Page 10 - Mark Chicago News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Following the killing of trayvon martin in 2012, three activists started a hashtag, black lives matter. they had this crazy idea that, i don't know, maybe it shouldn't be cool to kill black people for no reason. their hashtag has turned into a movement and sparked a for some reason polarizing debate. polarizing for some people because for them, shouldn't it be all lives matter? have you heard the phrase black lives matter? >> yeah. >> what do you think about it? >> i don't know if it's a color thing, but i think every life matters. >> see. what does the phrase black lives matter mean to you? >...

Having grown up in chicago, i know that some neighborhoods, even on the south and west side, are as safe as any neighborhoods in this country. but for much of the young black population growing up in the dangerous parts of the south and west side, gang violence has become a way of life. and the violence gets all the headlines. what's life like in these neighborhoods for real? and what's life like in a gang? or as they are called in chicago by some, street organizations. i'm meeting with somebody who grew up in this life and has worked hard to make a better life for himself and others. malik yu...

>> outside of chicago people talk about gangs. they don't know who they are, what the names are, how many there are. >> yeah, you've definitely got the stones from right here, the gds, the vice lords, obviously the bds, which is the black disciples. black gangsters, gangster disciples, black p stones, the latin kings, spanish disciples, mickey cobras, spanish cobras, you got the popes, all these different factions. >> yeah, what gang were you? >> 12, blackstone. ever since i was 12 years old. growing up right here it was crazy. every day, you know, it was like going outside was literally takin...

>> a week ago, two killers out here, two sheetings. people die. it may look like it look now, but it ain't sweet. this is one of the most infamous projects. >> i feel like you just invoked the thunder. >> that force. [ laughter ] >> that was verification. no validation needed. >> blue checkmark, you got verified. nationally, when people talk about chicago now, it's like the most notorious city in the country. south side and west side gangs. do you think it's worse than people think or is it worse? >> worse. it ain't exaggerated. >> a lot of it don't make the news. we're in block 6. different b...

.45 straight through. >> what do you think people need know about what is going on on the south side of chicago? >> it's a lot going on. we just talk to about seven to eight youngsters, and it came across to me, as well as others, that we're reaching out, but the younger generation is not reaching back out to us. they're stuck into what they're doing. somewhere we failed them. we failing -- that one that i failed, that be the [ bleep ] that kill me because i missed out. >> on some level, weren't you failed by the -- it's a cycle, right? >> it's a cycle. >> see, a lot of older cats, they let it...