Written Submissions
See how other teens express their feelings about violence.
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Stop the Violence
Who's going to stop the violence
If we don't?
Youth is the key,
To be all that you can be.
In times of war,
And deprivation,
We need to stay strong in this nation.
Help others,
And expect nothing in return.
Listen and speak,
Take in knowledge,
And then repeat.
Let pressure fade away,
So you can make your own choices.
Get away from the wrong,
And move towards the right.
Stop the violence
Do your part
You might help someone
To a new start.
Tired of hearing say No
take your own decision and go.
Violence, prevention,
What we need is more intervention.
Saying STOP should be your devotion,
Don't mind the corrosion.
Stop the violence not only today
But every day.
Save a life,
Save a soul.
Take control and say No More.
Alone you are one,
But together the future
Every person has a mind
Let yours shine.
Potential leaders of the world,
Stand up and take control!
- Vanessa R.
I never felt so much pain till 01/23/2009 when my baby brother Brandon Mills life was taking away. He was a very good kid in he had golds and dreams. I get up every morning and I walk in a life of fear not knowing if one of the crazy people in this world going to take my life alway. And its not a good way to live. I pray to God to help me. I'm willing to help this world to stop the violence. When I was growing up my mother and grandmother always said that your child should out live you. But now days it seems as if the young are going before the old.
- Vinesha, 23
We have all have had a time where we chose to walk away, sometimes we regretted it and others times were proud of ourselves. I have a story, one that can also make a change in other peoples lives. One that can make girls realize that beauty can only buy attention but not affection. I am a girl who can get attention from guys, but sometimes they get really intimidated by girls like me. Back then I didn''t know that, I just thought that I was ugly and guys didn''t like me. So I did something stupid, began to get into weed & drinking. That let stupid guys come and talk to me, because they knew that they had nothing to be afraid of, I was "easy to get". As time went on I began to date a guy, who I thought was pretty nice. He was not that good looking, but I was really desperate to get into "The CrowD." We dated and one time I went over his house were there were many other guys, unfortunettly drunk, and high. They began touching me, and feeling up on me having no other choice I told Alejandro that I wanted to go home. So I sat down crying, as his friends began touching me unappropriately. What would I have left to dO? I watched as Alejandro was busy smoking. He said that if I were to date him, I would be "in the crOwd, but before that I would have to be tested to see if i was any good" I took off,screaming and ran out of the house! I took away the opportunity to be "populaR" I know who I am and thats not close to anything they are! That changed my perspective, on the real defenition of popularity, "WeakNess"
- Name Withheld, 14
I think that violence should be stopped. Violence is when people steal stuff from stores and then gets caught and has to pay a fine of over $250 to the store that they stole from. The money is to pay for a lawyer for the court for the person that stole the thing. Another way of violence is that people hurt each other. And that is a bad thing to do. Sometime it could be emotional pain or physical. Emotional pain is when you make fun of the person until his start to feel bad and maybe will start to cry. Physical pain is when someone punches, kicks, and fight with another person. Physical pain is probably the worst pain ever. Some people get shot some people get a broken bone, and some people dies. The last thing of violence is sexual violence. In sexual violence you can go to jail for touching a part of somebody’s body. The worst thing of sexual violence is when you get raped. And that is what I think of violence.
- Anthony, 13
Violence is bad because I have experienced it. And it’s very bad. Some people get hurt by sticks, scooters, and bat pieces of wood. Also people start bleeding and some people get stabbed by and people get concussions. People also have to get rushed to the emergency room and even some of them don’t even get to see another day. And, it’s a lot on the family mind if they are going to live or not. And it’s hard for family to see one of their family members go away form them. And it’s probably still on the persons mind who had killed that person.
- Brandon, 10
Violence is horribly wrong and thinks the main case is drugs. You can murder a person with violence that’s one of a million reasons. Violence makes me feel uncomfortable with that horrible thing inside when somebody’s knocked out. I fought before and didn’t like that mess up feeling. I hate boxing people hurting each other for money that just wrong to some people but some people like it. People who like it are the kind of people who have problems. Let your anger fly free and take your inner peace and change it for nothing in the world. Peace ill keep ever body calm. I had three friends that died by a violent driver. Today I still wonder why people are violent. One of the reasons I’ll never be violent is because I don’t want to get arrested by a cop. Like a boy in my kindergarten class slapped the teacher and she told the juvenile detention center and he never came back. I figured he got arrested a week after. If I had one wish I would wish for world peace forever. Nothing in the world would change my wish not a million dollars not billion dollars nothing. Violence is the baldest thing in the whole universe. Peace is what god wants not dumb anger it should be peace forever. This is great.
