Youth Opinion : Do You Know Any Young Gang Kids Like ‘Yummy’?

The murder of 11-year-old Robert Sandifer (nicknamed “Yummy” for his love of cookies) on Chicago’s South Side was awful enough; that Yummy was himself the accused murderer of a 14-year-old girl was worse. His story has sparked a national debate about how to save such kids.

PATTY GIAMAN

14, Sophomore, Chula Vista High School, San Diego

My friend is in a gang. And she always seems to be picking on people. But if there were to be any killing, it would only be their enemies.

I don’t want you to think that I think it’s okay to kill or fight with other people. But when you live in a place where violence is always there, it seems better to be with a group of people who will back you up. I could have been in a gang, but I choose not to do that.

It always seems to go back and forth. When there is a fight, then another fight happens. As for Yummy, I really think he was used by the gang. I don’t understand why they killed him. He was doing their shooting for them. But you have to understand, these days, killing seems like a natural thing to do. It’s not surprising to me that an 11-year-old is killed. Everybody has guns.

SUZANNA MARTINEZ

17, Senior, Wilson High, Long Beach

Of course I know kids who are involved with violence. And when I used to go to school in Wilmington, it seemed a month didn’t go by when someone I knew wasn’t shot. To a lot of people, killing doesn’t mean anything. And to society it also seems that the killing of our youth is no big deal, which really scares me.

CHERIE JACKSON

17, Senior, Corona High School

I come from a single-parent home. And I knew there were kids that fought. But I didn’t want to become involved with any of that because my mother taught me morals and values.

I really can’t understand how a child could kill. I have a 12-year-old brother. And when I look at him, I just can’t imagine him killing anybody.

CAMERON FUGIMOTO

17, Senior, Wilson High School

I just think it’s sad that kids are now killing each other. I was shocked to hear about Yummy. I don’t understand it. But it’s getting worse, not better. There must be some solutions. Maybe our government leaders have to start really doing something instead of just grandstanding. But no matter how much government gets involved, no solution will work unless parents are involved.

RUBY COOK

14, Sophomore, La Mirada High School

I grew up in Compton. And basically, I think for a lot of kids, it seems that you have to belong to a gang to have friends. But more importantly, you need to belong to a gang so they will back you up. So I can understand why being in a gang would help you protect your back. And for little kids, they seem to want to be like the big kids. They want to hang out and act like gangsters. So in the case like Yummy, he was probably only doing what they wanted him to do.

DIANE HELD

17, Senior, Saddleback High, Santa Ana

I do know people who seem to be surrounded by violence. I don’t want to say involved with violence because it seems that violence is engulfing a lot of people these days at home, school and everyday life. And for many of these people, they just live with it.

For Yummy, what happened to him--I was shocked. For a child--any child--to get killed is something I cannot let myself get used to. All kids are not born violent. They are caught up into a cycle that we (society) need to break.

BROOKE HAMILTON

17, senior, Corona High School

I really can’t understand why anybody would kill a 12-year-old kid. But see, I grew up in a safe middle-class home where gangs were not a part of it. I think what happened with Yummy was a tragedy. But how could it have been avoided? Can a lifestyle like that be avoided when you live in a place where gangs are everywhere? I think Yummy, the 14-year-old girl he killed and the guys who killed Yummy are all victims of society. Society has to figure out a way to help these kids.

CESAR PACHECO

15, Sophomore, Saddleback High School

There are some kids who are involved with violence. But I try to stay away from it. Sometimes it’s hard. Like when I was leaving a student council meeting, these gang members came up to me and asked me if I was in a gang. I said no, but they didn’t believe me. They told me that if they found (a weapon) on me that they would kill me.

CHRIS SIMMONS

16, Junior, La Mirada High School

I grew up with a guy who was always fighting. It seemed violence was a part of his life. I think he is now in a mental ward. But I can see that there are a lot of people like him who want to hurt people. I just try to stay out of those people’s way.