Editorial: Outsiders jeer at Trenton’s violence but never talk about root causes

Tragedy, unfortunately, drives the news business. National media showed up in Trenton because they thought this mass shooting was some act of random violence.

They helicopter in to see the horror of an act that impacted outside visitors to Trenton.

It was terrible in every way. It was, like almost every violent act in Trenton, rooted in the economic desperation that has ruined a lot of cities.

The senseless violence at Art All Night is getting a ton of attention, and rightfully so, because it is awful.

This violence and horror is not an isolated incident.

The concern over gun violence when it impacts just urban citizens is missing though.

The lone death from this horrific event is unfathomably sad for his family and friends. But when viewers and readers around the country find out that he was possibly one of the people who initiated the violence, the compassion disappears.

Where was the outrage when a 19-year-old was murdered last month?

Where was the outrage for the man gunned down at the Shell station in May, the two young men gunned down while driving in January?

Or the newborn baby allegedly abandoned by her drugaddicted mother? Or the 46-year-old man shot in the head in January?

Where were the statements from officials far and wide for the 26 homicides last year? Or the CNN reports or the TV helicopters?

The outside world laughs and jeers at Trenton’s violence but never wants to talk about root causes. The common refrain is that violence is just “why you don’t go into Trenton,” or “why you avoid certain parts of the city.”

Trenton needs jobs and education and a way out of the violent cycle for young people who see street crime or drug addiction as the only options. They go hand-in-hand because without the supply, the addiction problem lessens, and without the addicts, the drug dealers don’t make money. That catch-22 offers the question of which to tackle first, but really both battles need to be fought.

While the outside world can pretend this is separate from them and only look at Trenton when the violence hits at a high-profile event like Sunday, Trenton knows we need something to break this cycle.

While it is easy to call out the problems, it is extremely hard to find solutions for them.

New city leaders need to pay attention to how the world sees Trenton when so much attention is on us.

We need to be this outraged about every death, no matter who the victim is.