An unlikely group of people met in Chicago’s Garfield Park in August. Members from both the state and federal attorney‘s offices, community agencies, concerned citizens, and representatives from the mayor’s office, as well as probation and parole officers, sat down with parolees for a unique session aimed at reducing violence in Cook County.
Despite initial misgivings, the Project Safe Neighborhoods meetings have been successful. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald initiated these types of meetings in Chicago years ago. Boston, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Nashville, and Seattle join 40 other cities in America with similar programs, and several more cities are creating their own. New York, North Carolina and California are using the PSN program statewide. Support for Project Safe Neighborhood-type programs crosses party lines. The Department of Justice under former president George Bush, and Attorney General Eric Holder applaud the initiative as an important tool to prevent gang violence.
The facts that gangs are responsible for most of the murders in many cities, and that many gang members are on probation and parole generated the idea that these gang members could be mandated to attend PSN meetings as a requirement of their parole or probation. The parolees are assured that the meetings are not a “set-up” to charge them with more crimes. Instead, they are made aware that members of their own communities, not just the police, want violence to stop. They are plugged into several social service agencies that will provide them with help when they call a main number. They are also informed that if a member of their gang kills someone, the gang will pay the consequences because law enforcement will target members and make numerous arrests for whatever law was broken, and then add conspiracy and tax evasion charges. The attendees take back to their gang that each member will be held accountable for the actions of others.
The results of these meetings have surprised many. The program works. Violence in Chicago has been reduced dramatically. In Boston, which has had a PSN program in place for 15 years, murders were reduced by fifty percent and killings by and of youths dropped by two-thirds.
Source: Chicago Tribune
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