Stand-Up!

Growing up in the sixties was not without difficulties. At times there were disagreements between kids and sometimes families. However, no one used gun violence to settle disputes. Another difference between now and then is that in the sixties your neighbor could discipline you if your parents were not at home (the village). Today most people are unwilling or afraid to address kids even when they see them doing wrong.

This platform has previously written about allowing others to come into our communities and usher in bad elements by selling drugs and committing other criminal acts. When we fail to act on such occurrences we become prisoners in our communities and the bad guys take control. Back in the day, we would never allow this to happen.
The shift in behavior began to change in the early to mid-1990s. The question is what happened to cause such a drastic behavior change? My mode of thought addresses two areas, which are parenting and drugs. I’m sure some might not agree with what I’m about to say. However, it’s my opinion. My work as a criminal defense investigator for 30 plus years has allowed me to interview many young offenders, most from single-family homes usually with just the mother. I’ve been told by some of these young people that they are allowed to come and go as they please and that a woman can’t rear a man.

Now don’t get me wrong a woman can rear a man. I am a prime example of how a man can be well raised by a woman. However, many young men choose to take the easy way out and use this fallacy to make their fast money illegally. Then there is the drug factor. I don’t condone selling drugs but due to a lack of skills or training some young people to want to make fast money and not work for minimum wage. Here is the deal, mothers need to be mothers and not friends with their children, I don’t know about you but I’ve heard children in today’s society curse their mothers and even their fathers. That didn’t happen in the ’60s or ’70s. All of the shootings today are related to turf wars (drugs) and gang activity. It must be difficult for young men and women growing up today to be strong while continually resisting the call of gang affiliation and possibly becoming the target of these predatory groups.

We live in a time that is very difficult for a lot of families. In order to keep our children and our communities safe, we must make our children our priority. How? We make our children our priority by putting them in the best environment possible, being their parents and not their friends, getting involved with them, and doing things together as a family. Finally, don’t allow the criminal element to take over your community, if you see something say something, call 911. Thumbs up, share and subscribe.

VMGREVIEW.COM
Marvin Dixon, Founder