This browser does not support the Video element.
Milwaukee violence, 20+ children killed this year
As the number of those killed or hurt by violence in Milwaukee grows, so does the number of kids who are caught up in it.
MILWAUKEE - As the number of those killed or hurt by violence in Milwaukee grows, so does the number of kids who are caught up in it.
"It’s very difficult to get people to respect the lives of others if there’s a fundamental lack of value for your own life," said Ashanti Hamilton, director of the Office of Violence Prevention.
Public records show so far this year, nearly two dozen kids have been killed by violence in the city.
Hamilton said kids are more and more attracted to a street-focused lifestyle, glorifying violence and grief as entertainment or even likes.
"These children are growing up in a society that has cultivated and energized this type of behavior," said Hamilton.
Hamilton's job is to help disrupt that, to develop trust with those most affected and show them how their actions affect others, including the pain of victims.
"Seeing that upfront is an absolute necessity and part of the healing process," said Hamilton.
Then comes the reality check.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
"We have to be honest with ourselves and with the young people that we’re dealing with," said Hamilton. "We did not create the right environments."
Hamilton said there needs to be a pathway and support network in the community to help these kids and bring them back to a sense of normalcy or what normal is. Experts who talk to these children say that is hard to do.
"They have really lost hope in their own future, and there are reasons they’ve lost hope in their own future," said Steve Dykstra.
Dykstra is a psychologist with the county and Wraparound Milwaukee. It helps connect kids with therapy.
"They have been hurt," said Dykstra. "They are hurting other people, and as a group, they lack faith in their own future. They have lost the belief that promises will be kept and that tomorrow will be better than today."
The goal is to show a better future is possible.
Dykstra said investing in kids now will save Milwaukee heartache later.