There have been so many news stories about shootings in Chicago, IL. One opinion that came into the spotlight was on the Sept. 28 debate when Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump brought up Chicago saying that the city has had a lot of shootings this year. I do think that the shootings in Chicago need to be brought to attention.

With so much violence in Chicago, it’s making people there afraid to leave their cars, their houses and even let their children play outside. That makes me sad; the great city of Chicago is being affected by all of acts of violence.

More people should be focused on stopping gangs and getting kids off the streets, but sadly our politicians are not doing too much about it. While Mayor Emmanuel says he wants to do everything he can to stop gun violence, that itself is not the main issue.

I remember going to the city a few times when I was little, mostly for Christmas, but the visits became less frequent as the violence grew. My boyfriend and I have also made many trips to the city more recently, but we’ve always only seen the good parts of the city. The art, the food, all of the amazing museums, the sports; there are so many amazing things about Chicago that often get overshadowed by all of the bad news in the world.

Despite all of the negative views Chicago may receive, there are plenty of after-school programs to help keep kids off of the streets, like the Jessie White Tumblers, and the Gloves not Guns boxing program. We need to show the kids in Chicago that we care about their future. We need to step up and do something about all of the gang violence.

Think of something that you love about the city of Chicago and remember that one thing. Remember that change can happen. We need to start speaking up and saying that something needs to be done. With little media coverage about the violence, it is up to us to take a stand and promote the changes we would like to see.

Here’s how we can start changing things: by getting involved in these after-school programs. A good example is the Boys and Girls club; I know that they do amazing things for children, help keep them busy and help them gain the necessary skills they need for a successful future.

I have heard of an after-school program that takes in young men who don’t have fathers and mentors of the program then become father-figures for them. If they did something like that in Chicago, then it would be amazing and be a great step in the right direction for change. I also heard a story of some Chicago police officers taking girls who don’t have fathers to their father-daughter dance. If we become mentors to these children, then who knows what great things they will accomplish.