- Jefferson, 10
I'm tired of my friends or someone I know dying. It's not right. Everytime you look around you see a funeral and you would think its for someone elderly but its not. It's someone young. Why do they have to end young lives so early?
-Anonymous
Violence is wrong because you could get into a lot of consequences.
Violence is never the answer of your problems.
It leads to injuries, drama, and even death.
Now imagine losing someone that you love due to violence.
- Mona, 14
Hey little Sis. Violence is never the answer. It brings injuries, drama, and even death. Now imagine losing someone that you love due to violence, what would you do? Look here I’ll tell you. Wouldn’t you wonder what did he or she did? What was the cause of that or how about if the person was innocent? How would you feel? Anger may bring violence but its never the answer. It would just lead to depression. Why all that violence? Are you ready for depression???
- Mimi, 17
Violence is a dream
That the devil wants to succeed
Violence brings you apart
To the family that you start
Violence may come from your neighborhoods
It may also hurt your neighbors
Stealing is wrong because if you steal you
Cheat and if you cheat you do awful things to each other
Fighting is bad because it does not solve any problems
All that fighting does is hurt you and leaves bruises.
You may even have stitches
Like if someone got shot and you snitch like they say “Snitches get stitches.
- Annette, 13
1. No teasing
2. No physical bullying
3. No verbal bullying
4. No fighting
5. No throwing, kicking, or hitting
6. No getting in someone’s face
7. No attacking someone
8. No smoking
- Isaac, 10
Violence is not the right thing to do. Violence does not make you feel good. Violence brings bad things and if someone is giving you violence you should tell someone that you know will help. And this is how you should finish violence.
- Tadarius, 11
Anger
- Levan, 18
The act of being mad!
People dying every day like it’s a fad!
Bothered, beaten, and abused
All my friends end up on channel 6 news.
Community uproar
Family and friends are
Left with no place to choose.
Not wanting to make a mistake
Friends and family are afraid to lose.
And in the end there will be a beginning
morning will rise
darkness will fall
the sun will shine
violence will die.
And happiness will come to all.
Villardici
Violence. What is it?
What does it solve?
As you can see you got people dying day to day
Violence. What is it?
The fact that you carry a gun you think you cool?
Well think again.
You got mamas crying night after night wanting to hold their child.
Violence, which I despise.
You think you can defend but really offend.
Look at yourself today and see if what you’re doing has worth.
Listen Up!
- Velinda, 17
Listen up!
See, I’m tired!
Tired of losing to this game called Life.
When are we going to learn?
Violence today is just not the way.
Listen up!
See, I’m tired!
Tired of these early goodbyes
Children’s lives gone in a day.
Time flies.
But we, yes WE
Can change this game.
It we choose to play another way.
It’s time for a change.
Let’s change the game
Because I’m tired.
Live your life to the fullest
- Yasmin
We were put on earth to make something of life. Not to be what you aren’t. God put us all on earth to be the best that we can.
What I would say to somebody that is involved in gang-related material is that tomorrow is not promised to anybody. It’s not worth it to lose your life because you want to be part of a gang or show that you are cool. A month ago at my school there were three deaths within a month. One of them died because they were in a gang and they were talking to another girl’s boyfriend or something close to that. He was then setup and strangled to death. Another one of them committed suicide because his girl friend dumped him and he felt he was nothing. You do not have to have a gun to commit a violent act. All I want to say is live your life to the fullest, go after your dreams, try to be all that you can be, not what people want you to be. Life is too short to hold grudges. You must forgive and forget, take the good with the bad, and the bad with the ugly, and overcome your struggles and trials in life.
UNYTE
- Michelle Etienne, Miami, Florida
Bullet, Bullet
Another mother crying
Another child dying
Enough!
Read the rest of UNYTE.
Left to master the streets
My feet became a weapon
My fists used as a lesson
16 and grown at thirteen alone
Out on the streets I thugged, Shrugged my shoulders
Now smug and older, I’m through!
I Teach, Preach
Truth to youth
Who wish to be Stunna’s.
Youth who shun away
All the deaths that could’ve been prevented
If only we vented
Our rage elsewhere.
Let’s own more
Than this reputation
of violence and UNYTE a New Nation
A Youth Nation, Truth Nation.
All I need is one mic, one voice, one leader,
One
No To violence
That silence brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters
Youth nation stand up!
Tell me how you’d feel if you woke up every morning
And your block was in mourning
because of another child’s death
Let your emotions erupt, depict your disgust
Decide
to implement a change, unchanged
Another act of violence
Means one more voice is silenced
Unvoiced with no guidance
We license grievance
So say riddance to pain
And campaign for more
Unchain a movement, attain your floor
And help dissipate fears
For kids today, tomorrow and futures near
Stop the Violence. | 
