Quintz Gearing spends most of his day posted with his friends on the corner of West 38th Street and Central Avenue because he has nowhere else to go, he says.
“We’re out here all day every day,” he said. “People are giving us guns, but they’re not trying to give any jobs.”
No jobs and no vision of a better life lead to youths standing on street corners or engaging in violence, said the 21-year-old Alton Park resident, known in his community as “Lil Chip.”
In the aftermath of 25 shootings this year in Chattanooga, including three homicides in about three months, several black residents are starting new mentoring programs or trying to recruit more young people to participate in programs that already exist.
Gerald Perry, a recreation specialist with Chattanooga Parks and Recreation, said there always is hope that a person’s path could turn for the better.