More Coverage Of Chicago Murders, Campaign 2008, Raw Politics, Spelling Bee Quirks, And CNN Heroes (Thursday's Second Hour)

Hi guys. We begin the hour with repeat TB stuff and then move into a David Mattingly piece that kind of retreads through everything going on in Chicago. From there Anderson sits down to talk with Delano Taylor, Jamal Boyd, Corron Dotson and Shatara Burgin; four Chicago students. Anderson begins by asking how many of them know someone who has been shot. All of them do. He then moves on to the appeal of gangs. Shatara explains that gangs kind of act as an extended family, which draws in kids who might feel that their real families don't understand them. Anderson asks why they think 28 kids have been killed. Delano says it's due to money, respect, and pride. Corron elaborates further that everyone acts like they have something to prove and when you get two people like that together it can lead to violence. Anderson asks if they're scared walking down the street. Jamal says no, but uh, he just got robbed a few days ago. Man.

Next Anderson asks how easy it is to get a gun. Delano says real easy and Jamal notes that money talks. "...if 28 kids get killed, whose fault is it?" asks Anderson. Shatara says it's gang related and the others seem to think it's just the way life goes. Anderson then talks about how the country isn't really paying attention to what's going on in Chicago and how some think that's due to the race of the victims. Corron says people in the black community feel invisible. Anderson wonders if maybe there's an acceptance of violence in the black community. Shatara talks about all of the negative portrayals of blacks in movies and music. Anderson then wraps it up. A good discussion. Anderson always does well with these kind of things. He didn't talk down to them like some people would have.

On now to an interview Anderson did with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. Anderson begins by asking what can be done to stop the killing. Like the guy from last hour, Daley is all about getting rid of the guns. However, Anderson notes, "It goes beyond just guns. A number of these kids were killed -- Desiree Smith was strangled." He wonders if there's a culture of violence. I think there is, but I'm wondering whether or not it's always been this way. I mean, when I was in high school a girl at a neighboring school was raped and murdered in the bathroom and that was over a decade ago. Anyway, Daley agrees there's violence in our culture and we should all be marching, but then he goes right back to the guns. Anderson notes there are a lot of kids that are afraid to go to school. "They should have their families -- get their families out. Get their fathers and mothers. You have community policing. You get the principals, get the teachers. Let them walk -- let them walk their kids to school," says Daley. Not a problem for the city to deal with apparently. "And that's your message to -- to those kids?" replies Anderson. Daley then says that parents need to step up and basically to solve this there's going to need to be a combination of police and community involvement.

Now we're on to an Anderson piece that goes through all the violence and what young people have to deal with. We also meet Harold Davis, "a contractor whose company fixes run down school auditoriums, and he hires at-risk kids." Most of these kids come from gangs and have drug backgrounds, but the job brings stability to their lives. So far Davis has only lost one kid back to the streets. After the piece Gary Tuchman is live with Anderson for discussion because Gary grew up in Chicago. Gary tells us it's not just one thing that's causing the violence, but displacement from the torn down housing projects seems to be a big factor. Gary also points out that when he was just six years old he walked with his friends a half a mile to school every day without any adults. It wasn't parental slacking; it was just commonly done. They then talk about how violent crime is down most places, but juevenile crime is up. Yes! What is up with that? A lot of St. Louis county/city malls recently installed curfews for teens because they were scaring away all the adults. Some of my friends won't even go to certain malls after dark anymore. And there's a police station in the mall.

All this Chicago coverage has reminded me of that song "Come Out and Play (Keep'm Separated) by The Offspring:

They're like the latest fashion/
They're like a spreading disease/
The kids are strappin' on their way to the classroom/
Getting weapons with the greatest of ease
...
You gotta keep'em separated/
Hey, don't pay no mind/
If you're under 18 you won't be doing any time/
Hey, come out and play

And that was from over a decade ago.

Transitioning now to the political and we have a Candy Crowley piece about the trials and tribulations of campaigning. See, it used to be that candidates could go to a diner and have a political chat, but now they go somewhere and 1,000 people show up. Isn't that good in a way though? Doesn't that mean more people are interested in the process? Anyway, to combat what has become one big photo-op, Obama has decided to plan some spontaneity. Uh huh. Plan some spontaneity? And what about the other five thousand candidates? "Others have resorted to invitation-only house parties and private meet the candidate events." I won't wait by the mailbox for that invitation.

Next up we've got some discussion with Candy and John King. Anderson asks if candidates actually like small gatherings, otherwise known as retail politics. Candy thinks it is actually fun for them. Probably more fun to cover too, huh Candy? Anderson wonders if dark horses have a chance now that retail politics seems to be going extinct. John admits it makes it harder for people like a Biden or Brownback. Anderson then brings up the internet. Candy tells us that the Internet can be great for a lot of things political, but you can't really size someone up while surfing the intertubes. Anderson asks why Clinton seems to be more into the smaller events than Obama. John says that all has to do with Bill because that's how he did it and now she has a built-in-network from him. Obama, on the other hand, seems to go for the big crowds. It was definitely a big crowd when I saw him. And it was cold!

On to our nightly "Raw Politics" now with Tom Foreman. We begin in Hollywood where Clinton is raking in the dough from the stars at a fundraiser. Even Pauly Shore was there. "Did somebody say C list?" says Tom. If Kathy Griffin is D list he is so less than C list. Next up, trying to prove Google really is your friend, we learn John Edwards has been hanging out at their headquarters to talk tech. Also, Rudy Giuliani has been out signing autographs. Because people want them? We also learn that Tim Griffin, recipient of an attorney-gate job, is quitting. Morale not good at Justice, Tim? Finally, Valerie Plame is suing the CIA for delaying the publication of her book. Now the CIA gets protective. Geez.

For some lighter fair, next we have a Jeanne Moos piece on the Scripps National Spelling Bee...and you kind of have to watch it. Some of the faces of these kids as they compete are quite amusing. On now to our latest installment of "CNN Heroes" and tonight's hero is Dr. Trey Wilson. He's a dentist who volunteers in Kenya, providing free care and dental education. Awesome. And that'll do it, folks.