Murder To Excellence: Will Youth Get the Necessary Investment To Turn Their Communities Around?

This past weekend a flash mob made up of dozens of Black youth attacked attendees leaving the Wisconsin State Fair. The violence was random, the punishment was swift and many of the victims were white.

This past weekend a flash mob made up of dozens of Black youth attacked attendees leaving the Wisconsin State Fair. The violence was random, the punishment was swift and many of the victims were white.

While no one was hurt badly, the incident made national headlines during a busy news weekend that was dominated by the S&P downgrade of the federal government.

Locally, the event incited elected officials and conservative talking heads to rekindle old stereotypes and fan the flames of racial discontent that often permeate segregated communities. 

And even though the mainstream media rarely tells the whole story when covering youth of color, the reality is that Black kids growing up in Milwaukee, like other working class Black communities like Philadelphia and Detroit are experiencing a crisis of historical proportions. Their schools suck, unemployment is at record highs and there is no end in sight. And sadly, they are very familiar with violence.  

But while the alarming homicide rates in places like Chicago and Philadelphia may shock us and the random acts of mob thuggery like the ones experienced last weekend may scare us, there are also thousands of youth out there trying to change the conversation using creativity, music, art and the Internet.