Our city is being held hostage by gun violence.
Since the beginning of the year, too many of our friends and neighbors have been killed in Indianapolis. Families are afraid to leave their homes. Just sending a child out to meet a friend raises questions about safety that no parent should face.
And while the dedicated men and women of our police force are working around the clock to secure our streets, they struggle to keep pace.
It is time for us to be honest about the problem facing our community. This has gotten too big for any one politician, community leader, neighborhood organization or law enforcement agency to fix alone. There is simply no single solution that will eradicate the violence we are experiencing in our city.
Making our streets safe again will take a community-wide approach, focused on every level of government and community engagement.
Patrolling to prevent crime is important, but it is equally important to ensure our children are on the right path before they are affected by violence. In this, our schools are critical. Teachers and principals can make a real impact by raising the tough issues of gangs and guns, counseling students who are personally impacted by violence, and supporting students through graduation from high school. To help, I have authored the Transition-to-Success Mentoring Act, to allow schools to hire success coaches who will mentor troubled high school students to help them stay in school and graduate.
Community centers and churches are another important partner in keeping kids off the street and away from violence. After school, evening and weekend programs provide a safe, productive outlet for young people. But these programs cannot operate alone, relying on government and philanthropic funding as well as neighborhood participation to be successful. My office helps such organizations by providing letters of support when they apply for federal grants, but more local help is critically important.
Employers also have a vital role to play. There are far better ways to promote maturity and responsibility and instill pride in our young people than for them to work. While some businesses may see hiring young people as a risk, providing summer jobs and other temporary employment not only makes our communities safer, but it also encourages patronage of local businesses.
Finally, while policy makers, community leaders, educators and employers all contribute to the safety of our neighborhoods, they can never truly replace parents. Young people must be held accountable for their whereabouts, their behavior, their activities and their social groups. As a parent myself, I know how difficult this can be. While no parent is perfect, we must acknowledge that fathers, mothers, relatives, and guardians will have more influence over the future of our neighborhoods than anyone else. Their involvement in the lives of their children, in our schools, and as voices for our community is critical.
Today, Indianapolis is facing a crisis that reaches beyond politics and across community lines. Yet, while we grieve the loss of so many lives and so much potential, the tragedy of the last several months should be a call to action. We all have a responsibility to get involved. There is no simple solution but together we can make our streets safe again.
André Carson is a Democrat and a U.S. representative from Indianapolis in Congress.
