http://mybloc.net/blogs/view// The 1st Regional Gathering of The Youth took place in Birmingham, Alabama, July 13-15 with youth from Alabama and Mississippi. We took off in full swing with a power behind the mike/spoken words with a focus on voters registration, community violence is en-us Copyright 2009, bloc. All Rights Reserved. Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:36:00 GMT http://mybloc.net/blogposts/view/280 http://mybloc.net/blogposts/view/280 Tue, 28 Aug 2007 18:02:16 GMT Our latest case of interest is the long delayed trial of Pamela Lawton, a woman from Pittsburgh who was charged with a misdemeanor for disorderly conduct in August, 2006. Police Officer Eric Tatusko pulled over Lawton on August 26, 2006 for having an expired registration sticker. Tatusko claims that he was forced to pull his gun at some point during that period because Lawton was screaming and... Our latest case of interest is the long delayed trial of Pamela Lawton, a woman from Pittsburgh who was charged with a misdemeanor for disorderly conduct in August, 2006. Police Officer Eric Tatusko pulled over Lawton on August 26, 2006 for having an expired registration sticker. Tatusko claims that he was forced to pull his gun at some point during that period because Lawton was screaming and being “belligerent.� Lawton states that, on the contrary, she was screaming because Tatusko pulled his gun out facing the passenger side, pointing it at her daughter Joshalyn. While Lawton was charged with the misdemeanor, she filed complaints against Tatusko with the Citizen Police Review Board and the Office of Municipal Investigation (OMI). When Rustbelt Radio interviewed Joshalyn, Lawton’s daughter, and asked why she was there, she stated, “Because a police officer put a gun to my head.� A year later, Tatusko has been cleared of his charges by the OMI, based on the lack of evidence to verify Lawton’s claim. She still faces a trial, which has been postponed once again after the third established date of August 7, 2007. Her attorney, Paul Boas, deferred the trial on this occasion in order to have enough time to review the OMI report clearing Tatusko. The report was sent to Boas only shortly before Lawton’s trial, which activists have deemed suspicious. Mike Manko, the spokesman for the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office, allegedly would not comment on the timing of the report’s release. Pittsburgh was rated the nation’s most livable city this year by Places Rated Almanac. Yet, “If you’re poor, Black or Latino, this is how you’re treated,� stated Minister Jasiri X of One Hood, in the New Pittsburgh Courier online.* *Sources: • Ervin Dyer, “Woman faces trial for confrontation with police.� Dec 1, 2006. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06335/742649-53.stm • Jill King Greenwood, “Pittsburgh clears officer of intimidation charges.� Aug 1, 2007. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_520015.html • Melissa Meinzer, “Pamela Lawton trial delayed – again.� Aug 16, 2007. http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A34517 • Deborah Todd, “Stuck on stupid: Lawton charges in court year later.� Aug 16, 2007. http://newpittsburghcourieronline.com/articlelive/articles/38487/1/Stuck-on-stupid-Lawton-charges-in-court-year-later/Page1.html http://mybloc.net/blogposts/view/265 http://mybloc.net/blogposts/view/265 Mon, 20 Aug 2007 15:49:49 GMT Name: Vivien Hao Juvenile justice, gang violence, immigration rights, health care and educational opportunities, were among the topics discussed by more than 80 API youth and elders at last Saturday’s “Define� gathering in Fullerton, Orange County. The event was the sixth in a series of regional town halls hosted around the country by actor/singer/activist Harry Belafonte’s Gathering fo... Name: Vivien Hao Juvenile justice, gang violence, immigration rights, health care and educational opportunities, were among the topics discussed by more than 80 API youth and elders at last Saturday’s “Define� gathering in Fullerton, Orange County. The event was the sixth in a series of regional town halls hosted around the country by actor/singer/activist Harry Belafonte’s Gathering for Justice project. Created almost two years ago as a way of recruiting, organizing and training high school students as community activists, the project previously held youth gatherings of black youth in Alabama, poor Appalachian youth in Tennessee, Latino youth in Santa Cruz and Native American Youth on an Onondaga Nation reservation. The gathering on Saturday was specifically targeted at youth of Asian Pacific Islander descent in Southern California. “We need to be reminded that many youth in our community, especially those from Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, are overrepresented in state prisons, just as African Americans and Latinos are� said Jennifer Kuo, program officer at the Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance, one of the event’s co-sponsors. Belafonte, who gave the keynote address in Fullerton, said he was galvanized after seeing a TV report a kindergartener in Florida who had been arrested and handcuffed by three police officers for acting out in class.� I was upset by this sight, but what made me even more upset was that there was no outcry about this,� he said. The result was the six youth gatherings over the past 18 months, including more than 1,000 youth and 200 elders. A national gathering is scheduled to take place in Oakland on Nov. 17 and 18. http://mybloc.net/blogposts/view/264 http://mybloc.net/blogposts/view/264 Mon, 20 Aug 2007 15:48:53 GMT Name: Danyelle Halpern Barrios Unidos, a non-profit organization dedicated to prevention of violence amongst youth, and a partner of the Gathering, hosted a Regional Peace Summit to organize young people in Maryland, Virginia, & D.C. This event brought together 202 former, current, or potential gang members and chaperones to address youth violence within the community and link these youth... Name: Danyelle Halpern Barrios Unidos, a non-profit organization dedicated to prevention of violence amongst youth, and a partner of the Gathering, hosted a Regional Peace Summit to organize young people in Maryland, Virginia, & D.C. This event brought together 202 former, current, or potential gang members and chaperones to address youth violence within the community and link these youth with culturally