Committee Hearing, October 24, 2006

COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE ON FINANCE - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Tuesday, October 24, 2006, 10:00 a.m. - - - RESOLUTION 060708 - Calling on Council Committee on Finance to hold hearings for a call to action to stop the violence by providing additional funding for job training programs, extended hours of operation for school and recreation facilities extended, TANF benefits for those working in schools and neighborhoods, and tax credits and other initiatives for reintegrating ex-offenders. COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT: JANNIE BLACKWELL, CHAIR BLONDELL REYNOLDS-BROWN, CO-CHAIR FRANK DiCICCO W. WILSON GOODE, JR. JUAN RAMOS V A R A L L O Incorporated Litigation Support Specialists 1835 Market Street, Suite 600 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103 215.561.2220 215.567.2670 I N D E X WITNESS Clip from Sharon Baptist Church play.... Pastor Samuel D. Peterson............... 15 Assistant Pastor, Sharon Baptist Church Kasmir Goings, Writer of Play........... 17 7 The Honorable Mayor John Street......... 21 Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson... 80 Lt. Danbeck, SITE Unit, Police Department 89 Lt. Healey, Police Commissioner's Office 99 William Stamps, Fleetway Leasing........ 107 Melvin Hall, ex-offender................ 114 Fleetway Leasing Employee Bilal Qayyum............................ 119 Men United for a Better Philadelphia Dorothy Speight, Mothers In Charge...... 131 Julia Danzy, Director, Social Services 146 Denise Clayton, Coordinator, YVRP....... 174 Vic Richards, Recreation Commissioner... 184 Leon King, Commissioner of Prisons...... 189 Carmen Paris, Commissioner of Health.... 218 Glenn Bryant, AVP, Univ. of PA.......... 226 Cory Bowman, Univ. of PA................ 235 Center for Community Partnerships Roosevelt Hairston, CHOP................ 260 Government and Community Affairs 3 (INDEX, cont'd.) WITNESS Dr. Joel Fine, CHOP..................... 265 Sutan Achmed, father of murdered son.... 276 Eugene Bivins, NAACP.................... 291 Dr. Karen Bivins, NAACP................. 295 Evangelist Mary Lou Odom-Jenkins........ 300 a/k/a "Mother of Mantua" Anthony Murphy, Executive Director...... 306 Town Watch Marcy Green, Private Citizen............ 314 Neurofeedback Advocate Gary Ames, Neurofeedback Professional... 318 Maleek Allah, ex-offender............... 323 Patricia Baltimore, Private Citizen..... 328 *Kenneth Ferrelli, Buffalo Soldiers..... 329 Toby Rich............................... 360 a/k/a "The Mayor of Girard Avenue" *Mr. Ferrelli's testimony was not provided to stenographer for attachment hereto; please contact the office of Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell for same. 4 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708

Good morning. We thank you all for being here today. This is the City Council finance hearing on a call to action to reduce violence. Let me thank you all for being here. And, certainly, I always thank God for the privilege of another day. It is a blessing to be here and to certainly present what we call the next step in this call to action to reduce violence. Certainly, I'd like to give my staff member -- this was Jeff Felder's idea. We talked about it all summer and about what we should do to go to the next level, and we thank him for his motivation. To my left is Councilman W. Wilson Goode, Jr., and at some point during these hearings, we're asking him to speak because he has a great idea for business and about what we can do locally to support them to deal with the 5 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 people in trouble. And certainly to my right is Councilman Frank DiCicco, who is also here. The clerk is available to read the title of this legislation.

Resolution No. 9 060708, a resolution calling on the Council Committee on Finance to hold hearings for a call to action to stop the violence by providing additional funding for job training programs, extended hours of operation for school and recreation facilities extended, TANF benefits for those working in schools and neighborhoods, and tax credits and other initiatives for reintegrating ex-offenders.

Thank you very much. Before we make further comments, we would like to take five minutes of your time to show you a clip. (Technician starts clip.) 6 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708

We're having some technical trouble with the clip and so we're asking to bring the technicians back, and we will wait. For those who are in their offices listening, we're trying to play a clip, but we're having a problem with the sound, so our hearing has begun, and we're hoping you will stand by. (Clip begins.) * * *

"Hello, Councilwoman Blackwell and distinguished constituents (inaudible) to talk about this whole issue of violence in our city, particularly among our young African-American young men from the ages of 18 to 25. (Inaudible.)

