Town hall meeting to focus on teen violence

By John Minnis Legal News Teen violence is on the rise in Detroit, and that has community and national leaders concerned. To address the "ongoing violence epidemic," the second of three national town hall meetings will be held in Detroit Monday, May 3, at YouthVille, 7375 Woodward. The all-day panel discussion is co-sponsored by Wayne County Juvenile Court and the American Bar Association Coalition on Racial and Ethnic Justice (COREJ). The program, "Stop Teen Violence--Time to Deliver," begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m. Former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, past ABA president and former Michigan Supreme Court justice, will deliver the keynote address. As a native of Michigan, Archer will provide firsthand insight into the problems that are plaguing Detroit's youth. "We are not in a situation where they are coming to Detroit because we have a lot of teen violence," said Archer. "They are coming here to learn what we have done to curb teen violence. We have had a fair amount of success by community groups, including one that is hosting the event, YouthVille." David Perkins, ABA COREJ chair and Wayne County Juvenile Court referee, will moderate the four-part discussion on the ongoing violence epidemic. Panels will feature prominent leaders of Detroit and students including: * Barbara McQuade, U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan. * Penny Bailer, executive director, City Year. * N. Charles Anderson, president and CEO, Urban League of Detroit. * Angela Reyes, executive director, Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation. * Yusef Shakur, author. * Judge M.T. Thompson, author of "Making Choices and Facing Consequences." * Moana Makki and Joanna Ladki, Arab Community Center for Economic Social Services. "Prevention is an important part of reducing crime," said McQuade in anticipation of Monday's town hall meeting. "It is encouraging that people are coming together from so many sectors to focus on reducing teen violence. "Teen violence creates two victims--the crime victim and the teen offender, whose life is derailed by his own conduct. If we can prevent teen violence from occurring, we can protect both of those potential victims." The first discussion was held by COREJ on Nov. 20 in conjunction with Chicago State University and featured guest Dr. Steve Perry, author of "Man Up! Nobody is Coming to Save Us" and principal of Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford, Conn. The final town hall will take place Saturday, Aug. 7, in San Francisco as part of the ABA Annual Meeting. COREJ and their local partners will develop a national plan of action to help cities that are struggling with teen violence. COREJ has been instrumental in developing and implementing more than 10 successful programs directed at either youth-at-risk or those who work to help youth through its Over Representation of Juveniles of Color in the Justice System Project. Published: Fri, Apr 30, 2010

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