Poll Reveals Perturbing Attitudes Towards Violence
Seattlest is not sure what to do with this P-I story about a poll on kids' perception of violence. The gist of the article is that according to Junior Achievement's survey, a startling percentage of kids in the U.S. don't seem to feel like violence in their communities is all that noteworthy--and that data resonates profoundly with the experience of many in South and Southeast Seatte. Presumably, the poll was faulty in some way, phrased poorly or not asking the right questions, because there's not a non-sociopathic kid in the world who isn't concerned when their friend gets shot at the mall. (Even as a young kid, we could recognize that "when is it okay to hit somebody?" was a dirty trick question.) It is conceivable, however, that street violence feels so entrenched in some Seattle neighborhoods that a kid could take the attitude that change isn't possible.
If that's the case, and that's what we're taking from the results of the questionably composed JA poll, then it's time to look at the socioeconomic political air these kids are breathing. Recently, we reported that the SPD says crime overall is down by 11 percent--while at the same time holding press conferences about intensified gang violence and virtually ignoring anecdotal evidence about the increase in crime in the South end. The SPD's numbers have been called into question by the Southeast Seattle Crime Prevention Council.
More on the conflicting stories and lack of hard data, after the jump.
On the one hand, Seattle is "the safest it's been in 40 years." (That was almost a year ago, back when Chief of Police Kerlikowske could still credit the "strong" economy for the ostensible drop in crime.) But this fall, The Stranger dubbed Rainier Valley "Death Valley" and published a piece on "Southeast Seattle residents' collective freak-out," quoting one activist's argument that what's perceived as a gang problem is really a socioeconomic problem.
Either way, the problem exists and everyone seems to know about it, though not everyone wants to talk about it and hard numbers are elusive. "Data only shows what those collecting the data want it to show," activist and blogger Sable Verity told us in an e-mail this morning. "I've always had a bone to pick with SPD about hate crimes. They happen way too often, but in order to soften and pretty up our city's data at the local and federal level, hate crimes are rarely prosecuted as such. Instead, they're just assaults or murders." We asked our Twitter network for links to hard evidence about the crime problem in the South End, and one of the first responses was from @BenitoBlanco, manager and promoter for 800LB and Soul Gorilla, who grew up in the same area and went through situations just like what South End teens today experience: "You don't need numbers, Katelyn. Just go hang out on Rainier Avenue for a day." Sable Verity agreed, and added, "In a bullet-proof vehicle."
What is it gonna take to create a city in which all neighborhood kids are justified in believing that change is possible? How many more community meetings?
