110311.rc8.youth violence platform-report.final

8/3/2019 110311.RC8.Youth Violence Platform-REPORT.finaL

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El

Barrio/EastHa

rlem

Youth Violence Task Force

Platform:

NOVEMBER 2011

PROMOTING PEACE & EMPOWERMENT

AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE

IN OUR COMMUNITY


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El Barrio / East Harlem Youth Violence Task Force 001002

FIRST AND FOREMOST, we thank each and every young person who

attended our community discussions and other meetings. This platform is

a direct result of all of your ideas and suggestions, and would not have

been possible without your participation.

We also want to thank all o the members o the EL BARRIO/EAST HARLEM

YOUTH VIOLENCE TASK FORCE and all others who made our

community discussions possible by oering meeting space, securing ood

or participants, and serving as guest speakers.

FINALLY, we extend our gratitude to all those Task Force members that

provided invaluable input into this platorm to ensure that it most accurately

refected the ideas and contributions o our youth.

REPORT PREPARED BY: Andrew King,

Ofce of Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito

REPORT DESIGNED BY: Antonio Rodriguez

COVER LOGO DESIGNED BY: Omany Luna

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY: Elsie Encarnacin, Joe Taranto

and Rakim Brooks, Ofce of Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS


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El Barrio / East Harlem Youth Violence Task Force

004 00

ABOUTTHEPLATFORM&MOVINGFORWARDFollowing our series o discussions, the Youth Violence

Task Force set out to create a platorm or our work going

orward that would incorporate the ideas and perspectiveso El Barrio/East Harlem youth, as

well as additional examples o best

practices and eorts by other cities

to prevent violence. In particular,

this platorm draws upon the East

Harlem Juvenile Gang Task Force

Needs Assessment Report, which

was coordinated by one o our

partners in the Task Force, the

Harlem Community Justice Center.

The Centers report consists o a

year-long comprehensive needs

assessment o juvenile gangs and

violence in East Harlem.1

The recommendations revolve

around seven key areas:

1) Outreach to High Risk Youth;

2) Improving Police/Community

Relations; 3) Extracurricular

Youth Programming; 4) Youth

Employment; 5) Investments

in Public Education; 6) Parental

Involvement; and 7) Youth

Empowerment.

In the coming months, we willengage elected ocials, city agen-

cies, non-prots, oundations and

more o the neighborhoods young people as we

seek to implement the recommendations in this

platorm. We can begin to work on some o these

recommendations immediately, while others are

long-term goals

INTRODUCTION:VIOLENCEINOURCOMMUNITYEl Barrio/East Harlem has recently witnessed a rise in

youth-related violence. Last year, there were more

than 70 shootings in East and Central Harlem public

housing and 18 homicides in East Harlem alone.2 This

represents a two-old increase in shootings and tripling

in homicides rom the previous year. According to the

East Harlem Juvenile Gang Task Force Needs Assessment

Report, East Harlem arrests or robbery went up by 20

percent, there was an 85% increase in identied youth

gangs or crews in Upper Manhattan between 2007

and 2009 thirteen are located in East Harlem and gang-

involved youth were responsible or a signicant percentage

o homicides and non-atal shootings in 2009.3

The underlying causes o this increase

in violence are not dicult to locate.

El Barrio/East Harlem is known or its

beauty, cultural richness, and vibrancy,

but it also aces disproportionate poverty,

unemployment, health challenges and

other hardships. East Harlem has a

larger population o youth than most

neighborhoods in New York City. More

than 40% o those children live in poverty

and in some parts o our neighborhood

child poverty tops 50%.4

In this time oeconomic hardshipwhich has hit Latino

and Black communities, especially youth

o color, the hardestthese challenges

have only been magnied.

