“If someone hits you, hit them back,” is a phrase many Clemente students hear from a very young age. This attitude, along with other factors present in Humboldt Park, can lead to violence. However, the negative influences in our environment can be conquered with the services available to Clemente students—if we take advantage of them.

Victor Villenueva, a 21-yr-old Humboldt Park native, said he began to make poor choices when his father left. He would hang out at the armory on the corner of North Ave and Kedzie, hoping to run into his father after work. Instead, he was initiated into a gang. He started as a lookout for drug deals, worked up to a messenger, and eventually became a dealer.

“I wanted someone to catch me, someone to pay attention. It started off as a cry for help, and then it turned into my life,” Victor said.

Although Victor said his mother was a positive influence, she worked long and unpredictable hours as a nurse. This coupled with an absent father left Victor few protections in a violent environment.

Jovanni Bahamudi, a 17-yr-old junior at Roberto Clemente High school, also grew up in Humboldt Park. Many members of his family are gang affiliated. When he was 12, he witnessed a close friend being shot and killed. He admits to selling and using drugs in the past. Now, Jovanni prefers rapping and baseball over gangbanging. He thinks both these hobbies have helped steer him in the right direction. In addition to these interests, Jovanni said, “I have a little brother and two sisters I want to set a good example for.”

Both Victor and Jovanni experienced similar environmental risk factors, but Jovanni’s involvement with protective factors have helped him avoid the path Victor is now on.

According to the Center for Disease Control, risk factors include exposure to violence or drugs, emotional distress, poor parenting, association with gangs, social rejection, or lack of involvement in academic and extra curricular work. Protective factors include a positive family or adult influence, social activities, school involvement, and religion.

To counteract the violence of the community, Roberto Clemente High School offers a number of protective factors to help the students, ranging from clubs, sports, and tutoring to mentoring and counseling services.

“Two periods a day we offer gang intervention and violence control sessions, and the Black Starr project representatives offer anger management to students during Saturday detention,” said Jose Diaz, Dean of Discipline.

Diaz said 171 Clemente students are currently enrolled in these gang and violence prevention programs: Alternatives, Assist Her, and B.A.M. (Becoming A Man), M.A.P (Mentoring Advocacy Program by Aspira), and the Gang Avoidance Initiative Network (GAIN).

Just last week, Cease Fire, a national public health strategy that has been scientifically proven to reduce shootings and killings, agreed to open an office within our school building, Diaz said.

This year, over 150 freshman students earned a spot on the academic watch list, which is created by Chicago Public Schools and based on attendance and test scores. Hoping to prevent problems for these students before they occur, Clemente has assigned each freshman a staff mentor.

Clemente also offers many extra-curricular programs which act as protective factors: After School Matters, sports teams, and clubs. In addition there are many dedicated teachers in Clemente.

David Rose, a Roberto Clemente History teacher and Aikido instructor, said, “It is my belief that when you train, you come to understand violence and it removes the macho-istic tough bravado, and it builds confidence.”

He further explains that he tries to offer students a sense of “parentalism,” which he considers one of the most important protective factors in the building. “My students know that if they do get in trouble, they have to deal with me.”

Also, we have a number of cooperative organizations working within Clemente to reduce violence. The Culture of Calm is a government funded initiative to battle the violence in CPS.

Christina Pacione-Zayas, the Culture of Calm coordinator said, “We have tried to decrease the violence in Clemente by shutting down the side stairwells, installing cell phone lockers, and approaching discipline differently. We look a little deeper, and offer counseling and mentoring programs.” The Culture of Calm also utilizes the students disciplinary time wisely by giving restorative justice & anger management during Saturday detentions and Friday in-school.

CPS judges misconduct on a 6 point scale; 1-3 are minor or repetitive offenses, and 4-6 are more serious violations. According to the Culture of Calm data, from 2009-2010, Clemente has managed to decrease L1-3 misconducts by 36% but L4-6 has had no change. 

Diaz believes one reason more serious infractions-- L3-L6 --haven’t decreased is because “staff isn’t consistent (with disciplinary action). The staff at Clemente needs to work together and not allow special treatment. It leads to confusion and confrontation.”

Students here do have outlets and protective factors, but they are not as effctive as they can be. “Clemente students under use and misuse them [protective factors],” stated Clemente ROTC instructor, Lonnie Lewis. He believes there is no one solution to the violence in Clemente, and the community reflects the attitude in the school. Clubs and activities are offered, but students do not take full advantage of the opportunities presented. He believes that after school activities help students get out of the gangs and other negative influences due to their new found sense of purpose and social life.

Although our community faces many negative influences, our community is the home of many positive influences.

In one of Jovanni Bahamudi’s raps, he states, “Didn’t think I’d make it…the game belongs to me since big pappa died…I’m the truth to beat these lies out.” He has experienced the absence of is father, and wants to overcome the negative influences around him.

If we could encourage more students to seek the benefits of protective factors in their environment, more students would walk away from violence.