George Brooks

Ordinances that prohibit young people from gathering in public places are reprehensible, argues George Brooks in the following viewpoint. Brooks maintains that these laws are unjust and discriminatory because they target minorities and allow them to be arrested without any evidence of wrongdoing. Instead of condemning gang members, he contends, society needs to understand why youths join gangs and how to intervene in ways that will reduce youth violence. Brooks is the director of advocacy at Kolbe House, the jail ministry of the Archdiocese of Chicago, and a chaplain at Chicago’s Cook County Jail.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What moral problems are created by gang-loitering ordinances, in the author’s view"

2. According to Brooks, what is the responsibility of Christians toward young...