2008 Woodie Awards
Violence rising, East Bay takes lead
A Federal Bureau of Investigative report states violent crime in Hayward increased 24.3 percent
Melville, Justin
Issue date: 2/1/07 Section: News
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According to a recent preliminary crime report for 2006, violent crimes in Hayward has risen to 24. 3 percent while nationally the increase has only been 3.7 percent.
Some Hayward natives as well as, students here at Chabot College are not aware of the violence increase and its gravity.
"I didn't even know that, it's kind of disturbing ..." says CC English major, Melissa Townsend. "I never see a security guard at night and I think we should have more. When I was taking day classes I've seen more than I do now?
A medical doctor by the name of James Gilligan wrote a book about violence called, Violence (1996). Gilligan is a psychiatrist and has worked with several violent men in and out of state prisons. His research supports a valid thesis, one in which may reduce the amount of violence in the Bay Area.
Gilligan's thesis is: Shame is the ultimate cause of violence. Early in the book Gilligan explains why people commit such violent crimes, "The most violent men already feel numb and dead by the time they begin killing." (36) This means that a lot of violent criminals feel a sense of loss and pain. They feel hate instead of love.
Violent crimes are committed because, as Gilligan writes, "Violence-whatever else it may mean-is the ultimate means of communicating the absence of love by the person inflicting the violence." (47) Most perpetrators feel numb and empty. Since they feel no love for themselves, they intend to spread hatred wherever they can.
"Violence is just unnecessary, I don't really understand it and I try to stay away from it because its negative," said CC student, Drew DeCarvalho.
Since the perpetrators feel hate for themselves and others they tend to follow their most basic need, to close the eyes of others around them. What this means is that they don't want to be seen by those who judge them. So the best way not to be judged is to destroy those who judge.
One would think one violent act would follow another, but Gilligan states, "Words alone can shame and reject, insult and humiliate, dishonor and disgrace, tear down self-esteem, and murder the soul." (49)
Most perpetrators feel justified in their crime, "One's own violence is almost always perceived as defensive, while other people's is likely to be seen as aggressive." (99) So what's really going on is that people feel the need to protect themselves from violence with violence. The circle of crime goes round and round.
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Sarah Carr
posted 2/04/07 @ 4:29 AM EST
I am so glad that someone wrote an article about this book, and gave suggestions on how to decrease violence. I read this book over two years ago in Sean McFarland's English 1A class, and I got a lot out of it. (Continued…)
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