Violence in the World

Quinton Beverly, International Studies Academy, Wat it do, ISA? (Fall 2006):

Because of the war in Iraq I started thinking of similar issues here in America. I started to think that people out here are also having a war about where they live or what they do. Because the young people are killing each other for power and drugs that they don’t need or have. I asked myself these few questions about violence in the world and these are the answers that I came up with. I also encourage you to ask the same questions I asked here.

What is the same about the war in Iraq and gang violence in San Francisco or in America?
: They are both killing each other and they are using violence

What other things do you think youth, living in Iraq or in gang areas, have in common?
: They both want power over their enemies
: They hear gun shots and bombs
: There is always someone dying from getting shot or bombed

How might these people feel?
: They might feel like they need to bring a weapon everywhere they go
: They might feel that they have to watch their back every 5 to 10 minutes
: They might also feel that they need to walk in groups everywhere
they go

What might it sound like where they live?
: It might sound like there is shooting almost every night and day
: It might sound like people arguing over nothing
: It might also sound like people running or breathing hard because they are running from gunshots or from the police officers

What obstacles do they face coming and going from their houses?
: One thing they have to face is that they are being chased by other gangs and by the police
: The other challenge is that they are sometimes being followed on the sidewalk and in a car

I wrote this article because I want us young people to know what is happening in the war in Iraq and how it compares to the violence here in San Francisco and other gang areas. I also want Bush to know that he needs to be able to take control of this country and take the men and woman out of Iraq and let them be home with their families.