El Barrio/East Harlem also has the highest

concentration o New York City Housing

Authority (NYCHA) developments in

the city. In a recent survey, a majority

o NYCHA resident respondents reported

recent serious crime in their develop-

ments and that they were very or

somewhat earul o crime.5 O the 45

public housing projects in greater Harlem,the top nine or shootings were located

in East and Central Harlem, accounting or 65% o all

shootings on Harlem NYCHA properties.6

THEEFFECTSOFVIOLENCEYouth violence damages the lives o those directly

involved but also has a larger impact on our amilies

and community. In our discussions, some young people

said they elt unsae to leave their homes, while otherselt unsae even at school due to bullying and peer

pressure. Violence in schools has a ripple eect on

other students and witnesses, causing increased

dropouts. Research shows that violence-induced trauma

and stress can aect young peoples brain development,

resulting in diculty concentrating, lower grade point

averages, lower IQ scores, and increased eelings o

isolation. Community health is also negatively impacted;

THE RECOMMENDATIONS

REVOLVE AROUND SEVEN

KEY AREAS:

1) Outreach to High

Risk Youth

2) Improving Police/

Community Relations

3) Extracurricular

Youth Programming

4) Youth Employment

5) Investments in

Public Education

6) Parental Involvement

7) Youth Empowerment


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violence increases the cost o healthcare, reduces

social interactions and decreases property values.7

Research shows that violent behavior is caused by

a number o actors including an individuals prior

history o violence, drug use, association with

delinquent peers, and systemic issues such as poverty,unemployment and racism.8 In addition to general

racial and economic disparities, youth o color in low-

income communities oten ace particular obstacles

including lack o access to quality education and a

high unemployment rate. Young people echoed many

o these concerns at our community discussions,

citing the lack o jobs or both youth and adults in

the community, and a need or more ree or

aordable youth programs, community centers,

and recreational activities.

Violence is increasingly coming to be understood as a

public health issue by experts and practitioners in the eld;

it is complex and has many intersecting causal actors.9

It is important to note that that there are no silver bullet

solutions. However, youth violence can be mitigated.A comprehensive public health approach should be

taken to address all actors that infuence youth violence.

Strategies that support amilies, teach social development,

and oer mentoring are crucial to stopping youth

violence beore it begins.10 There is now public health

unding available at the city, state and ederal level or

violence prevention programs.11 The platorm we have

outlined combines immediate violence intervention and

longer-term strategies o prevention that nurture young

peoples social and emotional development at a personal,

amily, school and community level.

ENSURINGTHATYOUTHAREPARTOFTHESOLUTIONUnortunately, young people are oten treated as the

problem. They are excluded rom discussions and decision-

making processes that prooundly aect them. Although

youth violence is a serious problem, it is not the sum total

experience o the youth living in East Harlem and other

communities o color. The mass medias ocus on negative

images and incidents in East

Harlem might lead the average

person to believe that violence

denes the area. Nothing couldbe urther rom the truth. In light

o this reality, we began to involve

young people rom the very rst

stages o the ormation o our

Task Force. We solicited their per-

spectives, documented the lessons

learned, and have come to champion

their suggested solutions.

This report is just the rst step o

many. An eective strategy will

require cooperation and partner-

ships among many groups:youth, their parents and amilies,

teachers and schools, community

organizations, elected ocials,

aith-based institutions, law

enorcement, and community

leaders. While some o the

recommendations outlined

below are directed at specic

individuals, groups, and initiatives,

many involve steps that we can collectively take as a

community. Each o us in El Barrio/East Harlem has a role

to play in helping to stop youth violence in our neighborhood.

PhotobyJeffMays/DNAInfo.

Each o us in ElBarrio/East Harlemhas a role to play in

helping to stop youth violencein our neighborhood.


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RECOMMENDATIONS&NEXTSTEPS

PROVIDE TARGETED INTERVENTION AND

STREET OUTREACH FOR HIGH-RISK YOUTH

WhatWeHeard:

Most youth expressed that gangs and ear o gang

violence are critical issues in our community.

Gang-aliated youth are hard to reach and need

targeted engagement eorts.

Suggestions rom youth to deal with this problem

included gang-awareness education programs and

targeted outreach to gang-aliated youth including

counseling and youth summits.

TheFacts: There is concentrated gang or crew violence

among the neighborhoods highest-risk youth.

