I hereby retract all the nasty things I've said about New Jersey's urban areas. It was only a year ago when I could say "at least we're not Newark/Camden/Trenton/Jersey City. Now we've officially surpassed every other urban area in the nation for homicides. Ruminating on the topic, I noticed this article.

The article is appalling. To even think that homicide becomes part of the background noise in our local media is absurd, reprehensible and downright fucking frightening. I hear a lot of blaming in the article, but little solution or preventative measures are being taken. I think the media is adding to the problem by feeding us these stories. The article talkes about the possibility that Philly citizens are growing tolerant the deluge of news about homicide. Not only do I find this incorrect but I find it hypocritical. There is a middle ground between making it the banner issue and sweeping it under a rug. Can local media be contributing to the cycle of violence? I think so, because many people will feel the need to protect themselves and their families and may be more anxious, perhaps be more inclined to feed the statistics that are growing.

The homicide plight is what's making this mayoral race a joke. All of the candidates have the same Band-Aid solutions that didn't work the last few years and are bound to failure. Increased police force. Stricter gun control. Yes, they do their parts, but we need preventative measures as well. Perhaps we can teach conflict resolution in schools on a much higher scale. I had a conflict resolution class in 5th and 6th grades, and what I've learned from them have served me well. If we can give people more options for coping tactics, the use of violence would be reduced. People don't think in the heat of the moment, but if we allow them enough time to internalize some other solutions, I'm sure violent confrontation would be further down the list of reactions.

It's unfortunate that we will never stop voilence. But is it at least possible for it to be toned down? Stories of voilence and gunfire shouldn't be so prevalent that it becomes background noise. If this problem isn't alleviated, the city of Philadelphia is gonna see a huge exodus in its inner city. At least, I'm gonna head out if it gets too bad.

Which leads to my question. I know we have thousands of people here in SoulCast from a cornucopia of ethnic and national backgrounds. Could you offer this anxious Philadelphian any measures your area takes to tone down violence? How does your community cope with the plight of homicide and gunplay? Fruthermore, what are your personal thoughts, opinions and experiences on this topic?