This Sucks: 5 Worst Cities For Urban Youth
Where are you gonna live?
At my new favorite hangout, www.digg.com, I came across a story that listed the 5 Worst Cities for Urban Youth. The list was compiled by ScoopDaily. High school graduation rates, infant mortality rates, juvenile incarceration rates, and unemployment rates all played an important factor in the ranking. I’m gonna summarize some of the bigger points, but look for the link at the end of this story, so that you can see this abomination in full.
5. Cleveland Ohio – High School graduation rate= 34% (What the $#@%?) African American youth made up for 64% of individual offenders. (LOCK DOWN)
4. Baltimore, MD – High School graduation rate= 41% ( *Sigh*) African American youth made up for 43% of those put in juvenile detention facilities and 80% of those put in shelters. (SMH)
3. Atlanta, GA – High School graduation rate = 44% (Gee, that’s sad) African American youth made up for over 93% of total intake for unique youth served criminal offenses and over 96% of the average daily population for criminal offenses. (I’m crying on the inside!)
2. Detroit, MI – High School graduation rate = 38% (Dismal) The city’s unemployment rate = 17.3%
1. Chicago, IL – High School graduation rate = 55.7% (Better than the others, but…) 300,000 youth live in poverty in Chicago’s Cook County and of the 31,000 youth who’ve been arrested in Cook County, 72% are African American.
President "We need you to save these cities" Obama
Only thing I can say to this is, “I’m surprised Washington, DC didn’t make the list.” What is the Obama administration doing to improve these cities.
To read the full story, please visit: 5 Worst Cities
If you would like to comment on this, please feel free.
Tags: administration, atlanta, baltimore, Barack Obama, Chicago, cleveland, detroit, unemployment rates, urban youth, worst cities
About the Author
Yasmin Shiraz is the President of Still Eye Rise Films, an independent production company which films educational and thought provoking documentaries that chronicle the lives, traumas and experiences of youth. Her first production, Can She Be Saved?, a documentary that examines violence among middle school girls, was an official selection of the 2009 Roxbury Film Festival and recently won a 2009 Indie Award of Merit from IndieFest.
Yasmin Shiraz is the Award winning Author of Retaliation a novel about a community’s response to youth violence. In 2009, it was selected as one of the top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers by the American Library Association. She is the author of The Blueprint for My Girls: How To Build A Life Full of Courage, Determination & Self Love (Simon and Schuster) and five other books. Her best selling “Blueprint” empowerment series is utilized as a self esteem, motivational, and educational tool at middle and high schools, after school programs, non-profit youth centers, as well as Boys and Girls Clubs throughout the country. 
One Comment for This Sucks: 5 Worst Cities For Urban Youth
November 24, 2009 at 4:11 pm
As a Cleveland resident this doesn’t surprise me. Until the parents and students take responsibility nothing will change. Start with actually going to school and a real gang unit to make that safer.