Young Urban Males

Successful Strategies to Reduce Gun Violence Workshop

BOLDMINDS LLC — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 05:36:22 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(New Haven, CT – Thursday, April 4, 2013) To address strategies of gun violence prevention, an interactive workshop on the topic of Successful Strategies to Reduce Gun Violence will take place on Friday April 26, 2012 from 8:00am to 5:00pm, at the Bridgeport Police Academy, 405 Newfield Ave. Bridgeport, Connecticut. This will be an 8-hour one-day workshop for Law Enforcement Officers, Administrators, Educators and Parents. Conducted by Shafiq R.F. Abdussabur, a leading expert on gun violence prevention and community based policing. Abdussabur has been featured in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and WNPR for his innovative approach to reduce urban gun violence through preventive methods and intervention programs.

This workshop comes in the wake of passionate public discussions and debates as America has been overwhelmed over the past years by disturbing incidents of gun violence in various communities throughout the country. This workshop will address the questions that have been on the hearts and minds of the American public in the wake of tragedies such as Sandy Hook Elementary School. Abdussabur is an active law enforcement officer with over 16 years of Community Base Police training and experience. He designed this workshop to generate open discussion about gun violence and shed light on questions from the experience of being a law enforcement officer and an urban program developer who works with youth at Risk and their families. Often asked are why there is a difference between urban gun violence and suburban gun violence? Will the banning of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines reduce future incidents of mass shootings? What can law enforcement, educators and parents do to prevent gun violence? Can more gun ownership lead to safer communities?

Successful Strategies to Reduce Gun Violence has been designed as an interactive workshop to insure that Law Enforcement Officers, Administrators, Educators and Parents will walk away with in depth knowledge of the role that firearms play in the past, present and future of American society. They will have a better understanding of the most effective role they can have in creating safer communities. Most of all, participants will walk away with a dynamic systematic approach to creating and implementing gun violence preventive methods in their communities.

With limited space of only 30 participants, early registration is strongly encouraged. Individuals and organization can register for this workshop at http://Boldminds.org. Pre-registration is $125 per person. Register after April 24 or at the door is $175 per-person. Participants will receive a certificate upon completion of the workshop. A donation of 10% of all proceeds will go to the benefit the Bridgeport Explorers.

2 Teens Killed By Urban Gun Violence After President Obama’s Gun Speech?

BOLDMINDS LLC — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 06:42:30 +0000

When will more gun laws change incidents like this? Can more gun laws stop tragedies like this? Tell me your thoughts.

Two Cultures Meet To End Gun Violence

BOLDMINDS LLC — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 06:19:18 +0000

In recent years, 1 million to 2 million handguns were manufactured each year, along with 1 million to 1.5 million rifles and fewer than 1 million shotguns. Recent numbers estimate that there are well over 330 million legally owned guns in America with 15 million of them being hunters. Approximately 1-2 million handguns are legally imported into for sale to American citizens. (Congressional Research Service 11-14-2012)

On a cold winter night, advocates for gun violence prevention and reduction came together in order to form the initial stages of bond that hopes to produce an effective campaign to address the root causes of both Urban and Suburban Gun Violence in cities throughout Connecticut.

Chris Randall brilliantly captured the spirit and passion of that historic event. Click photo to see photo essay.

Post-Newtown “Town Meeting”

BOLDMINDS LLC — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 03:13:21 +0000

On the Coop High School stage, before a live-television audience, they will begin thrashing out the gun-control, school-safety and mental-health dilemmas posed by the Newtown school massacre. You can join right in—in person or online.

The event takes place Wednesday afternoon at Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School at the corner of College and Crown streets. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. Admission is free. The discussion and live WTNH telecast begin at 4 p.m. The event will be live-streamed here and at wtnh.com—along with a live-blog discussion in which viewers/readers can participate.

WTNH and the Independent have organized events like this one before. One event centered on school reform; click here and here to catch up on that one. A second event previewed a “Don’t Shoot” campaign that has since come to New Haven; click here for more on that event.

Campus Shooting at Lone Star College in north Houston

BOLDMINDS LLC — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 19:54:12 +0000

Reported from HOUSTON (KTRK) — A campus spokesperson has confirmed shots have been fired on the campus of Lone Star College in north Houston. Two victims have suffered gunshot wounds, according to the Harris County Emergency Corp.

There are varied reports to injuries of students, faculty and or staff. Students report hearing gun shots from the library area. Other reports have indicated that five gun shots were heard on the North Harris campus (one of six campus). Officials are not sure on the number of shooters.

Police, and SWAT team units are on scene. The area to the college is a highly densely suburban community.

The Lone Star College System has an enrollment of 90,000 students and six college campuses, according to its website. Its North Harris campus is about 20 miles north of downtown Houston.

2:40 pm Reports from college spokesperson Jed Young: There was a shooting between two students of which one was shot (and is in custody). There were two students who were shot in cross fire. One of the shooter is said to have fled the campus.

Read the complete story and video http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8963781

GUN VIOLENCE AND GUN CONTROL

BOLDMINDS LLC — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 04:39:53 +0000

Shafiq will be a guest on National Public Radio

Tomorrow Tuesday January 15, 2013 at 9am

The topic is “Gun violence and Gun control”

WNPR’s daily call-in news program,

NPR Where We Live hosted by John Dankosky.

The broadcast is live at 9AM and re-aired at 7PM.