We're going to try it one more time. Thank you for your patience. And thank you, Commissioner Johnson, for your patience. And 7 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 Commissioner king, thank you. I thought we were straight, you know. (Clip begins.) * * *

"Hello, Councilwoman Blackwell and distinguished constituents, pertaining to this issue about violence in our City of Philadelphia. I am Pastor Samuel D. Peterson, the senior pastor of the Sharon Baptist Church. "We are consulting with you and coming to you to talk about this whole issue of violence in our city, particularly among our young, our African-American young men from the ages of 18 to 25. The number of killings are just off the scale, it's off the record, and we are concerned about it as a church, and the church has not said anything publicly. "I'm making this appeal to you -- and I do say "an appeal," because it is such a great burden on our hearts 8 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 about our city and what's happening to it (indiscernible) here in Philadelphia. "We as the Sharon Baptist Church are offering a possible solution to the problem. We've experienced some success with it, and this is a drama presentation of the drama and the violence that's going on in our city. And I think this play will be a good piece of demonstrating and sharing with other human beings about human life. "And I know that there's separation between church and state, but you have to let the church do what the church does. And we are concerned about human beings, but we also realize as a church that without God in our lives, we really don't stand a chance to do anything successfully. "So if you would just give us a listening ear by seeing clips from this play, what we performed or allowed to be here at our church, and that night afterwards, we had about 20 young people 9 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 come down the aisle in prayer, as well as giving their relationship together with God. "And we'll tweak it if we have to, but we can't X out that because that's who we are and that's what we represent. "So, please, I ask you, I appeal to you, will you please just hear what could be a solution to the problem that we're having in our city. I pray that you enjoy the clip that we want to share with you about the play. "Bless you and thank you for giving us the opportunity to share with you. "The (indiscernible) is a play that specifically addresses the epidemic of violence that's currently existing primarily in Philadelphia because that's where we're closest to and that's where we are, but I think it's actually a problem that's throughout the inner-city areas in the United States. 10 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 "Personally, my personal motivation has come from two incidents. I had one younger cousin, actually in Baltimore, get gun gunned down on his way home from work, which was -- he was an outstanding individual, wasn't involved in any problems, and that was a retaliatory strike against his brother. "But then most recently this summer, April 30th, my nephew, years 12 old, by the name of Anthony William, was 13 shot and killed on his front step. And 14 from what I understand, the only 15 motivation for that was that he chose to hang out with some guys a few blocks away, and the guys closest to where he lived didn't appreciate it. And then he got gunned down -- the sister right in the doorway, grandmother right next door, father upstairs. "So I just felt in my heart and in my spirit that I had an opportunity and an obligation to do something that kind of showed the other 11 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 side of what happens in the midst of one of these tragedies. "I believe that if people are more educated about the kind of pain that they inflict on that victim's families and the people who love them and the disruption of life that occurs just because of some senseless argument over a few dollars or over some disrespect, or whatever the case is, that maybe it will just teach some of these younger people to be more sensitive and more rational in their thinking and not be so quick to jump to violence as a means to settle whatever score there is.

"And also, I would like to represent a call of action to the parents. The parents have been to be a lot more responsible as to what their children's activities are, as to what's coming in and out of their houses. "And, I mean, there's not one simple solution to this problem, but 12 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 there's a multitude of solutions. And this play, what we hope to do is ruffle some feathers and kind of get some people who may not thinking about solutions and that mindset where they are. "So we're open to seeing how much impact this is going to have and how much work we can do with this. And hopefully it will play a part in making a change. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: "My name is (indiscernible). My involvement with the play, I'm doing a concert at the beginning of the play just to, I guess, you know, be the entertainment, the musical entertainment for the play. "The importance in the play, even in my life, is -- has a lot to do with, you know, the violence that's going on, these homes with fathers not being present. "It tugs at my heart a lot 'cause my ministry is geared towards 13 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 that family -- seeing that family knit come back together. And the play hits home with it. "It's exactly what, I guess, if I was a writer of a play what I would write just to touch base with this community becoming a community again, the church becoming the pinnacle in the community again. And I think the play shows every aspect of that. "And, you know, I just know it's going to do great things and I'm just happy to be a part of it. You know, I see it going outside of Philly and going to other communities so that this message can get out there 'cause it's a very important message. You know, not just in Philly are fathers not home, not just in Philly are they shooting. "But one thing I do know about Philadelphia is-and I say this jokingly, but it's serious: We can't, you know, win a Sixers championship, we can't win 14 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. ) * * *

Thank you very much. That will give you just a taste of what is to come. Let me say that we will be showing this play in its entirety this afternoon at the conclusion of our hearings. We invite Pastor Peterson who is a minister of Sharon Baptist Church, the writer whom you just saw, to come forward, and we wanted to introduce you to some members who will be in the play. And certainly we invite you to stay both today and tomorrow when we will show you clips from this play in its entirety, and we are sure you will be as inspired and as motivated as we were. Pastor Peterson. (Witness comes forward.) 15 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708

Good morning. Please identify yourself for our record. Thank you.