East Harlem arrests or murder increased signicantly

in 2010. There was an 85% increase in identied

youth gangs or crews in Upper Manhattan between

2007 and 2009; thirteen are located in East Harlem.12

Gang-involved youth were responsible or a

signicant percentage o homicides and non-atal

shootings in 2009.13

WhatWeRecommend:

Employ Violence Interrupters Model in Our

Community. Operation SNUG is an eective program

in Central Harlem based on Chicagos Ceasere program

model, where ormer gang members and ex-oenders

with street credibility are trained as outreach workers

who directly interrupt violent situations, preventing

shootings and retaliatory violence among our

communitys high-risk youth.14 Outreach workers each

have caseloads o youth whose lives they are very

involved with, whether through their home, school or

the courts. They connect their kids to local youth

programs, job-training and academic services.15 Theprogram utilizes social media, as well as the slogans

and language that young people use in daily

conversations. The Young Mens Initiative has earmarked

$800,000 or Ceasere programs in the city; a portion

o these unds should be utilized to expand SNUGs

street outreach to East Harlem, or to implement a similar

program o our own.16

Integrate the Violence Interrupters Program

with thePositive Presence for Peace Initiative.

We should support and expand community leaderVernon Williams' initiative by training parents and

community members to create an organized and

consistent Positive Presence or Peace inside their

communities and housing developments.18 This

not only helps to keep people sae; it also

strengthens community relationships which deter

youth rom violence and steer them in more

productive directions, helping to avoid negative

interactions between community members and

the police. Working in collaboration, violence

interrupters and Positive Presence or Peace

members can organize public awareness events

such as marches and youth summits on the issue

o violence.

Promote Conict Mediation. Street workers and

community members should be trained to convene

confict mediation sessions and establish peace

treaties between rival youth gangs rom particular

housing projects, such as Carver and Washington

Houses which have witnessed recent shootings.

THE YOUNG MENS INITIATIVE is a citywide

eort led by the Mayors Ofce to address the

disparities aced by Black and Latino young

men. Through a public-private partnership,

the initiative will invest more than $127

million in educational, mentoring and

employment programs or young Black and

Latino men, utilizing many city agencies.

Considering that East Harlem has a higher

proportion o youth than the rest o the city,

is disproportionately aected by violence,

and has the highest number o juvenile

arrests in Manhattan, we recommend that

a good portion o these unds be allocated

to East Harlem violence prevention

programs that will empower young men

here in our community.17 We will monitor

the implementation and progress o this

initiative careully and hold accountable

those city agencies charged with carrying

it out.

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Gun Buy-Back Programs. The community should

come together to strengthen and increase the

publicity o gun and toy-gun buy-back programs,

such as the recent cash or guns drive, in which

two Harlem churches pulled 140 guns o the streets.

We can partner with groups such as New Yorkers

Against Gun Violence and Downtown Community

Television Center to expand these programs. Onepossibility is to replicate a Los Angeles initiative

where metal rom recovered handguns is melted and

turned into art sculptures.20

Create Community Responses toViolence. To

promote healing and to commemorate victims o

violence, we can plant trees in locations where

young people have recently been killed, accompanied

by plaques, to honor the individuals. The trees could

be planted in conjunction with the New York

Restoration Project and the Parks Departments

MillionTreesNYC initiative.

IMPROVE POLICE-COMMUNITY RELATIONS &END FAILED PUNITIVE POLICIES

WhatWeHeard:

Our youth expressed a lack o trust in the police.

Many said they eel disproportionately targeted by

the stop-and-risk policies; these repeated incidents

are humiliating and traumatizing experiences.

TheFacts:

Our community is disproportionately impacted by

policing and the criminal justice system. East

Harlem is home to one o the highest concentrationso ormerly incarcerated men in New York State.21

More than 600,000 people were stopped and risked

by the NYPD in 2010, the highest number to date;

Black and Latino men accounted or 85% o stops.

Only 14% o people stopped were issued summonses

or arrested, making the reason or many stops unclear.22

WhatWeRecommend:

End the Stop-and-Frisk Policy. While we commend

Police Commissioner Kellys momentous rst step

in ordering an end to the NYPDs small-quantitymarijuana arrest policy, more needs to be done to

stop police harassment and targeting o youth in our

community. The racially-biased stop-and-risk policy

is not consistent with the Mayors recently expressed

commitment to tackle the disparities aced by young

Black and Latino men. The Center or Constitutional

Rights has led a class-action lawsuit against the city

and the Police Department over this practice.23

2:

