There was a fight, and it was your typical situation, high school boys ruffing one another up cause somebody said something stupid. But the spirit, the tone of the fight, was much more sinister. It was as if a battle was brewing underneath tonight's full moon. The battle wasn't large or long, but it was indicative of the larger war that is being waged in our area. The war between gangs. Enough has been said and studied by people a lot smarter than me regarding societal structures and social norms which feed gang behavior, but this is the first time I have experienced it.
I went to high school. I saw fights. But never have I felt such this intense, palpable hatred. For all I know, this particular situation may nothing to do with their respective gangs, but the rage, the fervor, the passionate hate behind their reaction was almost incomprehensible. And now, a place that once was safe and neutral ground has now been divided.
Mostly I am sad about this. Sad that these kids don't know or care that there is a great, big world out there that doesn't consider if you are from the east side or the west side. I am sad because my 14-year-old friend is scared to go to school, and says that the war between students will never stop. Sad because some of my high school friends don't have health insurance, citizenship, or both parents living with them. But the thing that makes me the most sad is that they are brilliant, radiant kids hidden behind the stigmas and the struggles of being born on the wrong side of the tracks.
So tell me how do we end this war?
