By — Thaisi Da Silva Thaisi Da Silva By — Matt Ehrichs Matt Ehrichs Leave a comment 0comments Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/youth-seek-solutions-chicagos-violent-summer-persists Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Youth seek solutions as Chicago’s violent summer persists Nation Aug 26, 2014 4:05 PM EDT Chicago will lay to rest its youngest fatal shooting victim this year on Friday. Nine-year-old Antonio Smith was fatally shot at least four times in a South Side backyard just blocks away from his home, according to the Chicago Tribune. Since the summer of 2012, when the city recorded the nation’s highest homicide count, shootings have become a large part of an ongoing discussion about relations between the police and residents, neighborhood safety and gun control legislation. This real-time map, created by Chicago-Sun Times before the the summer began, pinpoints and identifies every shooting recorded during each weekend, the most violent period of time. While police and legislatures seek a way to stem the tide, Chicago youth who have grown up with gun violence have their own ideas about what must be done to effect positive change in their neighborhoods. In this Student Reporting Labs video, Free Spirit Media producers ask what it is like to have to be home before dark and constantly aware of your surroundings. They also question whether this generation has become numb to the high level of violence, and argue that the way forward is to convince fellow Chicagoans not to pull the trigger. By — Thaisi Da Silva Thaisi Da Silva @shespeaksinthai By — Matt Ehrichs Matt Ehrichs Matt Ehrichs is a general assignment producer for the PBS NewsHour. He is also co-creator of the award-winning web series, ScienceScope. Before joining the broadcast and digital production team, Matt provided mentor and creative support to the next generation of storytellers with the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs. @Mhehrichs
Chicago will lay to rest its youngest fatal shooting victim this year on Friday. Nine-year-old Antonio Smith was fatally shot at least four times in a South Side backyard just blocks away from his home, according to the Chicago Tribune. Since the summer of 2012, when the city recorded the nation’s highest homicide count, shootings have become a large part of an ongoing discussion about relations between the police and residents, neighborhood safety and gun control legislation. This real-time map, created by Chicago-Sun Times before the the summer began, pinpoints and identifies every shooting recorded during each weekend, the most violent period of time. While police and legislatures seek a way to stem the tide, Chicago youth who have grown up with gun violence have their own ideas about what must be done to effect positive change in their neighborhoods. In this Student Reporting Labs video, Free Spirit Media producers ask what it is like to have to be home before dark and constantly aware of your surroundings. They also question whether this generation has become numb to the high level of violence, and argue that the way forward is to convince fellow Chicagoans not to pull the trigger.