OCT 3
Are social media and gangster rap culture contributing to gang violence in Chicago? In 2012, rivalry between two gangs played out on social media and some say led to the murder of rapper Lil JoJo. The 18 year old unwittingly chronicled the last moments of his life on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. Chicago cops monitor social media in hopes of getting ahead of the violence. But is it time for a remix? Can social media and music be used to change the message and end the violence? We discuss at 7:30pmET.
On today's episode of The Stream, we speak to:
Christof Putzel @ChristofPutzel
Correspondent, America Tonight
america.aljazeera.com
Correspondent, America Tonight
america.aljazeera.com
Desmond Patton @SAFElab
Assistant Professor, University of Michigan School of Social Work
safelab.wordpress.com
Assistant Professor, University of Michigan School of Social Work
safelab.wordpress.com
Cobe Williams @CobeWilliams
National Community Coordinator, Cure Violence
cobewilliams.com
National Community Coordinator, Cure Violence
cobewilliams.com
Lance Williams
Assistant Director, Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies
carrutherscenter.squarespace.com
Assistant Director, Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies
carrutherscenter.squarespace.com
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This post contains graphic material and/or offensive material that may not be suitable for all audiences.
Chicago's turf war has moved away from building walls, and onto Facebook and Twitter walls in recent years. According to one report, the Chicago police department estimates 80 percent of "all school disturbances result from online exchanges".
Although Chicago, or #Chiraq, has one of the nation's strictest gun laws, Chicago Police seize more guns than the NYPD and LAPD combined. So far this year, the city has seen 325 homicides.