Follow the discussion on twitter:

@wherewelive

For more information on how to tune in:

http://www.cpbn.org/program/where-we-live

URBAN GUIDE FOR IVY LEAGUE STUDENTS

BOLDMINDS LLC — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 08:13:48 +0000

YOUNG URBAN MALES AT BREAKING POINT

BOLDMINDS LLC — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 11:31:08 +0000

Early this summer, I was out in the community. I came across a young Black male. He was about 19 years old and lived in one of the more challenging areas of the city. Our paths crossed at a time when he was being presented with a personal crisis at hand. As I spoke with him over a period of about 45 minutes, I could sense that he was very angry at everyone about everything and throughout 99% of our conversation he would not make eye contact.

So, I asked him who do you live with? “My grandmother”, he said.

He went on to say that he did not know his father and his mother had a drug problem when he was born and he was raised by the “State Social Services” via foster homes and now with his grandmother. I could hear the anger in his voice as he told me his brief story. He was frustrated with the situation his parents had created for him. A bleak destiny without his approval or impute.

What is your status with school or a job? “I did not finish school and I don’t have a job,” he said.

So, I asked him the big question. Now you’re 19 years old, what do you want to be when you grow up?

He looked into my eyes and said, “Alive!”

This is an account of a true event.

What Bridgeport Should Know About Curfews

BOLDMINDS LLC — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 13:41:26 +0000

In the fall of 2006, people in the City of New Haven began to discuss the implementation of a youth curfew as a solution to reduce youth crime. The debate was carried into the early part of 2007 and youth groups, community leaders, and other city officials decided to spend more energy on an effective means for controlling youth crime – prevention. One of the best ways to prevent youth crime is through preventive programing and effective community policing through partnerships.

Like Bridgeport, New Haven began to toy with the idea after the homicides of 13 year-old African-American female J. Cole and 13 year-old African-American male J. Suggs were slain during the summer months of 2006. Yes, the African-American community was outraged and hurt. However, they pulled together and came up with tangible solutions to addressing the issues that contribute to urban gun violence. Some of those effective programs and ideas were spearheaded by New Haven police officers on and off duty.

As an advocate for community policing, one of the best way to reduce urban gun violence is through effective partnerships between the community and its police department. It may sound “corny” but it is about police officers regularly walking the beat in the same neighborhood and personally interacting with the community on a day-to-day basis. The officers do not have to be of any particular ethnic background. However, they must be trained on “how to properly interact with people of color.” They also need to care and be accessible to the community via phone and email. In 2012, every urban police department must have “community point people.” These are officers who because of their ethnic, or religious, background they can go into specific areas and speak the language of the people. They can motivate grass-roots leaders. These are your officers who “get it done behind the scenes.” I know from my experiences of dealing with urban gun violence the affected community tends to close the ranks based on their ethnicity as the violence escalates.

Some issues that will likely hamper the Bridgeport Curfew is that unless there is specific data to indicate youth crimes occurred mainly before 11pm, the crimes will likely continue except before 11pm. In addition, I have studied youth crime patterns that have changed when school is in session and youth tend get involved in crimes mostly during the day. In addition, tremendous amounts of police resources are needed to enforce any type of curfew. Youth curfew enforcement could severely drive the crime reduction price tag. The potential total cost to implement the curfew may prove more costly in both tax dollars and hope.

Phase in planned for Bridgeport youth curfew

http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Phase-in-planned-for-Bridgeport-youth-curfew-3747813.php

Teens’ Curfew Message: Spend Time With Us, Instead

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2006/11/curfew_people_s.php

Youth Curfew Proves Not So Simple

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2006/11/youth_curfew_me.php

Making Youth A Priority

BOLDMINDS LLC — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 11:31:54 +0000

What happened at “The Night Belongs Us?”

(New Haven, CT – Wednesday, July 25, 2012) During the hot summer months, many urban youths are often faced with the dilemma of being in the right place at the right time; in other words to behave and stay out of trouble. The Courtland S. Wilson Branch Library of New Haven and Boldminds LLC joined forces this past Tuesday to host a dynamic night of education, art, literature and food, which is themed “The Night Belongs to Us.”

“The Night Belongs Us” is the 2012 Connecticut summer reading theme for teenagers. Courtland S. Wilson Branch Library Manager Melissa Canham-Clyne, MLS felt that an interactive workshop that would address the various aspect of safety that urban youth are most likely to encounter will be the best way to reach urban youth in the New Haven urban area.

This straight talk workshop entitled “Youth Safety with Cops, Gangs and Guns” will be examined the interactions between the police and predominately Hispanic, Latino, and Black youth. The interactive workshop also examined how urban youth represent themselves and how they are perceived by others in America.

See various News Stories:

Fox 61 News – New Haven Workshop To Talk To Kids About Crime

Winstanley Enterprises, LLC. Contributing Partners also included Wilson Branch New Haven Public Library, Boldminds LLC, National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers Inc., New Haven Guardians Inc., New Haven County Silver Shields, Hill Youth Action Team.

Several officials and community leaders were on hand to include: Connecticut State Representative Gary Holder-Winfield,New Haven Police Chief Dean Esserman, Winstanley Enterprises LLC Carter Winstanley, Mubarakah Ibrahim Alderman Frank Douglas, District Manager Lieutenant Holly Wasilewski, Barbara Fair, New Haven Street Outreach Workers NHFA

Each teen that attended received a complimentary copy of the book (60 books), button and tees shirt.

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