appropriate gang prevention and intervention services. This event also caught the attention of many local leaders and youth from various ethnicities and geographic locations. The main objective of this three day conference was peace-building, and urging the youth within these various communities to turn to non-violent resolutions to their conflicts. Juan Pacheco, in conjunction with Barrios Unidos provided all participants with inspiration, education and entertainment by educators, community leaders, and celebrity representation from a range of cultural traditions. The idea of working together with others and sharing responsibility and accountability within the community in order to stop violence were some of the main points stressed to participants at the conference. The purpose of the Peace Summit was to promote awareness to participants, that gangs are a community problem, and should be dealt with constructively, by educating the youth on non-violent alternatives rather than gang involvement. The Peace Summit provided a variety of approaches with which the community could address the gang problem including: active involvement of the schools, police, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, public health professionals, and/or the assistance of others interested in an interactive and cooperative approach to gang violence. The Peace Summit provided individuals within the community a safe haven where they could discuss what regular issues at-risk youngsters are dealing with on an everyday basis, and possible solutions to those types of problems. The Peace Summit emphasized the fact that without community awareness and involvement, youth gangs will become more violent and increase in numbers. It is the responsibility of the community to take action and get involved in aiding those at-risk. The main goals of the September Peace Summit were to provide healing/inspirational and skills workshops, link participants to gang prevention and intervention programs within their communities, establish an environment of Peace, Love, Respect, and Personal Responsibility, and expose the youth to different inspirational speakers. Youth were encouraged to help in community efforts to end youth violence. To end, the conference participants were asked to sign a “Code of Conduct�, and participate in a closing ceremony, which would further their commit of personal responsibility in transforming their world into a more peaceful place. The efforts of Juan Pacheco and Barrios Unidos were extremely noteworthy, and the 2006 Peace Summit is deemed a huge success. Hopefully, in the future we will see results within the communities of those individuals who participated in this conference and we will continue to see community involvement and awareness when it comes to youth violence. http://mybloc.net/blogposts/view/263 http://mybloc.net/blogposts/view/263 Mon, 20 Aug 2007 15:48:52 GMT Name: Danyelle Halpern Barrios Unidos, a non-profit organization dedicated to prevention of violence amongst youth, and a partner of the Gathering, hosted a Regional Peace Summit to organize young people in Maryland, Virginia, & D.C. This event brought together 202 former, current, or potential gang members and chaperones to address youth violence within the community and link these youth... Name: Danyelle Halpern Barrios Unidos, a non-profit organization dedicated to prevention of violence amongst youth, and a partner of the Gathering, hosted a Regional Peace Summit to organize young people in Maryland, Virginia, & D.C. This event brought together 202 former, current, or potential gang members and chaperones to address youth violence within the community and link these youth with culturally appropriate gang prevention and intervention services. This event also caught the attention of many local leaders and youth from various ethnicities and geographic locations. The main objective of this three day conference was peace-building, and urging the youth within these various communities to turn to non-violent resolutions to their conflicts. Juan Pacheco, in conjunction with Barrios Unidos provided all participants with inspiration, education and entertainment by educators, community leaders, and celebrity representation from a range of cultural traditions. The idea of working together with others and sharing responsibility and accountability within the community in order to stop violence were some of the main points stressed to participants at the conference. The purpose of the Peace Summit was to promote awareness to participants, that gangs are a community problem, and should be dealt with constructively, by educating the youth on non-violent alternatives rather than gang involvement. The Peace Summit provided a variety of approaches with which the community could address the gang problem including: active involvement of the schools, police, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, public health professionals, and/or the assistance of others interested in an interactive and cooperative approach to gang violence. The Peace Summit provided individuals within the community a safe haven where they could discuss what regular issues at-risk youngsters are dealing with on an everyday basis, and possible solutions to those types of problems. The Peace Summit emphasized the fact that without community awareness and involvement, youth gangs will become more violent and increase in numbers. It is the responsibility of the community to take action and get involved in aiding those at-risk. The main goals of the September Peace Summit were to provide healing/inspirational and skills workshops, link participants to gang prevention and intervention programs within their communities, establish an environment of Peace, Love, Respect, and Personal Responsibility, and expose the youth to different inspirational speakers. Youth were encouraged to help in community efforts to end youth violence. To end, the conference participants were asked to sign a “Code of Conduct�, and participate in a closing ceremony, which would further their commit of personal responsibility in transforming their world into a more peaceful place. The efforts of Juan Pacheco and Barrios Unidos were extremely noteworthy, and the 2006 Peace Summit is deemed a huge success. Hopefully, in the future we will see results within the communities of those individuals who participated in this conference