"I've never gone to a wedding, but I've been a pallbearer"

Youth Prove "Our Voice Matters" at Youth Forum

A rash of violent events in southeast Seattle since the beginning of the year have prompted conversations on many levels throughout the community. Members of SYVPI's Southeast Network Youth Action Team felt that at least one very important group was being left out of those discussions-youth.

"Since the beginning of this year there have been a number of violent incidents that have taken place in our community," reported a statement made by the Team. "Although several forums have taken place to discuss this issue, we do not feel there has been a significant presence of youth voices and/or perspectives at these forums to talk about the impact of violence on us and what we can do to be a part of the solution. "

Their solution was to host the Youth Forum Against Violence held on Wednesday, June 26, at the Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club. Attendees at the event included new Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole, representatives from the Mayor's Office, and various youth and community members.

The panel discussion, included SYVPI participants Dasante Lee, DJ Nguyen, Justyn Busch, DaJann Rose, DaVontae (DC) Carson, Rahsean Anderson, Sayvaun Rose, and moderator Tre Owes. Their personal stories were a powerful reminder that violence is not about statistics, but about very real impacts on human beings.

They spoke about the struggles they have had growing up in their community as well as the people and events that have helped them to make positive changes in their lives.

Panel member Justyn Bush credited SYVPI for the turnaround in his life. "SYVPI is like a second family to me. It gave me the space to make the right choices."

DaVontae went even further. "The initiative is me. I'm from Cloverdale [Street], but now I'm in college. SYVPI helped me become a man. I changed my whole lifestyle. I have my AA degree and I'm getting my Bachelor's degree in secondary education in mathematics. ... My whole life changed." Now when his friends ask him to sell drugs to make some money, he tells them, "No, I got a job!"

Marty Jackson, Coordinator of SYVPI's Southeast Network and Action Team advisor, told panel

Police Chief Katherine O'Toole

member Sayvaun Rose that she had seen him around the Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club for a long time before he finally enrolled in the Initiative. What motivated him, she asked, to finally join? "All the father figures I knew were gangbangers and thugs," Sayvaun said. "I got tired of going to funerals. So many friends and people I knew were killed. I still have never gone to a wedding. But I've been a pall bearer."

Chief O'Toole commended the youth on their efforts, and made a personal commitment to them that their voices would be heard by the Seattle Police Department.  

SYVPI Research Partner Earns Country's Highest Criminology Award

David Weisburd, the chief researcher behind SYVPI's Rainier Beach: A Beautiful Safe Place for Youth project, funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, has received the Sutherland Prize, the American Society of Criminology's highest award. The award recognizes his research on "place-based policing" which looks at the concentration of crime in geographical areas--referred to as "Hot Spots"--and the implications that this has on effective policing.

In the Rainier Beach project, members of the local community have used Weisburd's research to identify priority youth crimes at Rainier Beach hot spots and make recommendations for interventions to reduce crime. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray's Find It, Fix It Community Walks (see following article) are an example of this research put into action. 

Weisburd is a Distinguished Professor of Criminology, Law and Society at George Mason University in Virginia. Read more about Weisburd's work at http://newsdesk.gmu.edu/2014/06/mason-professor-wins-nations-top-criminology-award/  

Find It, Fix It

On June 25, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray announced his Summer of Safety Initiative--the City's coordinated approach to public safety which builds on David Weisburd's research (see article above), mobilizing resources to change our physically built environment, and provides jobs for youth and young adults. One of the features of the Initiative is the Find It Fix It Community Walks which have been scheduled for five high-crime areas in Seattle's central and southeast neighborhoods.

The first of the walks, which was held July 2 in the area around 23rd Avenue South and South Jackson Streets, was attended by about 200 people, including the Mayor, City Council member Bruce Harrell, and Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole. SYVPI was represented by Director Mariko Lockhart, and Michael Garrett-Smalls, Sakara Remmu, and Eric Patterson-Floyd from the Central Network.

Led by the Mayor, the group conducted a Community Appearance Survey to identify features that contribute to the area feeling unsafe. This included trees blocking streetlights, graffiti, litter, illegal dumping, closed businesses, abandoned lots, and barriers to accessibility. They also stopped many times to talk with people along the way, and the Mayor also led the group in a moment of silence for those who had been victims of violence in the area.  

The next step in the process is to harness the collective resources of the city and the community to create the positive changes needed to correct these problems. The five walks, all open to the public, cover the following areas:

* July 2: 23rd Ave. S. and S. Jackson  Map 

* July 8: Orcas and MLK Map 

* July 22: Sound Transit tour, between Rainier Beach and Othello Stations Map 

* July 29: Rainier Ave. and Genesee Map 

* August 12: Rainier Beach Map  

For more details about the walks and the Summer of Safety Initiative, visit http://murray.seattle.gov/summer-of-safety/#sthash.MMHny9Ap.XuFivd3I.dpbs. 

  The New Kid on the Block - An introduction from
SYVPI's Summer Journalist Photographer

Hey SYVPI Fam!

Didn't know you guys had a new addition to the team did you? Well consider this an informal introduction. I will be visiting SYVPI's Community Matching Grant projects this summer to take photos, interview participants, and write stories about them for this E-newsletter and the SYVPI website.

My name's Khoa Nguyen. I am nineteen years old and currently attend Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina where I just finished my freshman year.

I have a passion for music, a ravenous thirst for adventure, and my loving family and friends keep me grounded. When I am not messing around on iTunes making new playlists (such my "Beating Sun, Windows Down, Friends in the Car" or "No Shame Shower"), you can find me out and about enjoying the beauty of Seattle.

My interests in sciences and social justice have driven me to many great work opportunities. It was through a college-prep program called Rainier Scholars that I found about SYVPI. It was a heaven-sent that I came across a position in such an engaging and meaningful field of work. I look forward to the work ahead.

A new friend,

Khoa

Safe Youth, Safe Community is a newsletter published by the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative. Our mission is to prevent and reduce youth violence, which has disproportionately affected communities of color in Seattle, through coordinated community mobilization to identify youth at risk of perpetuating or being a victim of violence and connect them with needed support in reaching their full potential. For more information, please visit our website www.safeyouthseattle.org.