Violent crime, Debate NRK | Violent crime on “The Debate”: Social inequality must not become an excuse

We must keep our backs straight and never let drugs and crime destroy us as people and our unity.

Yes, we can be poor. But there is no excuse for letting our own lives and the lives of others go to waste.

Do your duty and claim your right is the best May Day slogan ever.

We will show those who have grown up with a golden spoon in their mouth, that we who come from homes with less resources, can become just as useful people as them.

Read also: New round of “gang crushing” after years of worries

Similarity of thought

It’s not just us who grew up in the drab towns of old who learned this. Even today, fortunately, I know many young people who think in the same way.

A young man with a Somali background who grew up on Furuset, which was referred to as a “red” and vulnerable area in “The Debate” on NRK on Tuesday, has told me how important this is to him.

He has grown up with a single mother with a large group of children, and they have lived cramped with low income.

But the last thing he and other boys in his situation need are those who understand it so well, if they become criminals.

Those who believe that since they experience social differences on their bodies, it is no wonder that they want to become gangsters.

Speaks like a modern Einar Gerhardsen

No, says my young Somali man at Furuset.

We would rather make up for it by showing that we can succeed just as well as others. Because we are hungry and have a great motivation for it. We must straighten our backs and show what we are good at.

He speaks like a modern Einar Gerhardsen. He is one of those who make me have great faith in Furuset and our other drabant towns.

Those who tell the story about “that it is social inequality that creates crime” with which Fredrik Solvang opened the “Debate” on Tuesday night, probably just want to show understanding and goodwill.

Read also: Oslo violence among young people: Everyone from “opps places” must be taken

Feels like being talked down to

But for boys and young men in families with tight circumstances, it can be experienced as talking down to them. That the expectations for them are set very low. That society will almost understand it if they become criminals. It can give a very poor signal.

Unfortunately, the benevolent souls lack insight into what is happening.

When young boys rob other young people for deer jackets and make big money from drug sales and other crimes, it is not because the income should go to provide vital food at home.

They want status symbols such as all kinds of branded clothes costing many thousands of kroner, luxury watches, gold chains, new firearms, the most expensive cars and so on.

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Its own soul and style

In the past, the East Coast had its own fashion that was the exact opposite of its West Coast.

It consisted of dressing in a working-class style with clothes found in the cheap chain stores, or even inherited from others in the family.

It was embarrassing to go around in sleazy brand clothes and snobbish jackets costing thousands of kroner.

The bastard could do that, and nobody was interested in stealing their clothes.

On the contrary.

The eastern side had its own soul and style.

Gang leaders are made into role models and guiding stars

From my work with young people, I would say that the Østkant trend continued until the 1990s.

But with today’s gangster trend, this has been turned upside down. Now tough young criminals from Oslo East are walking around wearing jackets worth ten to twenty thousand kroner.

In social media, they are fed with gangster rap where thick piles of banknotes and everything that can be obtained for money are displayed – from watches for 500,000 to the latest car models and beautiful ladies.

Gang leaders are made into role models and guiding stars.

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“Red” and exposed areas

Around our residential areas which are called red and vulnerable, whether they are those that were highlighted in the “Debate” or several other places, a fierce struggle for values ​​takes place every day.

It stands between those who want to straighten their backs and show that difficult circumstances provide strong motivation to show what we are good for – and those who dream of becoming gangsters and want to acquire money and status that way.

• Between those who want to stand up for the community and our local communities, and those who want to create insecurity and fear and tear it down.
• Between a gangster trend and a real East Kant trend.

Most people choose correctly

It is a choice young people face. Most people choose correctly.

But those who focus on the fact that the cause of crime is “basically social inequality”, as was said in “The Debate”, do not help them.

They are in danger of understanding them to death, so that they become less resistant when they are lured out into wrong ways.

Crime becomes, in a way, almost natural.

“You don’t owe this society anything”it was also said in “The Debate.

Is it that safe?

Many attempts have often been made to help them on the right track. When they live cramped at home, it’s no wonder they go out and become criminals – that’s also something that is often said.

But that is exactly the message our young people do not need to hear.

Read also: So you want to break the backs of the gangs?

Been going on since the birth of the welfare state

Yes, I would like to have a more social housing policy. Many parties have promised that for fifty years.

Leveling out social differences is a major and crucial task in building society. It has been going on since the birth of the welfare state, and it will continue as long as we have it.

Today, one of the biggest tasks is to create jobs and measures for young school drop-outs, so that they do not end up on the outside.

But the daily attitudinal battle against the gangster trend that many parents, teachers, youth workers and young people are involved in must be waged here and now. It cannot wait for a more social housing policy or other things. It cannot depend on social inequality being removed at some point in the future.

Here you can read more by Jan Bøhler

A criminal law of nature

I am passionate about us succeeding in reversing the development in our exposed red areas.

Then we need to build attitudes and pride in coming from the Eastern Shore, rather than making it almost a law of nature that we should be more criminals than others.

This is prevention, which was said a lot about in the “Debate”.

It has to happen in many other ways than just police efforts. All good forces are needed to stop the recruitment of children and young people into gangster life and to get them to speak.

Many parents, teachers, youth workers and police officers need more knowledge about what is happening.

Fortunately, it is entirely possible to succeed without having managed to remove social inequality first.