a great deal of stress on people and they often lack material things that they need or want. They feel pressured being in a poor society that values material possessions and wealth. For example, generations are brought up in the housing developments and kids are not accustomed to wanting more out of life other that what they are surrounded by daily. Tearing down the old housing developments and involving mix income has become a success in the housing system.
Crime has dropped drastically in the new developments and hopefully soon they will all be torn down and replaced with the modern apartment style homes. In closing, some would say that crime is everywhere but putting a handle on the crimes can make life safer for the people living in New Orleans. We as a community have to work with city and state government to address concerns that relate to education, lack of employment, and poverty. We must encourage people to obtain good education and training, and not just with words.
People have to know that if they try they will be able to do better in life. This want be a dramatic change overall unless citizens of New Orleans help in the process. Doing something about a type of crime in one place, rather than attacking the root causes of crime, for the most part causes criminals just to change where and how they do crime. Street crime is a social problem. It can be worse and become a burden on society but with the right solutions, street crime can be reduced and we as citizens can begin taking back our city.
