Quarter-century after Wilson killed, issues in city schools haven't changed
The mayor of Chicago called for an end to the violence, the senseless killing of children and high school students. So did the Rev. Jesse Jackson, city officials and school administrators. The tragic story was highlighted on local and network TV news. Newspapers editorialized about it.
The killing of Fenger student Derrion Albert? No, the killing of Simeon basketball star Ben Wilson.
That was 25 years ago. It seems nothing has changed.
Even today, people who saw Wilson play wonder how good he might have been and where he would have gone to college. Nobody knows for sure. But before Bob Hambric, Wilson's high school coach, died in August, he told a friend that Indiana was the youngster's choice.
Wilson remains a legendary figure in Chicago high school basketball. As a junior, he led Simeon to the Class AA state championship in 1984. He was so good and so charismatic that future NBA star Nick Anderson opted to transfer from Prosser to play with him. After receiving national attention, Wilson was acclaimed the No. 1 player in the nation going into his senior season.
Then he was killed. On the eve of Simeon's 1984-85 opener, a gang member shot him while he was walking with friends outside the school. His funeral attracted thousands of mourners. Jackson eulogized the fallen hero. The community was devastated.
Wilson is remembered to this day. Former Simeon star Derrick Rose wore Wilson's number during his high school career in tribute to his memory.
But what happened then and what is happening now has convinced longtime educators that nothing has changed. In fact, they believe things have gotten worse. There are more gangs, more drugs, more budgetary issues and more cutbacks. Fewer kids are participating in sports, fewer after-school activities are available, parents and communities are reluctant to get involved and coaches aren't as committed as they once were.
Rodney Hull, who played with Wilson on Simeon's 1984 championship team, said he is appalled at what is happening in the public-school system because, in his view, nothing is changing for the better. One high school principal documented 1,100 fights in his first year.
''We are putting out a good crop of kids from elementary school, but we lose them when they walk into high school,'' said Hull, who has served as principal at Nicholson Elementary Math and Science in the gang-infested Englewood community for the last nine years. ''We need people with fresh energy who want to do something. We must have activities to draw kids in. We can't release them to the streets.''
Hull has changed the dynamics at his school. When he arrived, there were 17 teacher vacancies, gangs were everywhere, parents were nowhere, students fought all day, there was a high absentee rate and teachers were intimidated and couldn't wait to find another job.
Now, Hull said, gangs aren't operating in the school, there is no graffiti, no fights have been documented in two years, teacher retention is high, kids are learning and test scores are up.
''I hold on to my kids,'' he said. ''I keep them in school all the time, until 6 p.m. And when they have problems, I go to their houses. We can do some things, but the clergy and politicians have to get away from it. We don't need people in front of a camera; we need to do work off-camera instead. From a school standpoint, police are reactive, not proactive. The proactive part has to start in the schools and at home with parents.''
Roy Curry and J.W. Smith are retired after serving for 40 years in the Chicago Public Schools as football coaches and administrators. They saw how it was and see how it is. They have suggestions about how to solve the problems, but they aren't optimistic that positive steps will be implemented. In fact, they are downright discouraged about the future of the system.
''It hasn't changed in 25 years,'' Curry said. ''We've got to learn how to control our communities. We don't have control; the gangs run them. The communities must rise up and seize control. The priority is to get rid of gangs, but that isn't a police priority now. As long as it is black-on-black crime, that's OK with the police. We know who the gangbangers are, but no one says anything. Twenty-five years from now, we'll be talking about the same thing.''
Smith, who founded a very successful elementary-school football program while serving as the CPS' executive director of sports administration, now calls for a universal preschool program to give kids supervision and direction and get them involved in positive activities.
''If I had a pile of money, I'd put it in universal preschool,'' Smith said. ''Send all kids into preschool at age 3 or 4. Give them an early appreciation for learning -- arts, health, music, sports, math, English. They also can learn about character and how to react with other students.''
Smith pointed out that educators long have understood that juvenile crime peaks from 3 to 7 p.m. So it is imperative that the park district, YMCAs, schools and government agencies come together to provide more after-school activities for kids.
''It is difficult to take a high school junior or senior and make changes,'' Smith said. ''We're missing the boat by misappropriating the funds we have. We can have schools for the elite, but those who came up with only a mother in the home and no male image need to be put in an environment where they learn and appreciate education.
''Otherwise, we're headed back down to a situation that caused Ben Wilson's death.''