Congresswoman Gwen Moore called on the community to commit itself to Milwaukee’s youth.

"We’ve got to educate them, engage them and teach them to be decent and caring citizens. We’ve got to do this every day, with the realization that our commitment never ends."

Moore’s comments were in response to the violence in the city that has taken place in the last several weeks, which includes the gang rape of an 11-year-old girl by reportedly 19 to 20 young boys and men.

The day after the rape, Brandon Sprewer a graduate of Marshall High School and a Special Olympic athlete was robbed and fatally shot at a bus stop on West Silver Spring Drive.

The week before, 13-year-old Candace Moss was killed by an errant bullet.

"When I read about the latest murder or act of senseless violence, I am deeply distressed and my heart goes out to those who are feeling the pain of loss personally," said Moore in a statement.

"I know that it could have just as easily been my granddaughter or son, as my family lives in one of the areas where violence continues to pervade."

Moore said with each new report of crime too heinous for anyone to understand, the community’s reaction has been shock and anger with a feeling of being up in arms.

"We think, ‘What now?’ The problem is that we should be asking that question in advance of the crime," Moore said. "Preventing violence should be an everyday effort--it’s got to be ongoing."

The congresswoman noted that Milwaukee has one of the largest populations of young people in the country and that such demographics, residents, community and political leadership needs to address this emerging population.

"The most important strategy of raising children is being there and paying attention," Moore said. "The sad fact is that so often determining which young kids are going to end up either in trouble or causing trouble is knowable.

"I’m willing to wager that somewhere along the line, an adult--had they been paying attention--could have noticed that the 16-year-old girl who orchestrated a gang rape on an 11-year-old was missing a sense of empathy and decency from the set of social skills she learned along the way.

"They say ‘It takes a village,’ and I believe that’s more than an empty statement. But where is that village? Where was that adult--be it a parent, relative, teacher, guidance counselor, or social worker--who can tell that a young person is headed down the wrong path?

"Maybe the parent is incarcerated. Maybe the teacher is busy dealing with an over-crowded classroom. Maybe the school can’t afford a psychologist on staff. Where are the resources? Without resources, we can’t provide social workers in schools, or after-school programs, or summer school, or vocational training.