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Friends Contemplates Murder Town USA Headline Caroline MCGinnis '17
Newswriter
where neighborhoods engulfed in crime lay in the shadows of gargantuan Dupont businesses and mansions . From the safety of classrooms in Alapocas, it is easy to forget the crimes that transpire only a few miles away. Though the neighborhoods where violence is most highly concentrated are not concemingly close to Alapocas, they are near the
As many residents of this city are probably aware, Wilmington, Delaware is frequently listed as one of the most dangerous cities in America, owing to its high crime rate . This year, Wilmington once again ranked third on the pool where the school's swim team practices and the FBI'sannuallistofmostviolentcities,among450citiesof Riverfront, a recreational area with attractions such as comparable size. In 2014, twenty-three homicides occured the new outdoor skating rink and IMAX theater. Because andl35peoplehavebeenshot.Delawareha;about5,700 of violence, the city of Wilmington is now suffering people in prison, with about twenty-three percent of from the loss of major businesses like Dupont. Much of those held because they cannot post bail while awaiting Wilmington's wealth is dependent on the Dupont franchise. trial. Councilman Michael Brown, head of City Council's A Wilmington Friends School parent working downtown Public Safety Committee, commented, "Criminals seem expressed her concern: ``There's a real lack of economic to think they have the upper hand...The numbers show opportunity. They have very few male role models because that Wilmington still is in a bad rut with criqie . I'm baffled ofthedisproportionatenumberofblackmalesinprisonor and frustrated." deadi You would like to think that we would be concerned The crime in Wilmington is most concentrated as a community about gun violence even if it does not in discrete neighborhoods like Hilltop, Eastside, and affect us directly, but the media has only now started to Browntown. These neighborhoods are very small, pay attention, as it threatens colporate Wilmington ." WFS covering only a few blocks. They are only centered around students are also concerned about the headlines: "It isn't public housing developments or a group of blocks. To an easy to take pride in the place that you live when it's called outsider, the borders between these neighborhoods may 'Murder Town USA'. Wilmington has become incredibly not be apparent, making the area dangerous for someone dangerous. I've grown up here, and I hate how much of who doesn't know when they are entering the territory. a bad place it has become. I know someone who lives in Territorial drug dealing is fundamental to the cause of a pretty dangerous area. I'm always worried about him, murder in the area, as these neighborhoods serve as drug and can't imagine being afraid to leave your house. We dealing areas. Also, young teenage boys frequently have always hear about cities like that in parts of New York or access to fireamis. The high school dropout rate is now Michigan, but we don't realize places like that are in our sixty percent in the city school districts, leaving young backyards. I want the image of wilmington to change and people on the streets-instead Of in school. Chie±Justice Leo for us_ to change the world+ Thel?'_s so much creatiyity and E. Strine Jr. addressed the role of race in the city's crime potential here, and I just wish we could harvest thatinstead rates at the Martin Luther King breakfast on January 19th of breeding hate," said Myla Brilliant ` 17 . at the Riverfront. Strine noted that forty-four percent of Living in a city referred to as "Murder Town USA" , Delaware's dropouts are black and black unemployment the citizens of wilmington should take interest in making is twice that of whites. About twenty-two percent of a change. Alapocas is not far from a community where Delaware's residents are black, but nearly six in ten people teenagers experience a vicious cycle of violence and in Delaware prisons are black. Young black males without crime . From the safety of WFS classrooms , it is often easy an education or male role models are trapped in a cycle to forget about the nearby violence, but as a community, of violence and crime. With guns and drug dealing on Wilmington should be concerned with repairing the almost every comer, they have a slim chance of getting lives of its citizens and ending th`e `Murder Town USA' out of Wilmington. reputation.AsChiefJusticeStrinementionedearlier,other On December 9th, 2014, Newsweek published government employees should focus more on repairing an article called Murder Town USA (aka Wilmington, the run down inner-city and initiating programs to help Delaware). The author, Abigail Jones, describes a city the youth in these areas .
Tsipras of SYRIZA Party Rises to Power in Greece Thomas Milder '17
Greece's rising debt, the Greek government was forced to cut-back on public services and resources, leading to unemployment. Trading Economics reports that 25 .8% of On January 25th, 2015, a legislative election took the population was without a job in August, 2014. These place in Greece. The election was held earlier than factors influenced the rise of the relatively new party, suspectedbecauseoftheGreekparliament'sfalluretoelect SYRIZA also known as the "Radical Coalition of the anewpresidentonthe29thofDecember,2014.Following Left." SYRIZA was formed in 2004 and gained popularity the election , the left wing party, SYRIZA, secured 149 out during the 2008 Greek riots . The party promises to end the of 300 seats, two seats short of an absolute majority. The painful austerity measures put on Greece by the EU and to SYRIZA reader, Alexis Tsipras, became Prime Minister increase public spending . SYRIZA repeatedly states that it ofGreeceonthe26thofJanuary.Theelectionresultshave does not wish to leave the European Union, but demands caused further political turmoil in the European Union, that its debts be paid off. Students at Wilmington Friends with the new threat of Greece leaving the Eurozone and School vocalized opinions concerning the situation in the European Union. Greece. Owen Sheppard ` 17 stated, "The new party in Since the 2008 recession, Greece has suffered Greece is good in theory, but it might cause a disaster for from great hardship due to the amount of debt it has the European Union, given SYRIZA originated from a accumula,ted.Greece'spoortaxcollectionenforcementand Eurocommunist party." Hannah Feldmann ` 16 suggested, vast unemployment has put a damper on the funding that "Other members of the European Union should let Greece the government has to spend on public services. After the default. That's the only way to curb their spending habits ." European Union was formed, Greece became a member The attitudes of some WFS students suggest the European and t!orrowed large sums of money from other members Union should agree to some of the terms Greece desires, of the EU. Other European countries did not question this but this could also result in consequences for the European because of the financial restrictions put on members of Union. the EU, including not allowing its national budget deficit The results of the recent Greek elections have the to exceed three percent of its economic output. Greece's potential to cause changes in the EU and within the government repeatedly told the European Union that their structure of Greece itself. The new party, SYRIZA, and national budget deficit did not exceed the expected three the new Prime Minister of Greece, Alexis Tsipras , appear percent, but according to. a report by TradingEconomics. to be the driving forces for this change. The policies that com, its deficit was higher than fifteen percent. SYRIZA desires will cause inevitable conflict with other After the 2008 financial crisis called attention to members of the European Union.
News Writer
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