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Gerran Kruel, 17,                                                                                 Oak Lawn High School 

Growing up in Chicago you recognize early that crime is a huge issue. So I don’t know where to begin. Everybody around me has at one time or another gone through some type of crime situation. For example, my mom, my dad, and my auntie have gone through some type of crime that has caused them both physical and mental issues. So this topic of crime has ignited a spark in me. I want to see these harmful situations no longer happen. I have a few ideas on how some crimes in Chicago could be prevented. 

First, we must begin with the neighborhood relationships. I would try to create a community that can be trusted. Communities having a friendly bond among neighbors could easily learn how to protect each other. Neighbors watching out for each other can reduce crime or even stop it before it starts. Neighbors can learn to be effective in reporting crimes when they see it. That way the neighborhood would have eyes everywhere. This effort would be a critical way to stop crime in any neighborhood. 

Another strategy is to use education and positive opportunities to discourage crime among youth. Many individuals turn to crime because the doors of opportunity have been closed in their faces. By promoting more educational programs and more after-school activities, some ‘would be’ teen criminals would have better things to do with their time than to plot criminal activities. Encouraging kids to find things that they are good at such as sports or art will help them see that crime isn’t the only thing that they can turn to. This means that through education and opportunities, youth will begin to see the possibilities of a positive future. This may discourage some teens from committing crimes. 

Also, another way crime can be lessened in a community or city is by establishing friendly relationships with the police in a given area. I know you may be asking,” Don’t police sometimes cause crimes in neighborhoods?” Not all police are bad and we should not treat them like they are before we get to know them. Some police want to really “serve and protect.” Having friendly relationships with law enforcement will be a way of getting to know them on a personal level; this should make you feel safer in your neighborhood. Having officers cruising in your neighborhood should promote trust between them and all neighbors. 

Lastly, I realized effort, no matter how small or how, can inspire others to do what they can to reduce crime where they live. Each of us can encourage one another to do our part in dealing with crime in our neighborhoods. For example in sharing my ideas now, I could be inspiring others to think about crime solutions. Hopefully, by sharing my ideas, I can inspire people of my age and older to work together to reduce or eliminate crime. If we come together as one community, we can reduce the crime rate in Chicago. 

In conclusion, my relatives as well as my encounters with crime, have sparked my desire to share my thoughts about what I think are realistic solutions. I believe that if neighborhoods worked on looking out for each other, provided positive opportunities for youth, and developed good working relationships with area police, crime could be reduced. 

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