Quote Originally Posted by SBRed48 View Post
gang culture

mobile phone video "look at us" culture

only way to gain "status" amongst peers

lack of hope, ambition, opportunity, increasing poverty

poor/ absent parental role models / upbringing

substance abuse

breakdown of community values

low level /lack of deterrents

and many more.
I would agree with all of that, I think you've covered everything SB. The only thing that I would caution against is the lack of opportunity. This clearly didn't apply in the recent Brianna Ghey murder. The girl that committed the murder had opportunity. Her mother was a teacher at Culcheth comprehensive school. She attend the same school. The family lived in Culcheth. Culcheth is a top notch area, very affluent in the top 2% measured in the country. The boy that committed the murder also attended Culcheth High School. Parents choose Culcheth schools and bring the kids in from the other areas around. The boy was coming in from the Leigh area.
I know this because I lived in Culcheth between 2003-2016. My son still lives in the house that I own. Both my kids attended the local schools and Culcheth High School. I can therefore say for sure that both of those two kids did not lack opportunity but yet committed one of the worst murders that could possibly take place. Calculated and evil. So lack of opportunity cannot be used as an excuse for committing such acts in my opinion. But I agree with everything else you say and it really needs to be got on top of before it spirals further out of control.