From: Jane Citizen [mailto:stopyouthcrimeindc@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, June 01, 2012 2:45 PM
To: gbonilla@hospicemanagement.com
Subject: Stop Youth Crime in DC
Geovani,
I live in the Truxton Circle area and have grown increasingly concerned by the amount of crime being committed by youths in DC and the inability of the authorities to address it. As you know, we have real issues with this around here. So I’ve drafted a letter that I’m hoping people will join me in sending to our leaders, and I’ve posted the letter on a website I’ve created just as a placeholder for the letter:
http://stopyouthcrimeindc.blogspot.com/
I know you’re very active in trying to improve the neighborhood and I’m wondering if you would share my letter below with others you know and encourage them to send the letter to our leaders, too. My hope is that hundreds or thousands of people will send it in.
Would you please let me know if you’re interested in helping? I’m not quite sure how to get the word out. To be honest, I don’t want to be the face of a movement. I just want to get an email campaign started.
Thank you,
Jane Citizen
To: vincent.gray@dc.gov, kbrown@dccouncil.us, mcheh@dccouncil.us, dcatania@dccouncil.us, pmendelson@dccouncil.us, mbrown@dccouncil.us, vorange@dccouncil.us, jgraham@dccouncil.us, jevans@dccouncil.us, mbowser@dccouncil.us, kmcduffie@dccouncil.us, twells@dccouncil.us, yalexander@dccouncil.us, mbarry@dccouncil.us, jason.spear@mail.house.gov
Subject: Stop Youth Crime in DC
I am writing to express my exasperation with 1.) the crime and violence being perpetrated by youth in the District of Columbia, 2.) the inability of the legal and justice systems in the District to act as a deterrent to this behavior and 3.) the seeming lack of interest and/or will by our elected leaders to address the issue, particularly by putting into place and enforcing laws, policies and procedures that protect law-abiding citizens rather than coddling thugs simply due to their age.
Although overall crime rates in the District may be falling, the number of harassments, robberies, break-ins and beatings being committed by youth in the District is much too high and taking place with disturbing regularity and in very public settings. To make matters worse, many of these crimes are going unreported, because it has become common knowledge — based in large part on statements made by the police when crimes are, in fact, reported — that little can be done to punish the offenders due to their age based on DC’s laws. It is clear that youths engaging in criminal behavior are fully aware that they operate with impunity, since the hands of law enforcment are tied and our elected leaders refuse to acknowledge or address — including through stiffer penalties — the serious problem in our midst.
District residents of all races, ages, classes, religions and sexual orientations as well as both genders continue to be victimized by these youths, and addressing their behavior will benefit all segments of society.
It is your duty to use your fully authority to ensure that District residents are safe from crime and violence, including that being committed by youths. Although I continue to support social programs, interventions and opportunities designed to assist at-risk youth, I strongly urge you to couple the current carrots of assistance with effective sticks of deterrence by strengthening our laws, regulations and policies to prevent youths who engage in criminal behavior from feeling little-to-no consequence of their actions.
I look forward to hearing your public statements on how you intend to put in place concrete measures that protect the law-abiding residents of the District by deterring the criminal behavior of some of our youth. Please be aware that silence and inaction from you on the issue of youth criminal behavior will be noticed and kept in mind during the next election.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Jane Citizen
123 ABC Street NW
Bates Area Civic Association 
This letter brings up some good points but I would also ask anyone who complains about this- what’s your involvement in the community? There are several organizations that work on this and these organizations are always in need of financial and people resources, despite city and other grants. One such organization is the Perry Center which is located on 1st and M street (basically right accross New York ave): http://www.perryschool.org. “It take a village” and I would encourage everyone to get involved in theirs.
@shawchica
Your comment implies that these violent youth simply need more services and support and blames victims rather than perps. Jane’s letter is pointing out that there also needs to be tougher penalties that encourage teen thugs to choose to be assisted by “a village” rather than terrorizing it. The concept of a village raising a child won’t work unless the village has some way to discipline a child, too, and the village currently doesn’t.
I think we have to have both, services available to provide alternatives for youths (other than hanging out with the wrong crowd) to be in a creative and constructive environment; Perry is such an organization. The challenge with our social welfare system is that people get it for free and have to do nothing to receive it or maintain those services. Perry is a perfect example (and I am on the Board of Director at Perry), parents receive free day and evening care, free classes, free counseling and have to give nothing back to Perry School. If people were required to give back volunteer hours as part of the benefits they receive, and we had penalties for parents who simply are not involved raising their children or disciplining their children. There should be accountability for parents. I understand the need for social programs and that they make a difference; anyone can be down on their luck and need some assistance in at some point in their lives. But imagine, if you received subsidized housing or financial assistance and were in need of a job training program, in order to receive those services you had to volunteer 5 hours a week at a non-profit or for the city government doing some work that would provide you hands on training for a future paying job. We have to get away from our social programs creating a chronic dependency for SOME that receive it.
very good points you bring up mrgeovani.
The following is the very short, half-hearted, unconvincing and exampleless response I received from Councilwoman Mary Cheh:
Thanks for you concern. I agree that we need both rehabilitative and preventative programs and effective criminal enforcement and incapacitation. I have supported many measures in both areas.
Regards