Some Key Facts  Homicide is the leading cause of death in the U.S. for African American males and the 2nd leading cause for young people ages 10-24 Although African Americans represent only 13% of the U.S. population, they comprise nearly half of the country's homicides   If current trends continue, 1 in 3 young African American men will serve time in prison No other country in the world imprisons so many of its racial and ethnic minorities   From Cities United website

Sayvaun gets first taste of beignets, a traditional New Orleans dessert.

 

Last month I took a trip to New Orleans to attend a conference on black male homicide. During my time there I was able to see the differences and similarities throughout my city and others. I was able to give knowledge and also gain it by listening and giving my input.

 

I had the honor of meeting and communicating with many African American people of influence such as doctors, lawyers, and hip hop artists. I also had the opportunity to sit and talk to mayors of different cities and was able to hear a little about black male homicide in their towns and what they are doing to prevent it. I learned of the different type programs and procedures to go about to help out.  

 

Overall I'm thankful and very grateful for my trip down south and would like to say thank you for opportunity to represent for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Seattle and the SYVPI. It was both a fun and exciting yet educational and very powerful experience. I would have never had the opportunity if it wasn't for my support team at the Rainer Vista Boys and Girls Club.

29-Year Seattle Study Shows Lasting Mark of Early Gang Participation  

  

A University of Washington study that started in 1985 with 808 fifth-graders in 18 Seattle Public Schools in high-crime neighborhoods and followed them for 25 years, has spawned over 20 research papers. The most recent, "Long-Term Consequences of Adolescent Gang Membership for Adult Functioning," by Amanda Gilman, Karl Hill, and J. David Hawkins, has pointed to gang involvement as not only a criminal-justice issue, but a public health issue as well due to its lasting consequences on physical and mental health, education and job prospects, and reliance on public assistance.

Approximately 92% of the participants, now nearing age 39, are still involved in the study, and participate in lengthy interviews every three years. Twenty-one percent (173 youth) reported joining a gang, usually around age 15. Of the 173, about two-thirds were male and 42% were African American. More than half were in a gang for three years or less, and fewer than 10% reported still being in a gang at age 27. Most belonged to a gang for 12-18 months.

Despite the fact that their gang membership was relatively short, there appear to be lifetime consequences and those who quit gangs at a young age did not appear to fare better than those who quit in their mid-20s.

At ages 27, 30 and 33, study participants who had at one point belonged to a gang were nearly three times as likely to have committed a crime in the previous year, more than 3½ times as likely to report receiving illegal income and more than twice as likely to have spent time behind bars in the previous year compared with those who never joined a gang.

Compared with their peers who hadn't joined gangs, the former gang members - again at ages 27, 30 and 33 - were also more than 1½ times more likely to receive public assistance, three times more likely to abuse drugs or alcohol, and had higher instances of depression, anxiety and poor physical health. They were also more likely to be the victims of violence, and about half as likely to graduate from high school as those who "had never joined a gang but shared similar risk backgrounds."

The study was published this month in the online edition of the American Journal of Public Health (http://ajph.aphapublications.org/). More information can also be found in the Seattle Times  (http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2023211354_gangstudyxml.html).