Good morning. I'm Pastor Samuel D. Peterson, and I'm the assistant pastor of Sharon Baptist Church. To Councilman Blackwell and to Mayor Street and the rest of the Councilmembers, we thank you for this opportunity just to present to you this play that we believe that will help impact and inform our young people of just how murder and homicide impacts our city. Not just impacting our city, but also impacts the home. For each murder victim, it impacts at least 20 families on the victim, but it also impacts at least 20 families on the one that committed the murder. And we just believe that if we could share this information to those young people between the ages of 15 and 16 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 25, that just for them to see how impactful it can be to our families and just to our communities. And I want to just this morning just introduce to you the writer of this play. He's a brother from our church, and his name is Kasmir Goings (ph.), and he's been inspired to write this play, and also some of the cast members that are behind me: Sister Charlene Miller, Brother Anthony Harris, and Michael Jenkins. And we just would ask that you would just give us this opportunity just for you to share and be able to see how much of a great impact this play can have on those young people in our city. I think sometimes when you have a occular demonstration of what is going on and what the impact is, I think that those young people will be able to see and get a better understanding of just how murder and homicide has impacted our families and our city. 17 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 And I'm going to ask at this time that the writer, the one that's been inspired to write this play have a few remarks.

Good morning.

Good morning. Please identify yourself for the record. and also let me ask the other stars in the play, if you would please stand so that we may formally welcome you and thank you all for being here. (Applause.)

And, again, we will show it in its entirety at the end of our hearings. Mr. Goings.

Yes. My name is Kasmir Goings, writer and director of the (indiscernible). Briefly, where the play has come from, as I alluded to briefly in the video, I grew up, born and raised South Philadelphia in a neighborhood 18 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 where my father ran the civic association, ran the basketball leagues. I was sheltered from a lot of the different things that happened within that neighborhood due to my association with the different initiatives that my father brought forth. So I've always had a sense of community and providing positive outlets and opportunities to exercise the minds of our youth. And recently, in this spring, my nephew, years old, was shot and 15 killed right on his front steps. It was broad daylight; it was probably about 2:30 in the afternoon. And from what I understand, he hung out with some boys on 16th Street -- he was from 19th Street -- and some boys from 20th Street didn't care for it. And I think what I got taken aback by the most was the fact that there was definitely heavy police 19 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 presence, detectives, everybody right on the scene, and with all of the witnesses that I know were all out, because it was a warm day in South Philadelphia, not one person took the time to step forward and positively I.D. who committed the murder. I mean, there was plenty of whispering amongst each other of who did this and who did that, but to the detective on the corner trying to accumulate information, no one was very straight up about what had transpired. And so out of that pain and out of my creativity, I created a story that addressed: One, the senseless nature of this type of violence; and, two, to try to convince and motivate those who do know what's happening to channel that information to the correct authorities so that we can try to get some of this violence settled and convicted.

Well, 20 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 we thank you all very much and we thank you all for taking this time. We again invite everyone who's here to wait. We will be showing the clips we have in their entirety at the end of our hearings. And God bless you. And we're very, very inspired, and we thank you for being here.

Thank you, Councilwoman.

Thank you.

The Council will now call the Mayor of the City of Philadelphia, the Honorable John Street, who has agreed to come. We thank him for taking time from his schedule to give this testimony. And, you know, we know that there's never enough money, and we know that everything costs money, as the Mayor and I were talking about yesterday, and we are in front of the Finance Committee, but we thank him for 21 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 the commitment that the City has already made, and we certainly welcome his testimony. (Witness comes forward.)

Good morning, Mayor, and thank you for being here.

Thank you very much. And good morning Council, Councilwoman Blackwell, and members of the Finance Committee.

Thank you.

You all have come along way. Where did you get this really, really fancy little thing here for witnesses to speak on? When I was up here, it was just a little table, and we didn't even have skirts around it, and women who testified were very unhappy about that. We have really -- this is really nice. But thank you very much for having me. 22 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708

Thank you.

It is my understanding that most of the significant members of this administration, including the Police Commissioner and others, will be testifying as to the details of the activities of this administration in dealing with the problems of crime, violence, homicide, and virtually anything else that affects the quality of life of people in our city. And so my remarks will be limited, and they won't include a lot of detail of the kind of activities that are taking place. They can certainly lay all of that out. But I will tell you that this is an administration that is enormously concerned about the problems of violence and homicide and particularly as they relate to their quality of life and the opportunities, or lack thereof, for 23 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 people in our city. I was especially impressed by the testimony of the witnesses that preceded me, who talked in some length about the impact that a homicide has on families. A homicide isn't just -- there's not just a victim: It's a family, it's two families; and in many cases, it's the entire neighborhoods that are affected by the loss of life; and in many cases, it's two neighborhoods. And so it is -- it's, without a doubt, the most tragic thing that can happen in the life of a family and a community. We take our responsibility to do everything that we can to intervene to prevent homicides and to prevent this kind of violence as our most serious responsibility. You should know that every Wednesday that comes, there is a meeting in the Mayor's Office. That meeting 24 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 starts at 7:30 in the morning. It is attended by the Mayor; the managing director; the Police Commissioner; at least one, maybe two deputy police commissioners; Deputy Fox and others come. The Director of Social Services comes, the DHS Commissioner, the Health Commissioner, representatives of the Managing Director's Office, and just a whole variety of people that have responsibilities in the government, because we believe that problems of crime and violence is not just a policing matter. Those people who believe that we can either arrest our way out of the problems of crime and violence or somehow conquer this problem without really employing a wide variety of means and ways of both solving people's problems and creating a constructive environment for people are really very, very mistaken. We have concluded in this 25 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 administration that a four-pronged approach to dealing with the problems of crime and violence is appropriate. And you've heard us say this before: We have actually -- we characterize these as to be a part of our Safer Streets Program. And I will go over them just briefly because they include focus policing; and that is deploying our police forces in a way that it's most likely to deter crime, engaging in serious crime prevention. Improving and expanding services that are available to reduce violence in neighborhoods, including city services and social services. And prong number four is really important to us, and most people in this council have been very supportive and are huge partners in all of it, and that is reducing the availability of guns. We find it very difficult to 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 imagine why in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania we have some of the most lax gun laws and we can't seem to get the Pennsylvania General Assembly to do something about it. Recently, there was another tragic incident where a life was lost of a young child, two, three years old, because a gun was -- a Glock, at that -- was available without a gun lock, wasn't in any way secured, and this child lost his life. And so we -- we just believe that we have to be very aggressive in our community organizational activity.

