Terrorism in Boston

By Joan Vennochi, Globe Columnist | July 2, 2006

IT'S TIME to get outraged, Boston.

Confused, crazy, scared, panicked, angry, inevitable, tragic, trapped.

Those were the descriptions that tumbled out when teenagers, community activists, some local politicians, and media representatives gathered to discuss what is happening with frightening regularity in some Boston neighborhoods: Kids are shooting kids; too often, they are killing them.

The exercise of finding a word to describe the situation was part of a conversation about youth violence that was sponsored by the Center for Teen Empowerment in the South End and moderated by its executive director, Stanley Pollack.

Perhaps the best description offered was one we usually think of as a threat from outsiders: terrorism.

``I have never felt the fear from the kids I feel now -- kill or be killed," said Marlena Rose, who heads the Roxbury Environmental Empowerment Program, a group that engages young people in community activism and antiviolence efforts.

Unfortunately, a fresh illustration of this chilling urban trend was part of the week's violent news.

On June 25, Abdirauf Abdullahi, 19, was shot near Peters Park in the South End. The Somalian native was Boston's 35th homicide this year. He was also a young man with big dreams, on his way to college after graduating from Concord-Carlisle Regional High School, where he was known for his love of math.

Eloy Antonio Sierra, 15, is charged with the shooting death. Once a boy who hit line drives at Peters Park, Sierra allegedly turned from baseball to more dangerous pursuits.

It doesn't get much sadder than that, does it? One young man, full of dreams and promise, has his life snatched from him by another young man, who apparently gave up on both.

Is there any way to stop the cycle of violence? The people in the room believed the answer to the question is ``yes." After all, the model for success was first developed in Boston more than a decade ago.

From 1996 to 2003, Boston experienced a sustained drop in youth violence. Then, the number of shootings started to climb: 268 in 2004 and 341 in 2005. The city is on track for a projected number of 616 shootings in 2006.

It's pretty basic, specialists say. The decline in violence during the so-called ``Boston Miracle" years can be traced to a combination of jobs and outreach programs, targeted financial resources, and broad-based community commitment to stand together against violence. Take away the programs, the money, and the outrage, and the violence increases.

Some of the most impressive voices at the Center for Teen Empowerment belonged to teenagers who want to be part of the solution. Some of them talked about their desire to trust police and interact more with them.

Suggested Amilton Pires, 17, of Dorchester: ``We don't need more police. We need more community policing."

Said Carlos Moreno, 18, of Dorchester: ``I would love to play a baseball game with a police officer. I would love to dunk [a basketball] with a police officer."

If the death of a young man like Abdullahi does not outrage you, think of others, still alive, who are trying to make the right choices in life. They hear about Abdullahi's death and they know even a right choice cannot protect them from the randomness of street crime.

Hopeful. That was another word offered to describe the feeling about what is happening on Boston streets.

Those kids are hopeful this city will get outraged enough to protect them from the terrorists.

Joan Vennochi's e-mail address is vennochi@globe.com.