‘An American Nightmare:’ student deaths continue to plague city

Just ten months removed from the slaying of his 16-year old son, Blair, Ronald Holt still struggles to fill the void left when his son became the 20th Chicago Public Schools student killed by gunfire.

“I feel like something very precious was taken from us,” Holt said. “I feel like we have been robbed… and I feel that I am echoing the sentiments of all the parents who are in my position.”

This school year’s rising CPS student death toll keeps reopening the wound for Holt. His son became a hero last school year after diving in front of a bullet to save a friend during his ride home from Percy Julian High School on the South Side.

“It’s unfortunate that [these youth deaths] continue to happen,” Holt said. “When you lose a child, it’s horrific. It’s really over the top with emotion. I wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy.”

The number of CPS student deaths this school year is on pace to exceed last year’s alarming total of 32 deaths, 24 of which were gun-related, according to a Medill analysis.

Despite a host of CPS initiatives, including $19 million in new funding to combat youth violence, 20 CPS students have already been killed from gunfire this school year, surpassing the number of student deaths at this time last year. Officials warn that spring weather typically comes with increased youth violence, adding to fears of a towering youth death toll.

The death of 18-year-old student Chavez Clarke Saturday marked the ninth CPS student murder in the month of March. This recent spike is a stark contrast to the entire 2004-05 school year, when only six CPS students were killed.

In the wake of these murders, CPS and police officials decided to ramp up neighborhood patrols when students returned from spring break last week.

But many officials and community leaders say they are worried the increased number of police patrols in troubled school districts will not address the deeply rooted violence issues driving the rate of youth deaths.

Instead, members of these crime-ridden communities are calling for a sustained, community-wide approach to ending violence by emphasizing gang prevention and sex education in the public schools.

“I don’t think the answer is having the police in the schools,” said Ron Rufo, a crime-prevention expert with the Chicago Police Department. “If someone really wants to hurt you, they’re going to hurt you.”

Rufo, who called the recent crime-prevention initiative to increase police presence in school zones a “band-aid solution,” stood 40 feet from Ruben Ivy on March 7 when he was gunned down at Crane Technical High School on the West Side. According to Rufo, there were so many police officers on school grounds that they were “tripping over each other.”

After last school year’s student death rate nearly tripled from the 2005-06 school year, CPS received a $4.8 million federal grant in July 2007 to target issues city officials said correlate to crime in many school districts. This included drop-out prevention and recovery programs.

“The goal is to suppress violent activity outside the schools,” said Andres Durbak, director of school safety and security for CPS.

This grant was followed by a $14.2 million initiative launched by Mayor Richard M. Daley in September 2007, which expanded after-school education and athletic programs, and increased links between schools and social-service agencies.

“This upsurge in violence is a real tragedy citywide,” said Durbak, adding that all of the city’s top officials are working together to solve Chicago’s mounting youth violence crisis. “We’re all preoccupied with this.”

According to data provided by officials from the U.S. Department of Justice, Chicago school officials are not alone in battling this surge in youth violence. The department cited the most recent U.S. Census Bureau statistics that reveal homicide is now ranked among the top three leading causes of childhood mortality, accounting for one out of 23 deaths of children and youth younger than 18 years of age.