In Chicagos original Ceasefre program, outreach

workers established a presence on the street in 17

targeted neighborhoods to provide direct intervention

or the communitys highest-risk youth, working

to prevent shootings, stop retaliatory killings andmediate conicts. According to a U.S. Department

o Justice-unded, three-year evaluation, Ceasefre

successully reduced shootings and killings by 41% to

73% across its targeted neighborhoods and showed

a 100% success rate in reducing retaliatory killings

in 5 o the 8 areas examined. Since January 2009,

Ceasefre has worked with 845 high-risk clients in

Chicago. More than 720 got help fnding a job, more

than 300 went back to school or restarted school, and

more than 60 were connected with a substance abuse

program. The model has been replicated in Boston,

Central Harlem and East New York (S.N.U.G.), as well

as Crown Heights, Brooklyn (Save Our Streets).19

Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito was actively involved in the successul eorts to end the NYPDs

enorcement o small-time marijuana possession. This practice was leading to the arrest o over 50,000

New Yorkers each year, many o whom were young men, and was based on a loophole in the existingState law that de-criminalized marijuana when it was not in public view.24 During stop-and-risks,

police would routinely ask that individuals empty their pockets, and upon fnding marijuana, would

arrest them. The Council Member questioned Commissioner Kelly about this practice at two public

hearings and also introduced a City Council resolution in support o a change in the State law that would

clariy that possession o small quantities o marijuana is a violation, not a crime.


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Implement Community Policing Practices. Our

youth should have input in community discussions with

police, and should take part in police monitoring and

evaluation eorts. We must work to strengthen and

expand the involvement o young people in police-

community programs such as the Precinct CommunityCouncils and police-youth engagement programs such

as the Police Athletic League (PAL). We also must

ensure that all ocers are properly trained in respectul

youth engagement and human rights, and are amiliar

with and available to young peoples amilies, teachers,

churches and communities.25

Fund Rehabilitation and Alternatives to Incarceration

Programs. Studies show that alternatives to

incarceration, such as rehabilitation, job-training and

community service programs, have lower recidivism

rates and are proven to work.26 Drug treatment,

community service, and probation are more appropriate

or those convicted o low-level drug oenses, ingeneral, but especially in the case o youthul

oenders.27 Job programs such as the NYC Justice

Corps and Harlem HARD Hats Program provide

employment opportunities, including green jobs, or

court-involved youth as an alternative to incarceration.

Support and Expand Harlem Community Justice

Centers Youth Court as an Alternative to

Incarceration Program. Council Member

Mark-Viverito has allocated unds to the Justice

Center which works to intervene in young peoples

lives at the rst signs o delinquent behavior, giving

them the help they need to prevent urther oending.Their courtroom, where cases are presided over by

other young people rom the community trained to

serve as lawyers, judges and jurors, connects

oenders to services like counseling, drug treatment,

and education while continually monitoring their

progress. The youth court also hears cases like

truancy and schoolyard ghts reerred directly

by police. Sanctions

include community service,

anger-management classes

and apology letters, which

encourage young people

to take responsibility or

their actions. The JusticeCenter also oers amily

mediation and counseling,

mentoring, leadership

development and job training.

Each year, more than 300

youth participate in programs

at the Justice Center.28

EXPAND YOUTH PROGRAMS, RECREATION AND

EXTRA-CURRICULAR SERVICES FOR YOUTH

WhatWeHeard:

Youth expressed a need or increased advertising andoutreach or existing programs.

There are not enough activities or youth, including

quality ater-school, athletic and recreational programs.

There is a need or more ree or aordable youth

programs, community centers, sports and arts programs,

particularly during ater-school and late-night hours,

which are vital to preventing violence beore it starts;

Youth need more positive role models or guidance and

mentorship in the community.

WhatWeRecommend: Provide Safe Recreational Spaces & Programs.

Community centers and athletic programs provide

needed exercise and structured activities or

youth, improving physical and mental health, as

well as academic perormance.29 We must work to

increase awareness and utilization o existing youth

centers and implement extended late night hours

which give youth a sae place to play and learn ater

school and during peak crime hours. Nighttime

team sports leagues and tournaments will increase

the presence o community members during

hours when there is greater risk o violence.Programs such as Harlem RBI increase physical

activity among youth, thereby combating

obesity, which is rampant in East Harlem and is

correlated with violence and ear o violence.30

Reinstate the New York Midnight Basketball Program

by replicating the current renowned Summer Night

Lights program in Los Angeles. Extend

hours and keep lights on in selected

parks and recreation centers until 1:00

am, our days a week. The program will

provide jobs or high-risk youth and adults

to sta and supervise activities such as

organized sports games, skateboarding,educational and artistic activities, and will

