DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson in collaboration with 100 Black Men of DeKalb will hold a Youth Voicez: Violence Prevention Summit on June 12 at 4 p.m. at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts & Community Center.
Commissioner Johnson’s “Enough is Enough” campaign aims for a complete approach to violence and crime prevention, emphasizing working with and involving the youth.
The summit intends to unite the community, parents, school system staff, law enforcement, the faith-based community, and community-based organizations. The event aims to educate the youth, their parents, and the community about conflict resolution techniques and laws impacting violence.
Speakers for the summit include DeKalb Police Mirtha Ramos, Attorney Mawuli Davis of Davis Bozeman Johnson Law firm, Antoinette Tuff of Kids on the Move for Success Inc., Orrin “Checkmate” Hudson, Chris 180 (focusing on Adverse Child Experiences), representatives from Juvenile Court, Rev. Dr. Steven N. Dial, Senior Pastor of Rainbow Park Baptist Church, and representatives from 100 Black Men of DeKalb, The Swem School, the DeKalb Community Service Board, and DeKalb County Youth Commission will also participate as resources.
“Our children have been exposed to and experienced some of the most traumatic events,” said Commissioner Johnson. “We have to show them that violence is not the answer. We must be leaders in using conflict resolution to solve our issues. We love you! We will not give up on you!”
Youth Violence in DeKalb County: According to the Georgia Department of Public Health Violence and Injury Prevention Section, in 2018, there were 125 emergency department visits and 8 hospitalizations in DeKalb County for assault injuries among youth aged 10 to 19 years. In the same year, there were 18 homicides among youth aged 10 to 24 years in DeKalb County, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Reporting Program. These statistics were reported by Voices for Georgia’s Children, a nonprofit child policy and advocacy organization.
For more details, please reach out to Commissioner Larry Johnson’s office at 404-371-2425 or visit www.commissionerlarryjohnson.com.
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