My Pledge & Promise To End Inner City Violence. Written By: Maurice D. Proffit

 

My Promise for the Future; My Promise to the Youth

By: Maurice D. Proffit

Tonight a close friend of mine who is a teacher at Farragut High School was asking me about a “Now Is The Time”. Now Is The Time is a theater coalition that Powerhouse Productions (my theater company) is a member of that focuses on advocacy of fighting against youth violence in the city. She came out to our last “Teens at the Table” community panel discussion/public forum that was held at Little Village High School and was enthralled with the program and especially the student involvement of the program. Tonight, she told me some heartbreaking news about a student from Farragut who was killed over the weekend. Needless to say the vibe at Farragut has been very somber and definitely has been living by a different beat. However, some students were a bit indifferent because the teen was a gang banger and because the teen was throwing gang signs when he was shot in the head.

What strikes loudest to me is that this was still someone’s son. That was still someone’s grandson. That this was still someone’s nephew. That he was someone’s childhood friend. Despite his social proclivity, the fact remains that a life, a young life at that, was ripped away from us and our community. When did it become such a risk to just open your eyes in the morning? As a child and even a teenager, your only priority in life to is to get good grades and remain on your best behavior. Now teenagers have to be cautious because today may be their last day on this earth? When did this become the objective of life?

I think about my nephews who live in Englewood. Is it fair that my younger nephew has to be cautious when he is leaving home to go to piano practice? Is it fair when my older nephew has to be cautious when he leaves his house to go to football practice? Why is it not an option for them to just continue to be young and live? And let the grown folks handle all of the worries? But this is not the reality that we live with anymore!

I am fully committed to seeing this senseless behavior to stop! I am tired of knowing that criminals and thugs are the ones to determine the safety (or lack thereof) of families and especially children. I am tired and sick of these neighborhoods transforming into micronized war zones where just going outside to go to a family members house for dinner has be deemed as a risk. All because some sick twisted individual feels a need to “Keep it real” or “show that they aint no punk” to someone else.

Now is the time.

Now is OUR time as a community to rise. And not in an “eye for an eye” mentality, but in a way to show that life is worth living! That fear should not exist in our lives and our hearts! That our step forward for better communities, better treatment of neighborhood schools and embracing creative imagination is what is our objective ought to be! This is OUR time to show the vermin that want to rob our happiness from us, that they are no longer in control! This is OUR TIME to finally take a stance for what is right and to NEVER deny us our own pursuit of happiness for ourselves, our children, our families and our neighborhoods.

I pledge my commitment to no longer sit here and wait for lawmakers to make this change! I pledge my commitment to once again adapt the philosophy of “It takes a village to raise a child”. I pledge my commitment to dedicate my life to see to it that the menacing disease known as “hate” has completely curbed to a point of nonexistence. I don’t believe that this foresight is too big or too ambitious of a goal. I believe in the power and the voice of community too much to ever think otherwise.

My pledge starts now.