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Manuals and Guides: Community

The Busy Citizen's Discussion Guide
Violence in Our Communities

Contents

Introduction
Background on the issue
Session 1 - How does violence affect our lives?
Session 2 - What are the reasons for violence in our society?
Session 3 - What can we do in our neighborhoods?
Session 4 - What can we do in our schools?
Ground rules for useful discussions

Introduction

"There's a war on at home.... Even outside major cities, ours is a land of real freedom only during daylight and in certain neighborhoods."
Jonathan Alter, Newsweek, September 27, 1993

Violence has commanded the attention of the nation, inspiring fear, anger, and grave concern. Though some elected officials are afraid to admit that the criminal justice system by itself can't control violent crime, a growing number of mayors, judges, police chiefs, and others are urging citizens to get involved. Senator Bill Bradley (D-NJ) has called for a "national rebellion" made up of citizens working against violence at the local level.

The Busy Citizen's Discussion Guide: Violence in Our Communities is designed to help you enter into this national rebellion by joining with others in dialogue about how best to confront crime and violence in your community. It is a brief companion to Confronting Violence in Our Society: A Guide for Involving Citizens in Public Dialogue and Problem Solving.

Both the full discussion guide and this brief Busy Citizen's Discussion Guide are based on the notion of study circles - small-group, democratic, highly participatory discussions. Study circles have a venerable history in our nation's town meeting and Chautauqua traditions, and are once again taking root in many organizations and communities as a way to grapple with political and social concerns. They provide an effective vehicle for the kind of dialogue that is essential to confronting violence in our communities.

Can citizens make a difference?

There are important reasons to be confident that citizens can make a difference in reducing violence. First, there is an emerging consensus in America about the importance of confronting violence. Though different people emphasize different aspects of the problem - and different solutions - almost everyone agrees that violence must be addressed. There is also a growing willingness to face violence openly. Where people might once have been afraid to confront the issue publicly, for fear of harming the local tourism industry or depressing property values, they are now realizing that something must be done - and that doing something requires broad-based public involvement.

But the greatest reason for hope is that, in the past few years, citizens working together to confront violence have already made a difference in their communities. Citizens, teachers, parents, young people, police, health care workers, elected officials, and other community leaders have designed innovative ways to address many aspects of the violence problem - substance abuse, domestic violence, gang violence, racial conflicts - within the settings of family, schools, social service agencies, religious institutions, and neighborhoods. Each of these approaches plays a part in reducing and preventing violence, provides examples and models for others, and affirms that citizens can indeed make a difference at the local level.

Why talk about violence?

We can't ignore or escape violence; it is spreading to communities that never before had to face it openly.

Working effectively to confront it will require the determined efforts of many citizens over a long period of time. Dialogue will be critical to beginning and sustaining these efforts. People need opportunities to discuss their views of the problem and to hear how their neighbors view and experience the effects of violence. They need to work together to assess the problems of violence, to learn what their own and other communities are doing, and to come up with ways for effectively dealing with the problems. Most importantly, as people meet with and learn from each other, they are building a sense of community that is basic to solving the problem.

Background on the issue

Americans have good reason to be worried about violence. The US leads the industrialized world in violent crime with 3 million victims a year, including 23,000 murder victims. In 1990, local governments alone spent $39.7 billion on the criminal justice system (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1992 and 1994).

The national opinion polls on crime and violence, which show how seriously Americans take the issue, reflect the impact it has on peoples' personal lives. Four out of every 10 Americans "have changed their way of living" because of anxiety about crime (The Christian Science Monitor, April 8, 1994). People feel less safe in the streets, at school, at work, even in their own homes.

There is concern not only about the general level of violence, but about the particular kinds of violence which are on the rise. The fastest growth in violent crime is occurring among teenagers: From 1986 to 1991, murders committed by teens ages 14 to 17 grew by 124%, while among adults 25 and over, murder actually declined slightly (Time, February 7, 1994). Four to five people under 18 are murdered every day, and three to four people under 18 are arrested for murder each day (National Crime Prevention Council). In a 1991 survey, one in five high school students said that they carried a weapon to school at least once a month, for self-protection or use in a fight (Centers for Disease Control).