and we will continue to see community involvement and awareness when it comes to youth violence. http://mybloc.net/blogposts/view/262 http://mybloc.net/blogposts/view/262 Mon, 20 Aug 2007 15:47:44 GMT Name: Victoria W. Yee Age: 16, incoming junior at Fountain Valley High School Young Leading Women program, Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance Defining oneself is an enormous challenge. Especially for youth, our search for identity, belonging, and respect engulfs the very essence of our being. I attended the DEFINE Gathering at the California State Universi... Name: Victoria W. Yee Age: 16, incoming junior at Fountain Valley High School Young Leading Women program, Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance Defining oneself is an enormous challenge. Especially for youth, our search for identity, belonging, and respect engulfs the very essence of our being. I attended the DEFINE Gathering at the California State University, Fullerton on Saturday, July 28. Initially, I believed it be another one of those boring conferences where middle aged and elderly adults would sit in a circle, eat muffins, and fuss about how youth today are spiraling into perdition. I was told the Harry Belafonte would be there. Who was this Harry guy? Would he eat muffins and complain too? Just super duper. I am so glad I was proved wrong. When I stepped into the conference room, it seemed to exude excitement and sincerity through the mix and mingling of the friendly participants. It was impressive that so many diverse people throughout California had arrived with common goals, concerns, and interests. It wasn’t at all like my preconception— I was hooked. The facilitators and organizers were amazing with their enthusiasm and organization. Everything ran smoothly from the food to the thought provoking activities. Involvement and stimulating discussion focused on youth communities, issues, and solutions. Okay, I thought, it’s not just old men and muffins. There’s middle and high school youth sharing their Voice. We’re actually getting somewhere. And indeed, we did get somewhere. In those few hours, something positive was achieved. Not necessary a revolution, but progress of thought and action. I definitely left learning something new, with new perspectives, a deeper appreciation, and a desire for proactive action. Youth scream—not for the iPhone or Chanel handbag—but for understanding, faith, and love. But more often than not, our pleas are smothered by prejudice, the lack of educational opportunities, and our own doubt that we can make a difference. Hopefully, after attending DEFINE, youth like me will recognize that it is time to remove the shackles of social injustice and let our screams be heard; it is time for us—the youth— to find our definition. http://mybloc.net/blogposts/view/261 http://mybloc.net/blogposts/view/261 Mon, 20 Aug 2007 15:45:33 GMT Greetings and Salutations from Lillian V. Udell, intern at The Gathering for Justice, I am a sophomore at Columbia University and plan to attend law school after completing my undergraduate career. More importantly, under the watchful eyes of my parents, I have been a political activist since childhood, and plan to incorporate activism into my future aspirations as well as my daily life. The follo... Greetings and Salutations from Lillian V. Udell, intern at The Gathering for Justice, I am a sophomore at Columbia University and plan to attend law school after completing my undergraduate career. More importantly, under the watchful eyes of my parents, I have been a political activist since childhood, and plan to incorporate activism into my future aspirations as well as my daily life. The following is the what I gleaned from my current research concerning the startling injustices against youth in the criminal justice system. Look forward to my future blogs. In the town of Jena, Louisiana, where white people make up 85% of the population, six black high schoolers were charged with attempted murder in December, 2006. The confrontation started after a group of black students asked school officials if they could sit under a shade tree, which had unofficially been regarded as a “whites only� spot. A day after the students sat under the tree, three nooses were found hanging from the tree. The superintendent considered this threat a harmless prank. The three white students who did this received a three day suspension. This instigated a series of racially motivated offenses that autumn- one night, a black student was assaulted at a “whites only� party and the next day a young white man brandished a gun in front of black students at a gas station. In the first instance, the white assailant from the party was charged with simple battery, a misdemeanor, while no charges were brought against the white assailant who pulled the gun at the gas station. Instead, the black students were arrested for taking the shotgun away from the assailant. The District Attorney (DA) Reed Walters reportedly came to the school and threatened black students saying, “I can take away your lives with a stroke of my pen.� On December 4th, a group of black students attacked a white student who had allegedly been calling black students “niggers.� The student had been known to support the white students who hung the nooses from the tree. Immediately, charges of attempted murder were brought by DA Walters against six students- Carwin Jones, who was 18 years old; Bryant Purvis, Theo Shaw, and Robert Bailey, who were 17 years old; Mychal Bell, who was 16 years old; and an unidentified juvenile. Bell was found guilty by an all-white jury, and may face over 20 years in prison. His charge of attempted murder was lowered to aggravated second-degree battery assault, implying that there was the threat of a weapon. That weapon, in this case, was the tennis shoes that Bell was wearing, which the prosecutor claimed have threatening potential. Bell will be sentenced in September, while the other young men of what’s now been named the “Jena 6� will face trial in the near future. Bill Quigley, a human rights attorney, commented about the case, “Meanwhile, the ‘white tree’ outside Jena High sits quietly in the hot sun.� Sign the petition: http://www.naacp.org/get-involved/activism/petitions/jena-6/index.php Source: Democracy Now, NAACP, and Bill Quigley, Human Rights Attorney and Professor of law at Loyola University of Louisiana