We have to be very aggressive in doing social services that are likely to alleviate some of the underlying causes of the things that actually get people engaged in this antisocial behavior, and we're going to have to continue to fight for tougher gun laws. Recently in South Philadelphia -- I guess it was probably 27 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 in September -- we had a job fair, and we hear people talk about the need for jobs, but there are still some skeptics out there who want to say that, well, people don't really -- not everybody wants a job, and they don't really -- I think they underestimate the impact that a good job can have in the life of a family and a person. It was on a Thursday afternoon; and that Thursday, it rained from the beginning until the end of the day. And I went and I attended the fair about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and when I got there, over 800 young people had come to that job fair, had signed up, and were trying to get jobs. And we are committed to doing additional job fairs all over the city. We also, as a pilot program, implemented a Curfew Center in South Philadelphia. As a result of our review of the crime statistics, the shootings -- the shootings particularly 28 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 that were relative to young people, we decided that this was a neighborhood that we wanted to go in and get a little bit more active in. m. on a Saturday morning. It was interesting. We had a meeting on a Tuesday evening at about 6:00 or 6:30, and it was well attended. And I asked the people, were they really interested in this? did they want to continue a process? And they said they did. " and every hand in the room went up. And I was a little bit surprised. But I was even more surprised and pleased that when I got there about 5 of 7:00, the place was packed with people. m. meeting on a Saturday morning on a 29 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 holiday weekend. And it really said something to us: It said people are very, very concerned about their neighborhoods, and they are willing to work with us and become partners with us. We have not made any formal announcement, but we will at the appropriate time, but we intend to open up an additional four or five curfew centers throughout the City of Philadelphia. These centers work. We believe that we have some empirical evidence that the amount of violence against -- particularly against children is reduced when we get children off the street between the hours of 8 o'clock at night and midnight. This -- for us, this complements our commitment to after-school programs, our commitment to the Beacon School Program, because if you can provide a quality opportunity 30 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 for a person between o'clock or a student between 8:30 in the morning when he goes to school and 3 o'clock in the afternoon, these young people can have something constructive to do between 3 o'clock and 7, 8, 9 o'clock at night, depending on their family schedules. And then during the curfew hours, if we can have them off the street and have them in their homes or under the supervision of adults, then you go a long way toward reducing the amount of violence and anti-social behavior to which these children are sometimes subjected. And if you look at the violence and if you look at the number of children that are being victims of violence, then you understand that this is a huge challenge for us. I like to refer people to the annual children's report cards we do, because if you look in those report cards, you get a comprehensive view of 31 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 the way children are doing. And I will say this parenthetically: I am very concerned about -- well, let me just say this one other thing before I get there.

