Roundtable to Explore Gangs, Cliques, and Crews in DC Next Thursday
Roundtable to Explore Gangs, Cliques, and Crews in DC Next Thursday
April 29, 2011
The Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said today that the D.C. Commission on Black Men & Boys, chaired by Isaac Fulwood, former D.C. Police Chief and well-known mentor of D.C. youth, 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 formal rival gang members, violence intervention workers, and testimony from residents. Among the invited witnesses are Darius Robinson, a business owner and former member of "Simple City Crew," who helped the Alliance of Concerned Men broker a truce between two warring factions of the crew; and Trayon White, founder of Helping Inner City Kids Succeed.
"In light of the increased number of recent shootings and stabbings involving young men, the Commission will try to help residents learn just what D.C. gangs, cliques and crews are, whether the rise of serious youth violence is related to such groupings of youth, and what can be done," said Norton. "By hearing directly from young men who know our mean streets and from the audience who attends, the Commission hopes to increase public understanding and bring gangs, cliques and crews out of the shadows."
The Congresswoman established the D.C Commission on Black Men and 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.