Scenes from a "Vibrant" Neighborhood

In the aftermath of the last Thursday's early morning shooting at Fenger High School in Chicago, and the subsequent late afternoon riot in which 16 year-old Derrion Albert was beaten to death, neighborhood residents gathered to create a memorial to the victim. The resulting chaos says a great deal about the sort of people who live in this area and send their children to Fenger High. It also explains a great deal about why the unfortunate Mr. Albert is dead.

What began as a makeshift memorial for brutally slain honor student Derrion Albert teetered toward angry chaos Monday outside Fenger High School.

About 250 neighbors, Fenger graduates and self-proclaimed community activists gathered, with many shouting at each other during the vigil called in response to the Sept. 24 mob beating that took the 16-year-old's life.

One neighborhood activist calling herself "Queen Sister" chanted through a bullhorn and led a group of people to the school's front doors, demanding to be let in. At one point, the group -- apparently angry at a local politician for not doing enough to prevent community violence -- pounded on the doors and began shouting, "You're a killer!" The politician had entered the building moments earlier.

Well, of course. It couldn't possibly be the fault of the young people who chose to involve themselves in a street brawl, chose to knock a young boy down and beat him to death, and certain not the fault of the parents who "raised" the little savages in the first place. No, it has to be someone else's fault. Preferably, someone from the government, which, for these people, is the source of all resources. This is an example of the welfare mentality exposed clearly for all to see. It is also an excellent example of how a community with a low average IQ behaves when confronted with a problem of its own making. Ask yourself, do you see this sort of thing happening in poor Asian neighborhoods?

Some people stood nose-to-nose, arguing over whether the gathering should be in memory of Derrion or a protest of the violence that killed him. Chicago Police arrived as the crowd swelled.

"The mayor is out fighting for the Olympics, and our youth are here fighting for their lives!" Queen Sister bellowed.

But fighting who for their lives, Queen Sister? Your youth are fighting each other. And, clearly, that is a problem that the gathered parents, residents and "community activists" cannot solve. Unfortunately, since neighborhoods like the one around Fenger are growing all the time, eventually, this sort of thing will be everyone's problem.