Commission on Black Men & Boys Roundtable on Gangs, Cliques, and Crew, Tomorrow

Commission on Black Men & Boys Roundtable on Gangs, Cliques, and Crew, Tomorrow

May 4, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC -- The D.C. Commission on Black Men & Boys, in conjunction with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), will hold a Roundtable hearing entitled Crews, Cliques, & Gangs: Are they on the Rise? on Thursday, May 5, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at One Judiciary Square, 441 4th Street NW. The Roundtable will feature former rival gang members and violence intervention workers, and will accept testimony from residents. Former D.C. Police Chief Isaac Fulwood is chair of the Commission.

Among the invited witnesses are Donald Jackson, a former member of the "Simple City Crew," who was arrested twice as a youth and once as an adult, but with the help of the Alliance of Concerned Men, has since turned his life around to be an example to kids; Darius Robinson, a business owner and former member of the "Simple City Crew" who helped the Alliance of Concerned Men broker a truce between two warring factions of the crew; Del McFadden, who worked has with at-risk youth involved in gang/crew violence, first as a youth outreach worker and later as a coordinator in the U.S. Department of Justice "Weed and Seed" strategy program; and Trayon White, founder of Helping Inner City Kids Succeed.

"Spurred by last month's shootings and stabbings involving young men and a rise in youth violence, the Commission will shed light on what D.C. gangs, cliques and crews are, whether the increase in youth violence is related to such organizations, and what can be done to weed out these groupings from our community," said Norton. "The Commission's roundtables are unique in relying not only on the usual experts, but on the personal stories and first-hand experience of men who have been involved in the issues. The commissioners themselves bring experiences to the roundtables, which gives their work credibility with the men and boys in our city."

The Congresswoman established the D.C Commission on Black Men & Boys in 2001. Since its formation, the Commission has worked to reveal and help resolve the pressing issues that Black men and boys face, such as high school dropout rates, criminal justice issues, HIV/AIDS, marriage and family issues, and discrimination.