, and I sat in a room, and there were police chiefs from all over the country because, as most people know, this is a problem that is not -- it's not a Philadelphia problem, it isn't a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania problem; it is more a national than it is a local or regional problem because people are having these problems all over the country. And the police chief from Trenton or from one of the New Jersey cities got the microphone and said, We started enforcing truancy laws and curfew laws, and violence went down, robberies went down. It had a huge and important impact on public safety. 32 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 And so it is our goal to open up a whole series of curfew centers and really get very aggressive in keeping young people off the street during the hours when they are prohibited from being out there. It is also my expectation that there may even be a change or two in the curfew laws, because there are some people who believe that young people -- 7, 8, 9, 10 years old, 11, 12 years old -- shouldn't be on the street, shouldn't be allowed to be on the street unsupervised until 10 o'clock at night. The Curfew Center has been a huge success for the city, and I encourage as many people as possible to talk to the Police Commissioner, talk to the folks in the Managing Director's Office to see exactly how it works. And we are going to be in other neighborhoods, making sure that we implement that kind of program. One other thing. I am -- the 33 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 recent revelation of the School District's funding problem is very concerning to me -- and should be to you -- in part, because many of the programs that are designed to keep children engaged, to keep them off the street, the after-school programs, the summer school programs, the Beacon School Programs, the programs for tutoring and mentoring, the programs for children that have, you know, some issues -- some of them are disabilities, some of them are children that have some disciplinary problems, many of those programs are at risk of being cut. And I think to cut those programs now would be counterproductive. It's not only the -- we would not only be rolling back the reforms that we have all been talking about making, but I think it would set us back in a way that we would probably be worse off than we were even before. It is very difficult for me to 34 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 imagine getting our arms around the problems of crime and violence and shootings and homicides and not have a school district -- a school system that is operating and is doing the kind of things that we know are especially important to young people. Young people need after-school programs, they need art, they need music; they need all of these things as a part of their experience. Because if they don't have them, many children -- the only reason why they go to school for at least a period of time is because they get engaged in these extracurricular activities. You know, in order to be a part of the, you know, the sports activities, the music and the other enrichment programs, they go to school. And then one day, they recognize that maybe they really do have to pay more attention to some of the other stuff. But to take away music and 35 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 to take away art, to take away after-school program, to take away the enrichment for some people would be taking away all of the reasons why they go under circumstances that, if they didn't exist, maybe they wouldn't have an incentive to go to school. And so we believe that we are implementing the best practices around the country. I can tell that you I chair a United States Conference of Mayors Task Force on Reentry, and a lot of things that are being done in this area around the country are also being done in our city. This city has received huge accolades from around the country for our aggressive after-school programming, including the Beacons Schools.

We have had literally hundreds of meetings out in the community. There is someone who will sit at this witness table and tell you the number of Town Watch members. The last 36 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 time I saw numbers, we had started over 35 new Town Watch organizations. We had recruited very 800 new members to Town Watch organizations. Some people, when they think about crime and violence and homicide. They really are looking around for the silver bullet; there is no silver bullet, there's no silver bullet, you know. And in many respects, it is organized communities working with the Police Department, working with our social service agencies that can make a difference in these neighborhoods. And I think that if we can all work together and be committed to a comprehensive approach to these problems, then we can make a huge difference for people. With those brief remarks, I'm available for any questions and am delighted to be here.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. 37 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 The Chair notes that Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds-Brown is here, our vice chair, and I see her light is on. And Councilman Juan Ramos is also here, a member of our committee. And we thank you both for being here.

Did I ever tell that you Councilman Ramos and I have played dominos together. You may -- I don't think I'll put that in this record, really, but we had an interesting experience.

Councilman DiCicco has a question.

Who won?

Oh, I did.

Councilwoman Reynolds-Brown?

Thank you, Madam Chair. Good morning, Mr. Mayor.

Good morning, Councilwoman.

I 38 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 join the many who are excited about these potential new curfew centers, and I am amongst the many who felt also that we needed to do something different for children years and under. 7 Not knowing of the plan you 8 had for the summer, we introduced a bill 9 to lower the curfew age to 13 as -- in 10 direct response to the 13-year-old who 11 had been sexually molested there, at 12 Broad and Market. 13 And what --

Has that bill 15 been passed? I'm sorry.

No, it has not. The hearings are, in fact, scheduled; they just haven't -- we just haven't had them yet. But one of the hurdles we've run into and questions posed to us that we have not been able to solve, even in discussions with the School District, is: How do police officers know that a 13-year-old is a 13-year-old? This 39 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 question of I.D. has come before us, which could be a hurdle in police officers picking up young people and taking them to the respective --

How do they know that an 18-year-old is an 18-year-old?

Same question. And --

Ask them.

W hat did you say, ask them?

Ask them, How old are you? Show me some identification.

Therein lies the challenge because 13-year-old's, as a rule, don't have an I.D., so we're still struggling with that.

But my 13-year-old had an I.D., 'cause my 13-year-old went to a school where he got an I.D., and he actually had an I.D. 40 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 card. And if they're public school students and if they're beyond the 6th grade or 7th grade or 8th grade, you can give them IDs. It's not a problem.

Mm-hmm.

They all should be going to school, they can get an I.D. card, and they can give their name and their date of birth. And if they're going to be out after a certain hour, then they should be with their parents, or they should have that identification. I don't know that that's all that intrusive.

Okay. With the curfew centers, can you give any discussion or insight into the costs associated with the setup of these -- or the cost of the existing center?

When you 41 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 consider the impact that they can have, that they have, it's nominal. I don't -- I -- we believe that we can very reasonably fund ten or twelve curfew centers around the city and not even bat an eye because they are not that -- they are not that expensive. And when we do a curfew center, we have a police presence, a social worker presence, and a volunteer presence.

Okay.

We believe that all of those people should be available in a curfew center. And they are -- we locate them in a community center; they're not located in a jail. We don't put -- we will not have a curfew center in a prison. We are not taking these young people to prison.