include mandatory job training and skills

workshops. There should be a special

ocus on developing a collaborative e-

ort between groups such as the Taino

Towers Basketball League, Hoops by the

River, and NYCHA.31

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Ensure the successful opening and programming of

the renovated James Weldon Johnson Center. This

brand new center, located at Lexington Avenue and

115th Street, has been in the works or over a decade,

but still has not opened. The center will provide

21,500 square eet o community and recreational

space or NYCHA residents, particularly youth. It will

include a childrens center, classrooms, art space, a

gym, kitchen and oces, which neighborhood youthare eagerly waiting to utilize.33 In December 2010, the

Council Member and the Task Force brought NYCHA

representatives to Johnson Houses to meet with

youth and hear rsthand rom them how important

it was to nally get the center opened.

Utilize Martial Arts Programs to Stem Violence.

East Harlem-based Peace on the Street teaches

martial arts and meditation skills to help youth with

anger management and channeling their negative

energy. Workshops in meditation and psychic

sel-deense are given. Concentration techniques andmartial arts practice are incorporated into unique

GED classes, which have been successul in helping

students pass the exam. The Council Member has

consistently allocated unding to this program.

Increase Physical

Education for Students.

The Department o

Education should ensure

that students get at least

120 minutes o physical

education per week, as

mandated by the State.

Teens in East and CentralHarlem are three times less

likely to attend a daily gym

class as youth in other

parts o the city, despite high rates o health problems

related to lack o physical activity in our community.34

The DOE should also restore unding cuts to sports

programs in middle schools to provide coaches,

reerees, and other paid sta.

Expand Art Programs, which provide a positive

and creative alternative to violence. For example,

Art or Change oers ree community art

workshops or youth and amilies to engagein East Harlem's rich cultural traditions. Themes

include social change, diversity, cultural heritage

and empowerment. The Groundswell Community

Mural Project mentors kids and helps them work in

teams to paint anti-gun violence murals.35 Holding

Open Mic events is another popular way to show-

case positive artistic expression by our young poets,

singers and hip-hop artists.

Support Media Literacy Programs. Train youth to use

social media to promote peace and confict resolution

and to intervene i their peers are using Facebook or

Twitter to plan acts o violence. We will continue support

or media literacy programs that challenge violence in themass media, promote critical thinking, and empower

youth with skills to make change in their community

through television, lm and radio.

Support the Creation of a Comprehensive Guide of

Existing Services and Programs for Youth. The

Guide would serve as a tool to connect young people,

In Los Angeles, the Summer Night Lights program

has expanded rom 8 to 32 parks since 2008,

providing 1,000 jobs or at-risk youth, serving

thousands o ree meals, and engaging hundreds

o thousands o participants. In 2008, the

surrounding areas involved saw 86% ewer

murders and a 17% drop in gang violence.32

The Task Force supports plans by The New YorkAcademy o Medicine to convene a conerence

next year or unders o violence prevention

programs, along with those working on violence

prevention in East Harlem and throughout New

York City to increase unding supports.


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parents and practitioners to our network o

community-based organizations providing services

or young people.

Develop and Encourage Mentorship Programs.

Work with the Administration to leverage unds rom

the Young Mens Initiative, which has allocated

millions o dollars or intensive mentoring or the

citys highest-risk youth and is sponsoring a citywide

mentoring summit and strategy that would pair

mentoring organizations with schools and ater-school

programs. Also, recruit more young men o color to

be mentors, who are underrepresented in this eld.

OFFER JOB-TRAINING AND YOUTH

EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS

WhatWeHeard:

Community members consistently identied

unemployment among teens and adults as one o

the root causes o violence.

TheFacts:

New York City has the lowest youth employment

rate in the nation. Among males 16-24 years old, 37%

o Blacks and 20% o Latinos lack jobs.36 Jobless teens

are more likely to drop out o school, and more likely

to commit crimes.37

The citys Summer Youth Employment Program is

employing more than 40% ewer teens than it did

two years ago (30,000 vs. 52,000 jobs) due to

millions o dollars in budget cuts.38

East Harlems overall unemployment rate is about 19%,

more than double that o the citywide rate o 8.6%.39

WhatWeRecommend:

Restore funding to and expand the Summer Youth

Employment Program. In the ace o budget cuts and

an alarming youth unemployment rate, we support

the mayors proposal to develop a strategy or thelong-term sustainability o the citys Summer Youth

Employment Program, which may include engaging

the private sector or unding. A similar strategy

allowed Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick to nance

a $10 million youth job-training program in Boston.40

Leverage YMI Funds for Workforce Development.

