Baltimore City has for too long had the distinction of being one of the worst cities in the US in regards to gun violence and murders.
With no real evidence that things are changing for the better any time soon, perhaps it's time to look outside of the box for solutions to this terrible problem.
Baltimore City Mayor Jack Young has an idea. If you have a beef with someone, fight it out with them in a public boxing ring.
At a rally against gun violence that took place in the city over the weekend, Young told CBS Baltimore:
You know gun violence is something that has been plaguing this city for 10 years, and you know the murder rate in this city and non-fatal shooting rate in this city has increased. I’m not happy with it and neither should the citizens of Baltimore. There’s mediation. You know if they really want to settle them, we can have them down at the civic center — put a boxing ring up and let ’em go a box it out. The best man win and the beef should be over. Those are some of the things I’ve been thinking about — hoping we can get these people to put these guns down.
It may seem like a strange suggestion, but in a time of need for Baltimore, anything to help cut gun violence can be considered a win.
Still, some people aren't convinced. Comments on the story include "Whoever lost would come back looking for someone to shoot for hurting their pride," "Mayor Young seems woefully out of touch," and "We don't need to reform the education system in Baltimore to teach healthy conflict resolution at a young age, we just need to teach them to... box?"
Source: CBS Baltimore