Obama: Urban violence "not just a gun issue"

[Jazzy]

In an unusually personal speech not far from his Chicago home, President Obama today reiterated his ongoing call for Congress to pass laws aimed at reducing gun violence in America. But the president, invoking his personal history and his relationship with his father, also stressed the need for parents and communities to combat gun violence from the ground up -- neighborhood by neighborhood and one block by one block - to fight overarching issues related to urban poverty and violence.



Mr. Obama focused heavily on the issue in his remarks this afternoon, touching briefly on the need for federal legislation before launching into a discussion about community and -- invoking his own experience -- family.



In too many neighborhoods today... it can feel like, for a lot of young people, the future only extends to the next street corner, he said. There are entire neighborhoods where young people, they don't see an example of somebody succeeding. For a lot of young boys and young men in particular, they don't see examples of fathers and grandfathers... who are in a position to support families and be held up and respected.



That means that this is not just a gun issue, he continued. It's also an issue of the kinds of communities that we're building.



It's very hard to develop economically if people don't feel safe, he added.

Full article with video



Your thoughts?

 

[Evil Eye]

All very nice and such... but how about actually getting it done instead of giving a speech.

 

[Jazzy]

First thing he's ever said that I actually agree with.

 

[DrLeftover]

Evidently, what they have is the kind of community that they want.



If not the people wringing their hands and wanting somebody to do something would be turning in the 'gangstas' and the 'thugs' and cleaning up their own houses because you know damned good and well they all know who's doing the killing.

 

[Fatal Dawn]

It’s sad to see what’s happening in our cities. It’s a shame because it is so difficult to build wholesome communities in the inner-city. People do the best they can but the violence and strife just never seems to stop. Nobody wants this kind of community for their children. How much control does a single parent have over the gangs who turn streets into war zones? It is nothing new that the inner-city needs all the help. It’s just a matter of what President Obama will do about the cycle of urban decay.