What proverbial wisdom might apply to Chicago gang violence and shootings?  
About This Post
The Chicago Tribune has recorded the number of shootings and victims in Chicago beginning  January 1, 2017. As of January 9, there have been 73 shootings.  I have no other information about the incidents other than what was reported.  The purpose of this post, is to hopefully promote a meaningful   conversation by our legislators to obtain solutions and begin to teach moral wisdom in our schools to promote the general welfare of our city, state, and nation.
Gangs  
Chicago has a long history of gang violence. Having lived in Chicago in my youth, I personally have been exposed to gangs. However, guns were not as prevalent then as they are today. Yesterday gangs mostly violently beat up their victims or adversaries versus shooting them. Also, the motives for joining a gang are similar, but not entirely the same as in the past. Regardless, most gang activity results in criminal activities and violence.
I have included two articles about gangs in the Sources below. One is a Chicago Tribune article that implies the reasons for gang violence are complex and offers no solution. The second article is from a concerned citizen who wrote to the Chicago Tribune Voice of the People and gave his opinion of what to do about gang violence.
In my opinion, common sense solutions do exist, however the solutions fall on deaf or apathetic ears, or on social activist groups more concerned about rights than anarchy.
King Solomon
When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong. (Ecclesiastes 8:11 NIV)
There are Biblical Spiritual explanations about this statement to relate to sin and God’s punishment in time. However, in my opinion, it can also be applied to common sense practical wisdom that relates to Chicago gang violence and shooting.
If Interested
Read the source articles and decide if this King Solomon Ecclesiastes advice written 3000 years ago might help reduce Chicago violence. Then ask yourself how children can be taught morality in schools that do not teach moral wisdom. Or, how school officials and teachers can teach in an orderly classroom if they do not have any practical means to discipline a problem student either in school, or at home.
Then Ask Yourself
What would you do if you were a Chicago policeman on duty and suspected someone of selling drugs in a high crime area street corner, but had no proof, only suspicion why the suspects are hanging out on the corner for long periods of time and late into the evening?  If you confront the person, you may be reprimanded or disciplined by your superiors, shot by the suspect, or surrounded and threatened by local residents or gang members.
If you do make an arrest, a judge will quickly release the suspect back into the neighborhood without a bond, or any assurance the suspect will return for a criminal hearing. If any sentence is imposed, it will probably be either a verbal reprimand warning, or a light sentence because the jails have limited capacity.
Anyone still wonder why police stop reports have decreased 80 percent in Chicago and killings increased in 2016? Was it perhaps because criminal’s scheming hearts grew bolder as evidenced by the increased shootings and news reports about activists complaining about individual rights being abused by police?
“You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” (English Proverb)
is a popular English idiomatic proverb or figure of speech.[1] The proverb literally means “you cannot simultaneously retain your cake and eat it”. Once the cake is eaten, it is gone. It can be used to say that one cannot or should not have or want more than one deserves or is reasonable, or that one cannot or should not try to have two incompatible things. The proverb’s meaning is similar to the phrases “you can’t have it both ways” and “you can’t have the best of both worlds.”
Perhaps activists should also include an agenda and preference for the rights of criminal victims, or neighborhood residents holed up in their dwellings in fear of gang shootings and criminal violence.  (Once a victim is dead, his cake is gone.)
In my opinion, the Chicago cake recipe needs to be changed to include some ancient proverbial wisdom.  
Regards and goodwill blogging.   
Sources
Chicago Shooting Victims HERE
Leaderless Chicago Gangs HERE
Voice of the People HERE
Cake Proverb HERE
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