Seattle City Councilmember Bruce Harrell

On July 7, I attended the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Summit at the Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club/Rainier Valley Teen Center. Marian Wright Edelman, president and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund and a nationally recognized advocate for disadvantaged Americans, delivered the keynote address. Edelman’s address helped kick off a day of group discussions and speeches. Edelman stated that, “We’ve got to break up this cradle-to-prison pipeline.” She went on to say mental-health treatment cannot be overlooked and that dealing with health issues at a young age is more cost-effective in the long run, saving society future financial burdens. “We can’t afford not to do it,” she said.

I had the pleasure of speaking before the well attended Summit, along with other speakers including Mayor Greg Nickels and Mariko Lockhart, director of the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative. The Summit included young people who sang and read poetry. One of Seattle’s bright lights was 16-year old poetess Weenta Benyam-Stephanos. Numerous community groups staffed the resource fair to sign up volunteers and provide help for families in need.

Last fall, Mayor Nickels proposed and the City Council approved the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative with the goal of reducing incidents of youth violence by 50 percent. The City Council approved the $8 million budget for the effort. The Initiative focuses on nearly 800 youth who are at highest risk of perpetuating violence or becoming victims. It is the goal of the Initiative to reduce youth violence in half during the first year of operation.

Photo credit: http://www.childrensdefense.org/assets/images/photos/staff/marian-wright-edelman-bw-high-res-1.jpg

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