Editorial: Don't relax in fight against violence

Nearly all the studies and statistics confirm that violent crime has dropped dramatically over the last 20 years. Between 1991 and 2010, the U.S. homicide rate fell a whopping 51 percent. Minneapolis has shared in that decline.

But while the trend is well worth celebrating, it is no comfort to the family, friends and community of little Terrell Mayes Jr., the 3-year-old who died Tuesday after being hit by a stray bullet in his north Minneapolis home.

The horrific death of a toddler reminds us that the big-picture crime figures mean little to those in neighborhoods where gunshots ring out regularly.

Neighborhoods like Terrell's, where his mother, Marsha, kept her children indoors during the summer to protect them from gunfire. Blocks where moms like Marsha teach their kids to dive for a safe spot when they hear the too-familiar popping noise outside.

Even that didn't save Terrell. When he and his three siblings heard shots early Monday, they headed for the safety of an upstairs closet. While they were on their way upstairs, a single bullet ripped through the house and struck Terrell in the head.

The details of the incident remain unknown. Yet a tragedy like this challenges us, despite the good news on crime overall, to redouble efforts to address youth violence -- especially gun violence -- on a variety of fronts.

We'd bet that whoever fired the shot that killed Terrell has, or has had, a 3-year-old relative -- maybe a little brother, a son, a nephew or a cousin. The shooter, and those of his ilk, should think about the youngsters in their lives and how they would feel if a bullet claimed one of those lives.

That means the community must cooperate with law enforcement to bring the criminals to justice. And neighbors and authorities should work to make firearms less available; it is too easy to get guns.

At the same time, more must be done to address the underlying reasons why so many youths turn to guns to resolve problems. Changing that behavior is the best long-term strategy to make challenged neighborhoods safer.

The Centers for Disease Control cites youth violence as a significant national public health problem, noting that more than 619,000 young people, ages 10 to 24, were treated in emergency rooms for violence-related injuries 2009.

CDC and local experts also say that youth violence is not inevitable -- that it is a learned behavior that can be unlearned or stopped before its starts.

Successful strategies include linking youths with caring adults, increasing job and other constructive opportunities for youths and connecting teens with health and education resources and, if needed, parenting resources.

Any death by gunfire is horrible, but they are especially heart-wrenching when young innocents become victims. Nearly 10 years ago, 12-year-old Tyesha Edwards was shot and killed in Minneapolis as she sat at her kitchen table doing her homework.

In 1996, 4-year-old Davisha Brantley-Gillum got caught in the crossfire between two rival gangs and died in a car at a St. Paul gas station.

To prevent such tragedies, communities and government together should stay vigilant and keep working on antiviolence efforts to expand the dropping crime rates to all neighborhoods.

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