Column: America's innocent bystanders

Eyewitnesses turn into victims in crimes

Lorrie Reyes / Roundup

Violence is wrong, but it’s even more frustrating to see innocent people getting hurt because of it.

Recently innocent bystanders have been appearing on the news on a national scale.

Derrion Albert, a 16-year-old boy, was beaten to death in Chicago.

Albert, an honor roll student, was passing by a community center on his way home from school when he was dragged into a fight between rival gangs.

Three teenagers have been killed and seven wounded in Chicago in the month of September alone due to futile violence.

Like Chicago, Los Angeles has not been a stranger to violence.

A four-month-old baby was shot and killed Sept. 28 in Van Nuys, in what looks to be a gang-related incident.

So what exactly are innocent bystanders supposed to do?

They are minding their own business, going about their everyday duties. Truth is, it’s hard to pinpoint a way to stop these crimes. There are certain precautions the state and law enforcement take to stop criminals.

Whether it’s having a 10-day waiting period before a person can buy and register a gun or more surveillance in areas with higher crime rates, there is nothing Albert or the four-month-old baby could have done.

Despite all the turmoil in the news, the country is trying to take the necessary steps toward a positive society.

According to the FBI’s 2008 Crime in the United States report, violent crime has decreased in the nation by 2.5 percent from 2007 to 2008.

Nonetheless, there are still too many innocent bystanders being killed throughout America.

As a country, we need to concentrate on trying to stop the violence Whether the victim is directly involved or the victim is an innocent bystander, the senselessness needs to stop.