Violence against women is also a growing concern. A study conducted by the National Victim Center revealed that 1 in 8 adult women has been raped ("Rape in America: A Report to the Nation," April 23, 1992). Reported incidents of domestic violence have surged, with approximately four million women beaten in their homes each year (The Wall Street Journal, August 6, 1993). More American lives - mostly women's lives - are lost to domestic violence every five years than in the entire Vietnam war.

Clearly, our freedom, our peace of mind, and our very lives depend upon effectively confronting violence in our communities.

Session 1

How does violence affect our lives?

The purpose of this session is to allow each group member to listen to others' experiences and perceptions. It gives everyone a chance to talk about how violence affects them and to gain a more complete picture of the violence problems our community is facing.

Violence is not always an easy topic to talk about. An understanding of and commitment to the study circle process - open, thoughtful, focused discussion - is essential. The core of the process is respectful listening in order to understand others' points of view.

The questions and cases below provide some starting points for a discussion about how violence affects us and our community.

Questions for beginning the discussion

How does the possibility of violence change your daily life? How has direct contact with violence affected your life?
What are your greatest concerns about safety and security, either your own or that of the people close to you?
How do you feel about local law enforcement and the protection it provides? Is the system fair to all? How does the way the police operate affect the behavior of people in the community?
How do your concerns about violence differ from the concerns your parents had at your age?
What do you think are the most serious problems involving violence in our community?
What role do you think the media have played in defining and portraying violence in our community?
In what ways do you think that citizens can make a real difference in addressing violence? What circumstances would prompt you to become actively involved in anti-violence programs in the community?
How does violence particularly affect the young people in our community?
How does violence particularly affect the women in our community?

Some cases for discussion

These cases are only brief sketches of some of the kinds of situations citizens face daily in communities all over the country. They are a starting point for thinking about the needs and concerns of people in our own community.

As you read and discuss the following cases, consider these questions: How are the cases similar to situations our community faces? What do you think are the root causes of violence in each case? What could be done to address the causes and to respond to the situation?

Case #1

A group of kids has begun to insult, intimidate, and pick fights with other students during and after school hours. As a result, many students are tense and scared. Some have banded together for protection, and a few have begun to carry knives and even guns. In responding to the situation, a group of parents recently held a meeting and demanded that security in and around the school be increased. But there is no additional money in the school or police budget, and no one wants to raise taxes. The principal, who is concerned about the situation, has suspended the kids who have started the fights in school, but a lot of the incidents happen off school grounds. If you were the parent of a student at the school, what would you do? What would you want your child to do? What advice would you give to him or her?

Case #2

You have lived in the same urban neighborhood for a long time. Recently, you've begun to see a lot of different cars stopping in front of certain houses on your street, with people constantly coming and going. Your neighbor has told you that she has seen drugs and money change hands on the street; in fact, she says that she could identify two people who are selling drugs. One evening, she tells you that she went to a meeting of a new neighborhood group, and that members of the group have asked her to testify in court against the dealers. She is afraid that the dealers may "target" her if she testifies. What do you think your neighbor should do? Is there anything you would suggest to the neighborhood group?

Case #3

Domestic violence has increased dramatically in your small city over the past few years. In the past month, two women have been murdered by their ex-husbands and several others beaten so badly that they needed treatment at the hospital emergency room. The Women's Commission has good reason to believe that domestic violence is even more frequent, and requests the mayor to call a public meeting to hear suggestions and discuss what can be done to reduce domestic violence. The mayor knows that you are concerned about this issue, and has asked you to express your views at the meeting. What ideas would you suggest for reducing domestic violence?

