Two weeks earlier, another shooting occurred at 1:30am on a Saturday morning, at an American Legion Lodge near 83rd and Wornall. It resulted in the deaths of two college students. Prior to the shooting, one of the victims had stopped to chat with police officers directing traffic from the crowded parking lot.

As we quickly approach the end of summer and start the new school year, the number of shootings resulting in homicide is steadily increasing. Although the numbers are nowhere near where they were this time last year, there is still cause for concern. And the victims and perpetrators are getting younger.

According to the website Safe Streets, Safe City, by November 2005, Kansas City had exceeded New York, Los Angeles and Chicago in the number of homicides in relation to the population. For every 100,000 residents, New York had 6.36 homicides, Los Angeles had 13 homicides, Chicago had 15 homicides and Kansas City had 28.1 homicides.

There were 12,658 homicides in the United States last year; Kansas City accounted for 127 of these. This means that the homicide rate in Kansas City was 6.45 times higher than the national homicide rate in 2005.

Last year, following the city’s 96th homicide, Sixth District Councilman Alvin Brooks appointed a commission to study Kansas City’s escalating homicide rate. The commission is searching for ways to diffuse the situation. However, there are a number of factors that have contributed to the crime spree in this city.

One factor is the accessibility of firearms. With the passing of more lenient gun laws, more and more households are purchasing weapons. This is making guns more accessible for other members of the household, many under the age of twenty-one.

Another is the media. The media and film industries tend to glamorize gunplay. Television, movies, and video games are progressively becoming more violent. In addition, many young persons lack the proper supervision, discipline, and parental guidance needed to encourage healthy decisions.

Many parents permit their children to play with violent video games with little or no regards to the age warnings or ratings provide upon purchase. As a result many young people (especially young black men) choose to settle disputes in the way they have become accustomed to: with violence.

The third is fear of retribution. Most homicides are committed in the presence of others. In some cases, there have been over a hundred credible witnesses. However, the majority are hesitant to come forth with valuable information for fear of retribution from the perpetrator. As a result, many homicide cases go unsolved.

In a society where gunplay seems to be becoming the norm, Kansas Citians need to address the ever-escalating problem of gun violence. City officials are adamantly attempting to curb the situation.

Move Up, 100 Men in Blue Hills, STOP Violence, and other inner-city organizations have become involved in this effort to slow the homicide rate. They have held workshops, seminars, marches and rallies aimed at educating the public on the negative implications associated with street violence.

Over forty percent of all homicides remain unsolved at this time. Alonzo Washington, Ron McMillan, Calvin Neal, and other community leaders are rallying for individuals to come forward with information which may help solve the numerous unsolved homicides plaguing the community and the police department.

These leaders are also encouraging individuals to take the initiative to educate themselves in alternative ways to deal with aggression. By learning to suppress aggression, people are more likely to think things through first and less likely to blindly lash out without weighing the consequences.

In any case, it is time for Kansas City to wake up. It is time to open the lines of communication within the urban community. There is an urgent need to come to some type of resolution. We lost 127 victims to homicides in 2005. Are we doomed to repeat this cycle again and again? When will we learn? When will it end?

Tell us what you think. Write Spectrum at editor@mcckc.edu.

Copyright 2006 Metropolitan Community College