Workorce centers provide job/lie skills workshops

that will teach nancial literacy, resume building,

career skills, college exploration and health education.

They also serve as connectors to employment

opportunities. YMI plans to invest in programs that

reconnect marginalized youth with education and

employment such as Jobs Plus, Justice Corps andJustice Scholars. East Harlem would benet

signicantly rom those investments.

Support Passage of the Emergency Jobs to Restore

the American Dream Act. The bill will provide

Americans with more than 2 million jobs in two years,

including 100,000 jobs or youth between the ages

o 16 and 25, to improve our nation's parks; 250,000

part-time, work study jobs or eligible college students;

400,000 construction and 250,000 maintenance

jobs to x American schools; and 750,000 jobs to do

work in distressed communities.41 This would create

hundreds o jobs in East Harlem, so we arerecommending that community members write their

representatives and tell them to support this bill.

Councilwoman Mark-Viverito allocated unds

to the Downtown Community Television Center

(DCTV) to support the award-winning, youth-

produced flm Bullets in the Hood, which

promotes awareness o gun violence and highlight

the solutions that young people are creating

themselves. The Councilwoman also took part in

the Peoples Production Houses Super Heroes

o East Harlem media project documenting the

stories o our community leaders.

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PARENT AND FAMILY

INVOLVEMENT PROGRAMS

WhatWeHeard:

Youth expressed a need or parent and amily

services, to encourage more positive parent

involvement in their lives. They also want adultsto be more respectul and understanding o them.

Proposed community solutions include more parent

and amily-based programs to improve amily

relationships and teach confict-resolution skills.

WhatWeRecommend:

Offer Services that Help Enhance Parenting Skills.

The DOE and local organizations should oer

support services to parents to better enable them

to support their childrens academic and social

development at home. Greater investments shouldbe made in amily counseling, mediation and confict

resolution services, such as those provided by the

Harlem Community Justice Center. These programs

can help mediate amily conficts beore they escalate,

avoiding more serious complications and even court-

interventions. The Childrens Aid Societys Family

Wellness Program and the Family Center o Somer-

villes Parenting Journey program could serve as

models or additional programs.

Expand Efforts to Engage Parents in Schools. The DOE

should provide additional support to Parent Coordina-

tors, teachers and other school sta or the expansion o

parent engagement eorts. Beyond parent-teacherconerences, parents should be encouraged to become

involved in all aspects o the school community. Schools

should oer college workshops and tours to amiliarize

parents with the college process and encourage amily

participation in schools and youth programs through

events such as potlucks and community discussions.

Strengthen Coordination Between Schools, Parents

andCommunity Groups that provide recreation,

healthcare, or youth development services. This helps to

prevent truancy, poor academic perormance, and violent

behavior, while strengthening amily and community ties.

Invest in Adult Education Programs. Schools should

oer adult literacy, GED, and ESL courses to help parents

advance their own educational goals; doing so enables

these parents to help their children succeed.

PROMOTE YOUTH LEADERSHIP

AND EMPOWERMENT

WhatWeHeard:

Youth want to take ownership o, and participate in,

the decisions and policies aecting their lives. They

want to identiy their own needs and the solutions

that could help address violence.

WhatWeRecommend:

Use Our Districts Ground-Breaking Participatory

Budgeting Project to Engage Youth. The new

Participatory Budgeting Project, sponsored by

Council Member Mark-Viverito, presents a great

opportunity to engage with youth on local issues.

Councilwoman Mark-Viverito allocated $25,000

to Council For Unity to provide school-based

anti-violence and gang awareness programs,

conict-resolution skills, and mediations to

intervene in the lives o high-risk youths who

may be gang-afliated. Programs like these are

critical and should be expanded.