Yes. 42 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708

And when we bring them there, there's going to be somebody to greet them in a warm and friendly way. We get information from them and we contact their parents, and their parents come and pick them up. And then, in some cases, it's a grave inconvenience to the parents, which we don't mind.

Mm-hmm.

And it's not that costly. In fact, I believe our goal is to open up an additional ten or so of these curfew centers before the end of the fiscal year.

Terrific. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you, Madam Chair.

You're welcome. Are there any other questions or comments for the mayor? 43 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 Councilman Ramos.

Well, thank you, Mr. Mayor, for coming here today and speak before this committee. I have gone to many of those meetings that you have sponsored, listening to the people about their concerns about of violence and crime in their respective communities. I have been going around also with the Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia all over town and just to countless meetings. I'm quite sure my colleagues could tell the same story I've been telling. There has been a suggestion out there, and in all my visiting of different communities throughout the city, I have not heard anyone from the communities suggest this, but it's been suggested -- it's been suggested that maybe you should call -- declare Philadelphia a state of emergency, and that "state of emergency" means, among 44 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 other things, maybe bringing in the National Guard. What's your opinion on this suggestion out there? And the thing about that suggestion is that I have never heard any -- in all of the meetings I've been to, I've never heard anyone in the community say, "Enough is a enough," you know, bring the -- and I'm not saying that it doesn't have any merit, but what's your opinion on that?

I think it makes no sense at all to bring in the National Guard or any of these other forces. You ask yourself, you know, what are they going to do? and where are they going to be posted? and how many of 'em would you get -- 50 or a hundred? And it just wouldn't make any sense. The other thing is, we always have to be careful about how we characterize our city. 45 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 I mean, you know, we have a -- my understanding is that in order to calculate crime rate, there are about seven different factors, and homicide is one of them. And in our city, major crime is down all over the place except homicide. And one homicide is too many; and, therefore, we have way too many homicides. But I don't think that we should start grabbing for straws that are unlikely to have any positive impact but would send a huge negative message around not only the city and the region but around the country. We're a city that has done very well in improving the quality of life in our neighborhood, and we're now a part of a national increase in violence, and particularly gun violence, and I don't hear other cities that are having these problems talking about calling in the National Guard. I looked at the authority that 46 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter gives the Mayor in cases where you -- where you declare a state of emergency, and none of those things helps us now. If we had, for example, a subway caved in and we had a huge, huge area of the city that went underground, and we had this huge, huge problem, then that would be the kind of emergency. If we had riots all over the city and really needed to do something very, very special. That's not where we are here. I mean, we have an acceleration of gun violence, we have homicides that are higher than we like but that are nowhere near record highs. We've had 500 homicides or more in a year in this city. In fact, between the years of 1971 and 1979, we had almost -- averaged almost 400 homicides in this city, you know, per year. And, in fact, since I've been 47 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 the mayor, we've had -- we've averaged about 329 homicides a year, which is lower -- a lower homicide rate than all of my predecessors all the way back to, I think, Mayor Green. So we don't -- I mean, these homicide are high, and we don't like it. But it is -- frankly speaking, it's not nearly as high as it has been in the past. And we've actually taken a look at all of that, and we've asked ourselves, you know, why does it seem that way? Well, in part, it seems that way because you get a lot more reporting today on this stuff than ever. No one releases more information on homicides, who the shooters are, who's getting shot -- nobody releases the kind of information that we release. And sometimes you release this information and it get all over the place, and that's okay, but I don't think we should allow it to get -- we 48 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 should keep it all in perspective. You know, I'll take this opportunity to also comment on the number of police officers that we need. I remember a time when we had -- this city had averaged over 8,100 police officers in this police department. Let me tell you something: Homicides were a lot higher then than they are now. We don't see a direct correlation between the number of police officers that you have and the number of homicides and the number of shootings that you have. " I did not say that. What I said is: We are worried about the number of shootings that we have and the number of homicides that we have, because in all other 49 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 aspects of major crime, our crime is down. So it is the homicides -- if we weren't having these shootings and these homicides, we wouldn't be having this public hearing.

So you can go out and you can hire a whole lot more police officers, but it does not in any way, shape, or form guarantee you that the homicides or the shootings are going to come down. When believe Commissioner Johnson has his reviews, which you can ask him about -- and they look at every shooting that takes place, and they look at every -- the circumstances of every homicide. We have cases where people get shot and a police officer is a half a block away, but this was a person who was determined to shoot someone else. In 2005, 98 percent, I think it is, 98 percent of the homicides in this city were victim-specific. And if one person that has access to a weapon 50 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 is determined to shoot another person, you're going to have to put a police officer on one or both of them to stop that from happening -- if he's really determined. And we don't see that correlation. If you hired another 500 police officers, you would see more police officers, and probably you would have lower crime, but it doesn't mean you would have lower homicides, and it certainly doesn't mean you would have fewer shootings. In fact, at one of our Wednesday meetings, I heard Deputy Fox say that in one area of the city, because we deploy on an as-needed basis, and they move police officers in an area where they knew that there was a problem. And I guess it was the captain that said, You know, we really are saturated. I mean, we're saturated. We have as many police officers moving around as this area really needs. It 51 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 didn't necessarily have an impact to reduce the shootings, because a person with a gun who's determined to shoot can shoot. Also, a huge amount of these shootings and homicides happen indoors; they happen indoors. And a huge -- and a lot of them happen from incidental contact, one person with another, which in, years gone by, might have resulted in an argument, but now results in a gunshot wound. And that's all unfortunate.

