Liminalizing Progressive Efforts in Chicago: Moving Forward and Past Violence

AuthorMegan Lambertz‐Berndt
Published date01 September 2015
Date01 September 2015
DOIhttp://doi.org/10.1002/crq.21123
C R Q, vol. 33, no. 1, Fall 2015 99
© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the Association for Confl ict Resolution
Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) • DOI: 10.1002/crq.21123
Liminalizing Progressive E orts in Chicago: Moving
Forward and Past Violence
Megan Lambertz-Berndt
is article focuses on the framing of pervasive violence in South Side
Chicago neighborhoods, subsequently off ering a diff erent lens to high-
light the contributions and progressive eff orts stemming from indi-
viduals residing in these areas.  ere remains a necessary shift from
the passive images of those killed by violent acts to the active eff orts of
nonprofi ts working to decrease violence as well as educational programs
focusing on interpersonal skills, mediation, and emotional intelligence.
The media have had a signifi cant impact on the way that lower-income
areas of Chicago have been represented during the aftermaths of
neighborhood violence. A majority of the stories concerning these violent
attacks concentrate on the liminal space, a transitional place where family
members and friends of victims mourn the loss of their loved ones.  is
space does not contain future goals or plans; rather, it stays in one state
of mind where the memories of the victim are often publicized (Jones,
Zagacki, and Lewis 2007). For family members of Chicago’s violence-
stricken neighborhoods, the liminal space presents itself in a variety of
forms including rituals (Palmer 2012), memorabilia (Jones et al. 2007),
and artifacts.  ese forms are then broadcast by the media after a crime,
devoting a large portion of the news story to the pathos appeal of the fam-
ily’s suff ering.  e media’s preference for the liminal space limits progres-
sive eff orts from mediation programs and organizational campaigns such
as CeaseFire (currently known as Cure Violence), whose sole purpose is to
stop gun violence in South Side Chicago neighborhoods.
is article assesses the state of violence in Chicago, off ers a defi nition
of liminal space and its various forms as they relate to violent Chicago
100 LAMBERTZBERNDT
C R Q • DOI: 10.1002/crq
crimes, looks at the lack of media attention on nonprofi t organizations
and peer mediation programs that seek to decrease the amount of violence
in Chicago neighborhoods, and discusses theoretical and practical appli-
cations.  ere remains a necessary shift from the passive images of those
killed by violent acts to the active eff orts of nonprofi ts working to decrease
violence as well as educational programs focusing on interpersonal skills,
mediation, and emotional intelligence.
Framing of Chicago Violence
Violence aff ects all cities; however, in Chicago, the violence is pervasive.
is violence permeates communities that are attempting to conduct
violence-free activities such as pickup basketball or Little League base-
ball. In 2013, a shooting took place at a pickup basketball game in South
Side Chicago where thirteen were severely wounded (Davey and Williams
2013). According to these authors, two New York Times reporters wrote,
Chicago has more than 500 homicides in 2012—more than any other city
in the nation and about 80 more than New York, which has three times as
many people” (para. 5). A story in the Chicago Tribune a few months later
stated that a six-year-old boy “was hit in the chest on his way to a tutoring
class with his two brothers in the Gage Park neighborhood” (Nickeas and
Ford 2013, para. 1).  is amount of perpetuated violence is staggering and
raises the question: Why is this happening? Webster, Whitehill, Vernick,
and Curriero (2013) claim that “many urban youth believe that gun car-
rying in high-crime neighborhoods is common, and that the ‘code of the
street’ or social norm in these neighborhoods is to be willing to respond
with lethal violence if threatened” (27).  is perception has been shaped
in part to the circumstances and experiences within the community as well
as the portrayal of such unescapable violence by the media in low-income
areas such as South Side Chicago.
State offi cials and national representatives are also off ering perspectives
on why violence is a problem in Chicago. Chicago Tribune reporter Jason
Meisner (2013) reported that “United States attorney Zachary Fardon
said Wednesday that the senseless slaughter of children caught in Chica-
go’s gang crossfi re keeps him up at night and that the level of mayhem is
an ‘unacceptable status quo’ that has to change” (para. 1). Fardon’s state-
ment, however, does not explain why gun violence remains unaddressed in
the political realm; rather, it off ers a perspective from an individual who

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