6: 7:

EACH YEAR, COUNCIL MEMBER MARK-VIVERITO

ALLOCATES FUNDING FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDE POSITIVE ALTERNATIVESTO VIOLENCE. THESE ARE SOME OF THE ORGANIZA-

TIONS THAT HAVE RECEIVED COUNCIL FUNDING IN

THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR:

Childrens Aid Society

City Year

Council or Unity

Creative Arts Workshops or Kids

Downtown Community Television Center (DCTV)

East Harlem Tutorial Program

Hoops by the River

New Yorkers Against Gun Violence

Peace on the Street

The Peoples Production House/Radio Rootz

Urban Dove


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Over 160 young people recently participated in a

special Youth Assembly at the Childrens Aid

Societys East Harlem community center. At this

assembly, youth engaged in brainstorming

exercises on ideas or capital projects that they

wanted to see in the community. Many o these

young people have signed up to be Budget

Delegates, who will help ormulate these ideas

into concrete projects that will appear on a ballot ina community vote. This process is helping to

increase their understanding o their community

and their condence in their ability to create

positive change at a local level.

Continue youth discussions, summits and forums

to oster youth participation in violence prevention

eorts. By hearing directly rom young people, the

City, schools, community organizations, and other

providers we will be able to urther understand which

programs appeal to youth and which approaches are

most eective.

Expand the District 8 Youth Council, hosted byCouncilwoman Mark-Viverito. Youth councils

prepare young people to be proactive citizens and

tackle the most critical issues acing them. Their

eorts should be supported and unded.

CONCLUSIONThe intent of this platform was to lay out a

basic set of goals and objectives for our com-

munity to organize around. Our engagement

with young people doesn't stop with this

platform; in fact, it is just beginning. In the

coming months we will continue to support

young people themselves to take the lead in

implementing these recommendations, using

the platform as a guide for action. Please

stay tuned and join us in these efforts.

CONTACTANDJOINTHEYOUTHVIOLENCE

TASKFORCEFor more information on the El Barrio/East

Harlem Youth Violence Task Force,please

contact:Elsie Encarnacin at (212) 828-9800 or

[email protected]. You can also keep

up with the work of the Task Force by visiting

www.stopyouthviolence.wordpress.com.


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REFERENCES1 East Harlem Juvenile Gang Task Force. East Harlem Juvenile Gang Task Force Needs Assessment Report 2011. Harlem

Community Justice Center.

2 www.dnaino.com, Crime and Saety Report, retrieved September, 2011, rom http://www.dnaino.com/crime-saety-report/.3 East Harlem Juvenile Gang Task Force. East Harlem Juvenile Gang Task Force Needs Assessment Report 2011. Harlem


4 Ibid.

5 Ibid.

6 Ibid.

7 Understanding Youth Violence Fact Sheet 2010, Centers or Disease Control and Prevention, accessed August, 2010, www.

cdc.gov/violenceprevention.

8 Ibid.

9 Fact Sheet: Public Health Funding or Youth Violence Prevention, Prevention Institute, accessed September, 2011, http://

www.preventioninstitute.org/images/stories/Documents/Fact_Sheet_on_CDC-public_health_youth_violence_prevention_activities_-updated.pd

10 Youth Violence, Veto Violence; Violence Education Tools Online, accessed August, 2011, http://www.vetoviolence.org/

education-youth-violence.html

11 Fact Sheet: Public Health Funding or Youth Violence Prevention, Prevention Institute, accessied September, 2011, http://

www.preventioninstitute.org/images/stories/Documents/Fact_Sheet_on_CDC-public_health_youth_violence_prevention_

activities_-updated.pd

12 East Harlem Juvenile Gang Task Force. East Harlem Juvenile Gang Task Force Needs Assessment Report 2011. Harlem




14 Mays, Je, Program Employs Ex-Gang Members to Help Stop Street Violence, DNAino.com Manhattan Local News,

http://www.dnaino.com/20110118/harlem/program-employs-exgang-members-help-stop-violence-on-harlem-streets. See also

Operation SNUG in New York Faces Budget Cuts, Ceaserechicago.org, August 29th, 2011, http://ceaserechicago.org/edu-

cation/operation-s-n-u-g-in-new-york-aces-impending-budget-cuts.

