Chicago Public Schools make good call with boys hoops

In far too many cases, these "kids" have been raised by a kid...

To be honest the whole thing is embarrassing for the city.
To have a simple high school basketball game treated like a lock down at Cook County Jail makes you wonder who is in charge of this mess.

And the mayor wants to bring people from all over the world to this city for the Olympics?
What a joke.

There was a good article on newsbusters about how Obama will undoubtably raise the self image of many of today "minority youth" and it basically said that the "Thug Life" Culture that is very prevalent in sports and hip hop (both huge to young urban teens) is on the OUTS and acting like that will soon go the way of the Dinosaur.

All in all, I think the problem isnt fights breaking out at HS Hoops games, I think that's just the symptom of a larger issue.

The fact that nobody is attending these games anyways is hardly a consolation....the real fact is that CLASSROOM attendance is way down too.

Education and Family need to be made "cool" again!

Its not as bad as the media makes it, but its bad enough. The people that ruin things in the city are always the few bad apples. And society simply does NOTHING to deter bad apples. In fact, they make it worse. ANYONE caught in a gang should be shipped directly into the ARMY. Even if you are caught "hanging" with them. And that goes for your ragers, huffers and any other undercurrent of society.

Keith - I think our armed forces are dealing with enough issues so putting up with a bunch of malcontents should not be their next issue. Talk about national security issues...

Keith is right,
most of these kids lack direction, discipline, and in some cases a home cooked meal. The armed forces would be a good place to continue the patriotism of our youth, as well as give them the discipline and self respect they so desperately deserve. We have let law basically tell us we cannot discipline our children, so let the military discipline them instead.

Oh yes Keith, it's as bad as the media makes it!

Case in point. I reffed C.P.S. basketball from 1987-1994. Kennedy, Morgan Park, Dunbar, Marshall, Crane, Roosevelt, Von Stueben, Westinghouse, Juarez, etc., etc., etc.

From the parents in the stands to the boys AND girls on the sidelines of the gyms, you could cut through the tension with a knife. I had Afro-American (Bruce, Hayes), Italian (Frank, Don), Hispanic (Tony, Jesus), and Caucasion (Tony) partners to work with. As much as the head ref tried to piece teams properly with location it had no bearing, whatsoever, as to the atmosphere created by opposing teams and fans.

Shoot, a Kennedy girls varsity game was the worse of the worse. It's bad enough when you have girls swinging all over the place, add the protective muscle (boyfriends/boy friends/parents) to the equation and you have a 'run and don't look back situation'.

Crazy thing was I had/have a good paying job, but I just love being out there.

Sad as all of the above may be, I went on to referee at neighborhood park mens leagues, and then to the Boys and Girls Clubs, and the disappointment didn't end there.

I can't put my finger on an inner-city excuse, but damned if some of these PARENTS aren't clues to the results.

Key word, and I'm stickin' to it!

Navarro, you were in the meat of the inner city, but you have to throw in King, Phillips, Simeon, Clemente, Hyde Park and Englewood (closed) to have the full Southside-hit-in-dah-mouthside experience! LOL!

The media reports it with an inflection in their voices that make you think its a CNN report from Sierra Leone or Afghanistan!! But don't let me sugar coat it...its bad and unnecessary.

I agree with CHUCK!! Sign them up and kill two birds with one stone! We shouldn't have Marshall Law at highschool basketball games! Parents will kick in when they see their sons - AAAAND - Daughters shipped off!! Might even get a few thank you letters!!! Bad parenting is always the problem. That is the reason we have this spoiled rotten generation full of cowards who won't box head up. Bottom line...they want to shoot, and Uncle Sam needs young strong shooters. A perfect match. I wonder how much we are spending pampering young Juveniles??? Got a gigantic building on the westside! Just turn the entire facility over to the Army! No more commercials and subliminal messages in video games!

Great idea - put gang bangers in the army. "Do you have my back?"
Sure they do - they'll be aiming an M16 at your back.

The US Army..sponsored by the Gangster Deciples

Carl, who do you think is in the Army now? There are very few choices in life for gangbangers. Gang, Jail, Army, School, Death. They are in the gang because they make poor choices, or have WEAK PARENTS (in most cases). Just like Chuck said, the ARMY will give them focus and direction. I had 3 brothers who served, and the service did good by all 3. All 3 made a conscious decision to escape from Chicago and do something positive with their lives. And you better believe I asked them why. I was on my way, but MEPPS changed my assignment and I refused to sign for less that I was promised. I saw it as a sign and went home.

