BATTLE FOR KIDS IS FIGHT FOR ALL

This year in Memphis, four children who hadn't reached their 11th birthdays
- - and never will - have died at the hands of adults, at least in
chronological terms, who fired guns at other adults.

These children, one of them just 3 years old, were innocent victims,
trapped in neighborhoods that suddenly, horrifyingly, turned into fearsome
war zones. In all, 10 children under 18 have been murdered so far this year
in the city.

Well, that's just unacceptable. What are Mayor Willie Herenton and all our
other local political leaders going to do about that?

What are the police and prosecutors and courts and crime commission going
to do about it?

What are the schools and churches and public health system going to do
about it?

What are social service agencies and businesses and charities going to do
about it?

These are all the wrong questions. The right question: What are we going to
do about it - all of us, acting as a community?

The problem won't be solved, or even addressed, any other way. This isn't a
matter of "us" and "them." It's a community dilemma, and it will require a
comprehensive response.

The deadly shootings occurred in areas such as the Gateway neighborhood in
Northeast Memphis, Orange Mound and South Memphis. The epidemic of juvenile
homicide may be most visible in such places, but it isn't limited to them.

If you think this isn't your problem because you've moved out east or to
north Mississipppi or "to the county" (interesting expression - when did
Memphis cease to be part of Shelby County?), think again.

A large and growing part of our tax bills reflects the public costs of
fighting crime and violence and drug trafficking. And calculations of the
private costs of crime in this community are built into virtually
everything we buy and do.

There's no lack of things to talk about - and, it's to be hoped, act on -
that touch on the issue of youth violence in Memphis. What is causing so
many of our young people to resort to lethal measures in response to petty
disputes?

How can we strengthen local efforts to fight gangs, drugs, guns and
neighborhood blight that provides an environment for crime and violence?
What can we learn from cities such as Boston and Detroit and New York that
have struggled - sometimes successfully, sometimes not - with similar problems?

How can we intervene in the lives of children at risk to prevent violence
to them? Are we offering our young people better options, and enough of
them, to gang membership and drug abuse and gunplay and idleness? Or do we
expect them to fend and decide for themselves?

As we've discussed in the war on external terrorism, are we prepared to
sacrifice some personal freedoms to achieve greater security? Are we ready
to bust some heads? To have police conduct stop-and-frisk patrols? What if
we're on the receiving end of such law enforcement?

We can talk, at least, about whether prevalent anti-government, anti-tax
and separatist attitudes hinder an effective collective response to
dilemmas such as violence against children.

And just maybe we can discuss matters of illegal proliferation and control
of firearms - both handguns and assault weapons, especially in the hands of
young people - without falling into the same tired cliches and slogans, on
both sides, that too often substitute for meaningful dialog on the issue.

There are things we can and must do individually as well as collectively.
If you know of criminal activity in your neighborhood - drugs, gangs, gun
violence, child abuse or neglect - call the police. If you don't like or
trust or have confidence in police, for whatever reason, call Crime
Stoppers (528-CASH).

Or call someone else you do trust. But make the call. Join a Neighborhood
Watch program. Or start one.

If you won't protect your home and children against homegrown terrorists,
who will? The old joke that asks why police can't find the neighborhood
crack house, when every little kid on the block knows where it is, stopped
being funny a long time ago.

The role of personal responsibility remains paramount. What kind of example
do we set for our children, and all young people? Are we impart ing the
proper values to them, or are we ceding that duty to their peers or a
debased popular culture?

One last question, and a fair one: What will The Commercial Appeal do to
help this community combat the scourge of youth violence?

We intend to use this newspaper's resources, for an extended period of
time, to produce coverage and commentary that seek to explain the extent of
the problem of youth violence in Memphis and the Mid-South, and to examine
both its causes and its effects.

We intend to do more than keep score passively as the body count grows. We
intend to do more than show up after the fact to take notes and photos.
That's a promise.

Most important, we intend to be a full participant in the collective search
for solutions. When it's appropriate, we'll look for ways to conduct the
community dialog.

And we invite you to take part, too. If you have thoughts about how this
community can fight youth violence, by all means share those ideas with us
and with our readers. The "Write Us" box on today's editorial page tells
you how you can join the public conversation.

We intend to cover this community's youth violence dilemma with the same
intensity we've applied to covering the scandals and abuses in the
subsidized day care program in Shelby County, for the same reason: Children
need to be protected.

When children are dying, what could be more important?