Violence an all-too-real factor for some children

The scene is intense. A man holds his 9mm to another’s head and pulls the trigger. The body slumps hard to the sidewalk, blood everywhere, as the shooter runs away without remorse.

Sound like a movie, or maybe a bad dream? It’s reality for some West and South Side kids.

With the increase of shootings and youth violence in many Chicago neighborhoods, many children playing outside are dealing with pressure and worry that goes far beyond making it across the monkey bars.

At least 38 people had been shot and 15 killed last week, along with another nine shootings and three fatalities this weekend.

But these shootings aren’t occurring late at night, in front of clubs or drug spots. Some are happening as kids walk to school and in broad daylight at neighborhood fast-food places.

“If you go into the neighborhood which has the highest homicide rate in Chicago, 75 percent of children have seen someone shot or stabbed,” said Carl Bell, a psychologist and president of the Community Mental Health Council.

Erica White, 23, sits nervously watching her 9-year-old daughter, Paris, and 8-year-old niece, Maryella, play at a North Side playground.

“They have to keep looking over their shoulders every second,” she said about the girls. White’s uncle was recently shot in the arm and leg. A month ago, her sister was shot. She has become so scared of her West Side neighborhood that she brings Paris to the North Side to attend school at Swift Elementary.

“Innocent bystanders get hurt all the time,” she said. “Of course I’m worried.”

Paris, who is in third grade, said, “I feel really uncomfortable walking around. Sometimes I’m scared.”

The pain of losing a loved one usually eases over time, but the apprehension gripping some people in these poorer communities could have lasting effects.

For several years, doctors have been saying that exposure to violence at young ages has a strong possibility of creating mental health problems, such as attention deficit disorder, depression, and post traumatic stress syndrome.

Many believe that it caused them to perform poorly academically and withdraw from social interactions.

And perhaps the most startling belief of all was that kids who witness violence are prone to becoming violent.

Bell, who has done extensive research on youth and violence since the 1980s and still counsels children at his South side facility, was asked about how the recent shootings would affect mental health.

“In terms of the direct effects, it depends,” Bell said. “A risk factor, like being exposed to violence, is not automatically predictive of the outcome.” He studied 40 risk factors, or indicative behaviors, that affect whether or not a child will exhibit violence.

Bell also pointed to a Department of Child and Family Services study that said 25 percent of children who experienced trauma showed effects of the trauma.

Although Mina Bahonjic’s son did not experience any trauma that she is aware of, she did notice a change in her 9-year-old son’s behavior in recent years.

“He was scared of any young people standing around outside and never wanted to go and play,” she said. As he grew, he started understanding the news they watched every morning and to listen to what people in their community were saying.

According to Jeanne Beckman, a developmental psychologist who has researched the effects of media violence, traumas often confuse kids.

“They can’t distinguish between what they see and what they’re told happened,” she said. “I can’t imagine what it’s like for children and families exposed to those kinds of things.”

She said traumatic acts can sometimes lead to post traumatic stress, which includes a heightened state of anxiety, mood swings and, sometimes, recurring flashbacks.

Bahonjic confirms this: “For a while, my son thought everybody was in a gang and gangs were everywhere.” Her son would get very tense and nervous anytime he heard loud voices. Once she moved from Pratt and Clark to a home off of Broadway, closer to downtown, he became easy-going and made friends playing outside.

Although it has long been thought that most children who experience violence become violent, Bell said that is not true. Exposure to violence is fairly low in terms of risk factors, and children who have protective factors will deal with violence exposure better.

“It’s not the trauma, it’s the feeling of helplessness that causes a child to act violently,” Bell said. “A child needs to have a good social fabric, self esteem, sense of power, social skills, and someone then can talk to and connect with.” Therefore, a child with a loving family or good friends at school - protective factors - is very likely to have a nominal reaction to witnessing a violent act.

Ron Rufo, a crime prevention speaker and juvenile crime specialist, said that many juveniles who commit violent crimes are first-time offenders. He also said that many of the younger children charged with crimes do not progress to more serious crimes, even though they may face intimidation from older gang members.

So like White and her girls, Rufo and Bell wonder why these kids are shooting each other.

“I believe youth violence is increasing, but I don’t know why,” Rufo said. “Kids are more angry today and there’s more pressure on them to do better ... Some of these kids that you talk say that ‘Hey, if it’s my time to die, it’s my time to die.’ There’s no fear of death.”

One 19 year-old who hangs out in Uptown, whose name is Twan, backed up Rufo’s belief.

“Violence does not affect me at all,” he said. “It doesn’t matter.”

When asked about his friends who could be involved in gangs, he said that he only worries about himself. When further asked about his little brothers and sisters facing potential violence, he said, “I don’t really think about it because there’s nothing we can do.”

Feelings of hopelessness and not caring about the future are prevalent among high school students, and even more so among minorities.

According to a 2008 National Profile of the Mental Health of Adolescents, black and Hispanic high school students reported feelings of hopelessness and despair that prevented them from daily activities more than their white peers.

The group that issued the report, the National Adolescent Health information Center, also said that, in 2005, 14.9 percent of Hispanic high school girls attempted suicide compared to 9.3 percent of white girls.

Many of these emotional and social problems arise because children don’t usually understand their actions, Bell said. He explained the different stages of brain growth, and said that the part of the brain responsible for judgment and understanding the concept of death does not fully develop until about 23.

However, Rufo said, “A 9-year-old knows what’s right and what’s wrong, or if your actions warrant something in return. I really don’t think they feel they’re ever going to get caught.”

Imposing harsher penalties and placing juveniles in adult correctional facilities is one approach to preventing youth crime, but Bell’s research demonstrated that it actually has the opposite effect.

A report issued by the surgeon general’s office in 2001 said youths who are transferred to adult criminal court have significantly higher rates of committing repeat offenses and a greater likelihood of committing subsequent felonies than do youths who remain in the juvenile justice system.

They are also more likely to be victimized, both physically and sexually.

“Stricter laws are not going help,” White said. “When they lock people up, they throw them in there and treat them like animals. They need to turn jails into a rehabilitation center with educational and support programs.”

Even though there may some differing opinions, many Chicagoans agree that there needs to be more parental and community involvement. Bell has statistical data proving the importance of support systems for healthy mental development.

Rufo said the problem lies with everyone in the community, so everyone must be involved in creating a solution. “Teachers are key, parents are a big factor and people need to work with police,” he said.

“More people need to take responsibility for their children. We also need to get guns off the street. Now, if you want to buy a gun, you can buy them like cigarettes.”