Thank you very much. Councilman DiCicco?

Was Councilman Goode ahead of me? I'm not sure.

He does have a question. Do you want Councilman -- Councilman Goode?

Okay, I'm first. Thank you. 52 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 Thank you and good morning, Mayor, and thank you again for attending these hearings. Two questions. One is to deal with the issue that was raised by Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds-Brown concerning I.D., and this may be a better question for the Police Commissioner. If an individual, a youth, young person were stopped by a police officer and asked for identification, and that young person doesn't have any I.D., would they be permitted to be detained at least until they either produce an I.D., or a guardian or a parent were to come down to show that that person is, in fact, of the age that he or she suggests that she is? Because If you don't -- if you don't detain them, then you're never going to really be able to, I think, fully address the issue of the curfew laws. 53 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708

Well, let me comment on it, and you can direct it to the Police Commissioner, 'cause he's here and he will be speaking. If we decide -- if City Council decides to pass an ordinance 8 lowering the curfew age, I will sign it. Without any hesitation, without any reservations, I will seen that bill. The next thing I will do is, me with the Law Department, me with the Police Commissioner, we'll get a little group of people together, and we will decide the best way to go about enforcing a lowered curfew. I think the same principles that are involved in enforcing an 18-year-old curfew will be involved in enforcing a 13-year-old curfew or a 12-year-old curfew. I think under no circumstances will we ever break the law to enforce the law. Police Commissioner Johnson says that, and every time he says that, 54 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 my head bobbles just like this way, 'cause we're not going to break the law to enforce the law. And we will figure out a way to enforce it that respects neighborhoods, that respects people's rights, but also gets us where we need to be. And there are all kinds of standards that will apply to all of this activity. If someone came up to me and said, "I need to see your identification because you could be in violation of the curfew laws," that's harassment, because there's no way in the world anybody could misunderstand that I'm over 18 years old. That's pretty easy. If somebody came up to -- there are some other people, however, it might be a closer call. But, you know, we have a right to enforce our laws. And in most of these neighborhoods, you'd be surprised 55 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 that the police know a lot of people. And if you passed an ordinance, if it got signed, and if you advertised and you let people know that we now have a new curfew law, your 12-year-olds and 13-year-olds should not be out on the street, and we let people know all over the city, that would be a great start. And then the captains meet at roll calls with the folks all in their districts, and they would be given instructions. And we will go out and we will enforce a modified curfew law. And I don't think it would be a problem. And I think the same good discretion, the same good judgment that has to be used in enforcing the current curfew law would just have to be used in enforcing a lower curfew law. And I think it's appropriate too. I will tell you, I'm out in the street a fair amount, doing this work. And you see some very, very young 56 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 children out in the street, and you say to yourself, "Where is the parent? Where are the parents? Why are these young people out in the street?" And I look forward to those public hearings. Undoubtedly, this administration will be supporting that bill, and we can find a way to constitutionally enforce a lower curfew law.

And I thank you for that. I think the curfew, although it's not in my district, the curfew program you have in Council President's district is very effective. And as you and I talked, I think, about a week go, we had similar kinds of successes when we did the Night Court, where police officers would go out and identify the hot-spot corners and basically warn the young folks that if you're hanging out next Friday night, you're going to get taken in. 57 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 And the success of it was not only because they were apprehended and brought to the station house, the judge in many cases was Judge McCafferty and would not release that individual until the parent was woken up at 3 o'clock in the morning.

Right.

He would just figure a way in which he could hold those kids till about 3:00 in the morning and then wake the parent up to come down and get their kid. And the message was pretty clear at that point 'cause the parent didn't like being disturbed.

That will do it.

You got to get 'em off the street, right. And just one other comment if I can make it. Last Friday, I was a recipient, among a number of other 58 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 people, for an award from the Contractors Association, or one of the building trades associations. And our former Police Commissioner Timoney was a guest speaker there. And someone asked the question: Does Philadelphia need more police? And he said, "I don't think that they necessarily need more police." He had some issues on deployment. Not being critical, but just giving his overview. But he did speak in general terms about the problems confronting all cities in this country today, and a lot of it has to do with the fact that the policies coming out of Washington -- and we're not passing the buck and we're not making any excuses, but the emphasis on homeland security and the war in Iraq and the resources that are being used to support the war and the other homeland security issues is really reducing a lot of the personnel and financial resources 59 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 that would normally go into a city to address issues of drug-dealing, as an example. And he said every municipality in this country is seeing an increase in drug activity, which is a direct correlation with some of the shootings. And interestingly enough, he said, and one of the other crimes you will see increase are bank robberies, because the government is not paying attention to those, 'cause they generally know who these people are and what they're going to be doing, but there's not an emphasis on them. It's more on homeland security and other issues, which is not a bad thing, but we're being short-changed, primarily is what he's saying, by the federal government. So, again, they're not excuses and they're not reasons why we shouldn't be doing better and we won't continue to try and do better, but there's certainly 60 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 that direct correlation in the policies coming out of Washington, and it's affecting us in this city and in every other major city in this country.