15 SNUG worker, Kareem Chapman, Personal interview, October 2011

16 Overview o City-unded Young Mens Initiative Programs, Young Mens Initiative NYC.gov, October, 2011, http://www.

nyc.gov/html/ceo/downloads/pd/city_unded_ymi_100411.pd

17 East Harlem Juvenile Gang Task Force. Strategic Plan 2011. Harlem Community Justice Center.

18 Vernon Williams, Personal interview, August 2011

19 Herbert, Bob, Upending Twisted Norms, The New York Times, May 11, 2010. See also Kotlowitz, Alex, Blocking the Trans-

mission o Violence, The New York Times, May 4, 2008.20 Los Angeles Artists turn guns into angel sculptures. BBC News.



22 Parascandola, Rocco, New York Police Department stopped more than 600,000 in 2010, the highest number ever re-

corded, NY Daily News, 22 Feb 2011.

23 Herbert, Bob, Jim Crow Policing, The New York Times, 2 Feb 2010.


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24 Ember, Syndney, Council Members Call or Change to Marijuana Possession Law, The New York Times. 17 August 2011.

25 A report by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum. Old Problem, New Eyes: Youth Insights on Gangs in New York City. Decem-

ber 2008.

26 Pew Center on the States, State o Recidivism: The Revolving Door o Americas Prisons (Washington, DC: The Pew Chari-

table Trusts, April 2011).

27 Sae Communities, Fair Sentences: Solutions, American Civil Liberties Union, January 20, 2011, http://www.aclu.org/sae-

communities-air-sentences-0.

28 http://www.courtinnovation.org/project/harlem-community-justice-center

29 Active Education: Physical Education, Physical Activity and Academic Perormance, Active Living Research: Building

Evidence to Prevent Childhood Obesity and Support Active Communities, accessed August 3, 2011, http://www.activelivin-

gresearch.org/les/Active_Ed_Summer2009.pd.

30 Fact Sheet: Violence and Chronic Illness, Prevention Institute, accessed August 15th, 2011, www.preventioninstitute.org/unity.

31 Copage, Eric V., Neighborhood Report: Lower East Side; Last o the Midnight Hoops, The New York Times, August 29, 1999.

32 Cathcart, Rebecca. Lighting Up Tough Parks Darkness. The New York Times. 11 July 2009.

33 Schuppe, Jon, East Harlem Housing Complex Eagerly Awaits Community Center, DNAino.com, accessed October 5th,

2011, http://www.dnaino.com/20110105/harlem/east-harlem-housing-complex-eagerly-awaits-community-center.

34 Noyes P, Alberti P, Ghai N. Health Behaviors among Youth in East and Central Harlem, Bedord-Stuyvesant and Bushwick,

and the South Bronx. New York, NY: New York City Department o Health and Mental Hygiene, 2008.

35 Khan, Shazia, Mural Inspired by Black Panther Artist Dedicated in East Harlem, NY 1, September 4, 2009.

36 Banks, David and Ana Oliveira. Young Mens Initiative, Report to the Mayor rom the Chairs. August 2011.

37 Ibid.

38 Clock Ticks as SYEP Providers Wait or Federal Funding, NYC Workorce Weekly, Vol.4, Issue 18. June 4th, 2010.

39 East Harlem Juvenile Gang Task Force. Strategic Plan 2011. Harlem Community Justice Center.

40 Banks, David and Ana Oliveira. Young Mens Initiative. Report to the Mayor rom the Chairs. August 2011.

41 Emergency Jobs to Restore the American Dream Act, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, accessed September 10, http://

schakowsky.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2975&Itemid=8

42 Understanding Youth Violence Fact Sheet 2010, Centers or Disease Control and Prevention, accessed August, 2010,

www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention.

43 NYC Graduation Rates Class o 2010 (2006 Cohort), NYC Department o Education, June 14th, 2011. http://schools.nyc.

gov/NR/rdonlyres/30D1B49C-D908-4FAA-BC3D-1F7CA246549E/0/GRADRATE2010_HIGHLIGHTS_WEB.pd



45 Cradle to Prison Pipeline Factsheet New York, Childrens Deense Fund, accessed August, 2011, http://www.childrensde-

ense.org/child-research-data-publications/data/state-data-repository/cradle-to-prison-pipeline/cradle-prison-pipeline-new-

york-2009-act-sheet.pd.

46

Ratner, Gary and Monty Neill, Common Elements o Successul School Turnarounds: Research and Experience, May 14, 2010.47 The Benets o High-Quality Pre-K, pre[k]now, accessed August 2011, http://www.preknow.org/policy/actsheets/benets.cm