Searching for the Bullet: What Leads to Gun Violence in Chicago’s South Side Communities?

Science Center A154

The purpose of this research is to determine if there is a correlation between gun violence and the absence of certain resources in the urban community of Roseland on the South Side of Chicago. Violence, as defined by the World Health Organization, is “the intentional use of physical and psychological force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation.” In this context, I explore the assertion of recent literature that only one source, poverty, contributes to the proliferation of gun violence in our urban communities. However, I argue that this approach fails to take into account fully the absence of resources that contribute to gun violence. The recent literature does not address the structural and institutional factors that effect the phenomenon of urban gun violence. This research will identify and demonstrate how the lack of several resources in the urban community contributes to gun violence.