Kensington & Gun Laws: What Can We Do About It?
By: Ethan Rodriguez and Kieran Mcintire
All around the world, there are children, worried to leave their houses as a result of crime and gun violence in their neighborhood. One of these neighborhoods is Kensington in Philadelphia, where the overall crime rate in is 82% higher than the national average.
Gun violence has been a large problem for the past few decades, and with this decade coming to a close, it is necessary to bring up these big issues, so we can figure out what to do about it. With better gun violence laws and restrictions, especially in the Kensington area, young children could feel more comfortable in their neighborhoods, and be able to live their young lives. These young children should not have to deal with the problems that are thrown upon them by the lack of gun safety laws. Without proper support, these kids could develop serious mental illnesses or fall into the life of crime themselves.
Living in Kennsington can be rough, especially when you see the kids that you went to elementary/middle school with getting into deep trouble as soon as they hit 14. As far as guns go, people generally use them for protection purposes. Though, living in the city, some people confuse the term “protection” and “seeming tough”. When someone has a gun on them, they feel powerful. In charge.
In their heads, if anyone messes with them it’s over for them. The children around them see the adults carry around guns and they become numb to the thought. Little do they know that the guns they are witnesses as a kid subconsciously stay with them. Normalizing it. Some parents try to move out of Kensington to shield their kids from this type of environment. Other parents can’t afford to. What about those who can’t afford to? How do we make it better for them? Well, gun laws must be enforced, especially in cities. There are so many factors to consider when talking about the safety of others. We talked to Jeremy Bernfeld from Guns and America to answer all of our questions.
We asked Jeremy what he thinks gun violence is doing to our society and he responded
"..the public has to understand the scope of this problem and we must help the public understand that there are potential solutions to that problem so that that can really drive action and hopefully make opportunities a better place to live and work."
This part made us think. As journalists we wish to write about the things and people that matter. People such as Jeremy, care about these things and we do too! So, after speaking with Jeremy he suggested that we talk to somebody local. That is just what we did.
Image of Jeremy Bernfeld director of Guns and America
We sat down with Suzie Rodriguez, a former resident of Kensington and Somerset in Philadelphia. Mrs.Rodriguez is a single-mother who works in home healthcare. She lived on a very dangerous street for 4 years, and has lived in the Kensington area for over 14 years. We asked her what it was like, her response was simply "rough". We asked her to elaborate and she gave us some good stuff.
"My late husband used to sell drugs on our block, and he would always wear a gun."
We asked her what it was like being married to someone who engaged in the nonsense that happens in Kensington, she responded;
"Sometimes I would worry about whether or not my kids could play outside while their daddy was working. So, sometimes I'd have to deny my kids playtime so they wouldn't bother their father while he worked the corner."
Then, we asked her if any event happened regarding guns on/near their block and she said;
"It's hard to pick just one event, there were countless shoot outs, guns pulled and sometimes gun shots at 3 am. You had to learn to deal with it. It's the only place we could afford."
Finally we asked her what would she change about Kensington if she could change everything overnight and what she said broke our hearts.
"I wish all those drug dealers and crackheads would go somewhere else. I understand people deal with addiction and whatnot but at the end of the day, it's the kids that I worry for. What if they get caught up in the mistakes us adults have made? If they continue this cycle, I'm scared the problem will never be solved, cause then our kids will teach their kids our mistakes."
Children that grow up in the Kensington area are constantly at risk. Whether it is emotional trauma that they carry with them, or the passing of a loved one caught up in the violence in their area. Currently there are many children still suffering from mental trauma caused by living in violent areas. Jeremy shared that "for every person you know who is shot and killed, there's a ripple effect that happens. It doesn't only impact the assaults who are actually killed. You know, there are hundreds of thousands of people alive today who have survived being shot with a gun, who witnessed people being shot with a gun, you know, people who have witnessed violence. And I think it's especially a problem for, for young people who witnessed or are involved in violence, that has a long term, you know, psychological and emotional impact and one that we don't deal with very well." For many children that live in Kensington, this is a sad reality, being caught up in things that are thrown on them by adults, people that they are supposed to look up to. Not only can gun violence cause mental trauma and pain, but it also has the risk of unintentional physical consequences, such as a child getting caught in cross-fire. This brings up the important point of, why do we need gun control, and it is for the children, the children living in these areas like Kensington. The children who have to deal with these issues, the issues that were pushed onto them and the ones that they have to deal with. Gun violence is a prevailing issue in todays society, and it needs to be fixed, how are we supposed to live in a future filled with this crime and abuse? It needs to change, and fast, how many more children do we have to let die before this is dealt with? The answer should be none.