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Local
African- American Leaders
Speak Out About Crime
During the week of May 21,
2003 approximately one thousand African American
teenagers made their descent on the city of Atlanta.
While many young people from across the country are
drawn to Atlanta for a variety of reasons, this week's
gathering came without the allure of Spring Break, the
NBA all-star game, college hoops, or the many music and
art festivals that the city is so well known for.
In fact, some of this week's attendees
probably did not even come to Atlanta of their own
choosing. They were here for the Eighteenth Annual
National Conference on Preventing Crime In The Black
Community that was held at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta
Hotel and hosted by Georgia's Attorney General Thurbert
Baker and Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist.
According to the conference overview, the seminar is in
place to "address issues relating to the
disproportionate number of African-American men who are
under the supervision of the criminal justice
system."
The conference offered a wide range of
topics and resources ranging from mentoring by
grandparents to suicide rates among African-American
youth to juveniles and the death penalty. In an
interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Attorney General Baker stated, "The purpose of the
conference is to bring together leaders and experts from
all fields and walks of life to discuss possible
solutions to the crime and violence in the black
community." Baker went on to describe the
complexity of the problem saying "although blacks
make up only 12% of the population, 48% of major violent
crimes involve them in some way." Other key note
speakers at the conference included Dekalb County Police
Chief Louis Graham and Atlanta Police Chief Richard
Pennington.
Each spoke of the first hand knowledge that
they had about how crime in the black community impacts
all segments of our population. Many of the other
speakers offered workshops in topics related to youth
crimes as well as offering to the attendees a positive
role model by the presenters themselves. Other
topics not necessarily of a criminal justice purview but
more so for the overall success of those attending the
conference were also offered. Hot topics such as
predatory lending, identity theft, and other social
issues were aimed at educating potential victims as to
how they might avoid being pulled into these scenarios.
Organizers of the conference brought
together a unique gathering of professionals who offered
options to troubled youth on how they could avoid
trouble with the criminal justice and judicial system.
Several of the workshops, which included a special track
for junior and high school teens, highlighted notable
efforts to curb youth violence and numerous crime
prevention program models that could be utilized in any
community.
It is not difficult to find those who are
critical of the choices that are made by some of our
young people. It is however uncommon when one of our
state's top elected officials takes the time to make an
effort to do something about the crime rate. Attorney
General Baker should be commended for his actions
concerning his participation in this conference. He has
proven time and time again his commitment to a
pro-active approach to reducing crime in our state.
In this instance he has taken his message to the heart
of the battle; our young people. The poor decisions that
are made by our nation's youth will affect them for the
rest of their lives and in some cases, those decisions
will actually take their lives. Kudos to Mr. Baker for
trying to make a difference. I am convinced that he has!
For
further information, visit www.voice4victims.com
Please
pass this newsletter along to everyone in your email
address book.
If you are interested in having Mr. Hall speak at your
next club or group meeting, please email contact
information to: SHall
BadgeNotes@aol.com
052903
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