Violence around the world, around our country, around our cities, around our local communities is out of control.
Worldwide, violence causes more than 1.6 million deaths a year.
Domestic Violence
- 35% of women in the world said they had experienced violence in their lifetime, whether physical, sexual or both.
Gun Violence
- In the United States, over 100,000 people are shot a year.
- In the United States, about 90 are killed a day or about 32,000 a year.
- More Americans have died from guns in the United States since 1968 than on battlefields of all the wars in American history.
Drug-Related Violence
- Violent behaviors resulting from drug effects.
- Drug addicts commit violent criminal offenses to support their drug habit.
- Drug trafficking generates violent crime.
This is unacceptable!!! Enough is enough!!! We want to address the complex issue of violence once and for all.
"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” Dr. Martin Luther King
Obviously, ending violence is a complex issue with a complex solution. We believe, we have to start somewhere and being a mentor to our youth and giving them something positive to do is a start!
The Artists Against Violence Program is one small step towards trying to rid our communities of violence.
Additional steps towards trying to rid our communities of violence includes:
1. High Quality Head Start Programs giving children a learning foundation to build upon
2. Career Training - Turn our schools into career training centers for the jobs of the future instead of frustrating our youth with high stakes testing
3. Mentoring Programs - Every student is assigned a mentor in a career field they are interested in so they know someone cares. Also, former and present sports stars adopting a school to mentor the students
4. High Quality After School Programs
5. Dialogue with the Police, The Police are Your Friend Program
6. Sensible gun control laws
7. Free Mental Health and Counseling Programs
8. Anti-Drug Education Programs, Free Drug Rehabilitation Programs
9. Free Anger Management Programs
10. Increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour - people working full time should not live in poverty
11. Rebuild our communities which would provide much needed jobs so people can live with dignity
12. Artists Against Violence Programs and Athletic Recreational Programs - give our youth something positive to focus their energ