Case #4

The office where you work is in a large building in an industrial area. The parking lot is large and poorly lit - you're not sure if people are always breaking the floodlights or if the company that owns the office building just isn't concerned about safety. In the last year, two people have been mugged while going to their cars after work. Incidents of "carjacking" have also been increasing in the surrounding area. What would you do, and to whom would you turn for help?

Case #5

Your suburban neighborhood is near a large city, but until the past year, violent crime had not been a major concern. Then, over the summer, several houses were burglarized. Two people walking home from the commuter station at night were assaulted and robbed. The police have arrested suspects in some of the cases, but the police force is small. Recently, the mayor created a Public Safety Committee to study ways to make the community safer. As a member of the committee, what proposals would you promote?

Session 2:
What are the reasons for violence in our society?

Violence is a serious problem that makes people want to spring into immediate action. But there is an important role for discussion as a part of action: the discussion process itself builds a network of mutual support and commitment to the community. Discussion also leads to a deeper understanding of the problems and, so, to more effective solutions.

Violence in America:
Some international comparisons

The US is by far the most violent industrialized nation in the world, with 3 million victims of violent crime every year and 23,000 murders. The second most violent industrialized nation, Spain, has a murder rate which is half that of ours (Bureau of Justice Statistics, February 1994). In 1993, 455 out of every 100,000 Americans were in jail at one time or another; we are the world leader in this category, with South Africa a distant second at 311 per 100,000 (Time, February 7, 1994). Guns are the murder weapon of choice: 10,567 people were killed with them last year in this country, compared with 10 handgun deaths in Australia, 13 in Sweden, 68 in Canada, and 87 in Japan (Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, 1991).

However, international comparisons don't provide simple answers to the question of why violence occurs. For example, some argue that the prevalence of guns in this country is the cause, yet owning a gun is even more common in Switzerland than in the US, while their rates of handgun death - 91 per year - are much lower than ours. Some have explained American violence by noting other supposed differences between us and the rest of the world: we are less religious than other countries; we have more large cities; we are more competitive; we are less homogeneous and so have more clashes between different cultures. Yet rates of violent crime are higher in the American South than in the North, and the South would seem to be more religious, less urban, less competitive, and more homogeneous. There are no easy answers to the question of why the US is more violent than many other countries.

Five perspectives on the reasons for violence in America

Rather than just compare the US to less violent countries, it is important to try to understand the roots of our problem with violence and find ways to solve it. The five perspectives that follow offer a way to begin that discussion: they represent some of the most common explanations of our current problems with violence.

Each of the perspectives is an interpretation of the problem, a lens through which to view violence. The five lenses aren't necessarily mutually exclusive; you might find yourself drawing some elements from all or some of them. And because each depicts a broad view, each perspective could lead to a wide variety of action steps, some of which may directly conflict with one another. For example, looking at violence as primarily a problem of "law and order" (as in the fourth perspective) could lead to very different recommendations regarding handguns.

As you read and discuss the perspectives, consider these questions:

What do you think are the most important reasons for violence in America?
Are there perspectives not represented here that you think better account for why our society is so violent?
What role do drugs and alcohol play? What role do handguns play?
Some people believe that a moral or spiritual breakdown in our communities accounts for our problem with violence. How does this fit with your views?
Why is domestic violence so prevalent? Has it been getting worse, or are people just more aware of it now?
What do you think has led to the increase in violence in schools and among young people?
What general direction should we take for reducing violence in America? What are the greatest benefits we would derive from taking that direction? What kinds of sacrifices or costs could that direction require?

View 1 - Violence occurs because of family and community breakdowns.

According to this perspective, community customs and standards once assured civility, discipline, and respect for authority. Violence was held in check by social principles and a sense of membership and belonging. Parents, extended family members, and neighbors cared for children, served as role models, and enforced codes of conduct. Cops "walked the beat" and institutions such as churches and schools provided communities with spiritual support, moral guidance, and a sense of discipline. Today, many children lack these influences. Many Americans don't feel ties to their community, don't live near other relatives, and don't know their neighbors very well. We should work to strengthen our families and communities.