Rethinking Violence: Is it a Disease?

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2006/11/violence.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:500;s:6:"height";i:313;s:4:"file";s:20:"2006/11/violence.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:6:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"violence-336x210.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:210;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"violence-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:18:"violence-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"violence-497x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:497;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"violence-423x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:423;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"violence-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:0;s:14:"optimized_size";i:0;s:7:"percent";i:0;}s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:4:"full";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}}}
        )

    [_imagify_status] => Array
        (
            [0] => already_optimized
        )

    [_imagify_optimization_level] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

)
1674169772 
1162944000
This week finds Birmingham hosting the first national conference of the Street Soldiers National Consortium. The group, based in the San Francisco Bay area, is focused on finding ways to stop the violence plaguing inner cities.

The consortium is actually an outgrowth of the Omega Boys Club. Co-founder and President Dr. Joseph Marshall spent years in the public school system, watching students leave his sphere of influence to become trapped in a cycle of violence and incarceration. Marshall says he originally envisioned the Omega Boys Club as a place for at-risk teens to escape their every day lives. But, as more kids (boys and girls) began showing up, Marshall says he and his staff began to realize they had to do more than just offer a safe haven; they had to try to combat the culture of violence these kids existed in. They’ve since identified violence as a public health issue and are trying to find ways of treating what they consider the “disease of violence”. They’ve even named it the Addiction to Incarceration and Death Syndrome.

Marshall says an important part of the “prescription” for fighting violence is to talk about it. He says, far too often, the realities of life in many of the nation’s inner cities is overlooked. That the lives of those living there don’t hold the same “value” as lives in other parts of the country. He also says kids growing up in violence have to be taught that each individual life is important, also that change and respect must come from within before they come from without.

The disease of violence, and how to treat it, is the subject of the Street Soliders National Consortium’s conference. Marshall says the conference will kick off the “Alive and Free Movement”, which he considers to be an outgrowth of the Civil Rights Movement. The conference runs the 9th and 10th.

 

 

More | Omega Boys Club/Street Soldiers

 

Italian fashion designer Valentino dies at 93

Garavani built one of the most recognizable luxury brands in the world. His clients included royalty, Hollywood stars, and first ladies.

Sheinbaum reassures Mexico after US military movements spark concern

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum quelled concerns on Monday about two recent movements of the U.S. military in the vicinity of Mexico that have the country on edge since the attack on Venezuela.

Trump says he’s pursuing Greenland after perceived Nobel Peace Prize snub

"Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize… I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace," Trump wrote in a message to the Norwegian Prime Minister.

Trump has rolled out many of the Project 2025 policies he once claimed ignorance about

Some of the 2025 policies that have been implemented include cracking down on immigration and dismantling the Department of Education.

Can exercise and anti-inflammatories fend off aging? A study aims to find out

New research is underway to test whether a combination of high-intensity interval training and generic medicines can slow down aging and fend off age-related diseases. Here's how it might work.

U.S. lawmakers wrap reassurance tour in Denmark as tensions around Greenland grow

A bipartisan congressional delegation traveled to Denmark to try to deescalate rising tensions. Just as they were finishing, President Trump announced new tariffs on the country until it agrees to his plan of acquiring Greenland.

More Government Coverage