Navarro, you are right...bad parenting. Society has a responsibility to help the overall health of the community. If folks turn their backs on it and do nothing - the gangbanger ends up shooting someone innocent. He shoots someone like you, or your wife, daughter or son. Or he takes away the next Dr. King or Barack Obama.

Look at the cultures around the world that value Education and Family.

97% of my H.S. graduating class went to 4 year college. 99% of them graduated HS. All my friends now have great familys and great jobs and many went on to become teachers and community leaders and successful business people. A few didnt. But where I went to HS, you were a LOSER if you DIDNT get GOOD grades. If you missed 3 classes (unexcused) you were dropped from that class (PERIOD).

It was all the Parents cared about and it was all we cared about GOING TO COLLEGE WAS EVERYTHING, IT WAS HUGE. You were defined by where you were going to college.

Now, dont anyone give me any crud about being rich, because I was the POOREST KID or top 3 for sure in the whole school and I knew early that If i didnt get a scholarship, I AINT GOING to COLLEGE.

LIKE ALL MY FRIENDS WOULD BE.

Shoot, I am still scared because majority of my friends went Big Ten, and my loser a*s played for NEIU.....I think they dropped their basketball program a few years after I transferred.

Lets put it this way, it was a long ways a way from DUKE.

Keith

I think there's a HUGE difference between your brothers (thank them for me when u get the chance) and those who don't see the need to change their ways. The Army would give focus and direction to those who want it. Grabbing gang members and tossing them in the army won't work.

...maybe we're saying the same thing

I agree with the ban for now, but this can't just continue onto next season. Bottom line, there are no quick fixes to this issue. In fact, there is almost an impossible solution/s. It has controversy written all over and in many areas of society, education and culture, let alone just due process of the law. The military is certainly a good idea, but again, it won't cure the overall problem because it does delve deep into the family's upbringing itself. You start tinkering with that and then controversy over individual rights kick in and then there is no end to the debates. The Chicago Police Dept. will just have to continue policing the matter as best as they can, but we're talking like decades before you can actually do an entire makeover of the city.

Great Post Culzie! It's definitely a culture thing. The poor have tunnel vision for the most part. ITS about TODAY. People are concerned with keeping the lights and gas on. And dreaming is some kind of fantasy like becoming president. Going to college is a LOFTY goal if your environment is filled with failure. Just living to see your 18th birthday is a milestone. Finishing Highschool is the equivalent of finishing college for the poor.

Its all the way you look at it. The community you grew up in - valued a college education and they helped create the atmophere. The shift is now focussed on grad school. And the poor dream of just making it in and through a college like NEIU.

It's all about the syndromes...everyone has one now

I have P.A.S....Personal Accountability Syndrome

I think me and two other people in the world have it...

There's your problem

Keith, Culz(still can't write the ie), even Carl has a point.

Edgar, at first I disagreed with Roman, then I noticed it's only for a few games, and yes, unless it's a big rivalry game, no one goes. Of course, the people who haven't shown up all year are the ones complaining that they can't come.

Carl, you cannot judge teens just on how they are living their lifestyle now. Take me and my three brothers. We used to steal aluminum cans from the recycle shop, intimidate people, steal food, money, food stamps and all sorts of stuff. The police were at our house almost every day. We would've been those punks you are talking about. No discipline, thieves, bullies, and the like.

NOW....all three of us are married (1 passed from cancer, the most generous of us all), my oldest is a precinct member for caps in his neighborhood doing lots of charity work. The other one went to the military, retired after 20 years, and earning his degree this spring as well as working for NASA. My story, I'll tell a little later, but we have done excellent with our lives, and there is hope for any child, even one going down the wrong path.

As for me, 10 years in the post office, left work to receive a bachelor's in Mathematics, 1 semester away from my Master's in mathematics. Understanding life and making mistakes is what made us role models in our community, we needed a chance just like all these other kids out here. If you saw me on the street, believe me, you'd 100% think I was a thug, and I accept that, but that is only outward appearances.

I think everyone is making pretty solid arguments and sharing some serious stuff here. There is no easy solution. That's why we put our best minds together on these issues.

Good stuff..

Chuck - Fantastic Post! Inspiring and Hopeful.

Thanks, Keith.