An end to gang violence and intimidation

BY SANDRA JUSTAD

LAST FALL, Derrion Albert, a 16-year-old Chicago honor student, was beaten to death on his way home from school. The consensus seems to be that he was an innocent who walked into the middle of a gang fight. Derrion's demise is a tragic example of a growing trend toward teen violence worldwide.

In Great Britain a Warrington man was beaten to death by a gang of young drunks when he objected to their damaging a vehicle outside his home. This is one example of why there are concerns about a social breakdown taking place, as those involved in violence get younger and the violence appears to worsen.

In 2000, global youth homicides were estimated at 199,000; on average, 565 individuals between the ages of 10 and 29 died each day as a result of interpersonal violence. A CDC Violence Prevention Report states that in the US in 2006, homicide was the second leading cause of death for young people ages 10 to 24.