And I agree with you, 'cause anytime every significant domestic program in this country that has an impact on low-income people, working people, on poor people and from public housing to education, through all kinds of services, everything is being cut. Every single program is being cut. Sooner or later, it's going to have an impact; it's just going to have an impact. And it's going to be make it harder for us to do our jobs, harder for the Commonwealth to do its job because we have fewer resources with which to fight. And it just -- it complicates our problem and suggests that there really needs to be a change in the direction that is coming out of the 61 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 federal government.

Thank you, Your Honor. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Councilman. Councilman Goode?

Thank you, Madam Chair. Good morning, Mr. Mayor.

Good morning, Councilman.

I'm particularly pleased with the discussion of where there are direct correlations or not direct correlations to crime and violence and murder, and I thank you for raising the issue of the correlations to truancy and curfew. But, as you know, in private conversations, I believe that there is a direct correlation to the dropout rate, and am very emphatic about that and believe that we can actually pinpoint 62 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 some of the problems in terms of crime and violence and murder to those people who have dropped out and have not been caused to drop back in. And even as we discuss resources for dropout prevention -- and I'm all for more money for the School District, but I have a particular problem with the School District. Whether it can be proven or not, I believe that the School District has not improved as much as people believe it has. I believe that test scores are up because we are testing those people who are there; we are not testing those people who are not, obviously. And, therefore, as you eliminate people who would test score, when you eliminate a segment of the population that you can't teach and can't reach that the School District in many ways is not doing anything to really impact this problem that we're 63 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 discussing today when they are not causing people to drop back in. So I'd like to hear some discussion of the correlation to the dropout rate and how we are going to approach that differently with the School District, without stepping on toes about whether the School District has improved or not, but recognizing that there's a segment of the population, particularly minority males. Who they outright are not reaching.

Well, I -- that's an excellent question and it's something that occurred to us and something that we plan to do something about. I guess it's probably been about two-and-a-half months now, probably in mid-August, representatives of the City's social service agencies, the Mayor and the Managing Director, started working with representatives of the School District of Philadelphia on a 64 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 truancy program. We learned that on a daily basis, there could be as many 30, 32,000 children absent from the public school of this city. We also learned that in many schools, as much as 50 to 75 percent of the student population are truant during the course of a school year. A student is truant when he or she has at one time three or more unexcused absences. Under State law, a student is defined as a habitual truant when he or she has eight or more unexcused absences. When a student has eight or more unexcused absences, that child is then referred to the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Human Services provides -- has a whole battery of activity that we engage in for truants. And so you are right. There is a direct correlation between those children who do not come to school who 65 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 become truant. Once they become truant -- we say truancy is the first step towards delinquency. They become truant, and then they become problems in the classroom, then they become delinquent. And if we don't go get them back into the school -- and I appreciate the way you referred to that. If we don't bring them back into the school, the School District ends up being a feeder system to the streets. And I like to say -- have you ever seen a kindergartener or somebody starting first grade? They're all happy, they're all upbeat, they're glad to go to school. And by the time they're in 3rd or 4th grade, they're absent. And by the time they get in 4th or 5th grade, that's when serious truancy starts. And then by the time they're in 9th or 10th grade, they're not even coming, and now they're out on the streets. 66 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 And so we have a plan, we actually have a plan, and I'll talk to you a little bit about it if you'd look.

Well, actually, my question goes beyond truancy, but those people who have actually permanently dropped out. I --

That's what I'm talking about because --

And whether we have established not only a direct correlation between those people who have dropped out, but can we actually identify them and go get 'em.

Well, yeah, we actually can identify them and we actually can go get them, and we actually have a plan to go get them. I'm now talking about school-aged children.

Well, actually, I'm talking about not necessarily school-aged children, but for those people who have dropped out, 67 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 permanently dropped out and maybe are still employed or maybe they are --

Oh, I see. You're talking about the post- school-aged child.

Some who are still school age, but also those who are post-school-aged.

Well --

I'm talking about both those who are of the age -- while we have identified some younger people as being more prone to be involved in this activity of crime and violence and murder, I still believe that that activity goes above some of the ages that people are talking about now.

Well,l let me tell you what we're doing. We're actually doing two things. We have the Adolescence Violence Reduction Program, which is a program that targets children between 68 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 the ages of and who are showing all of this anti-social behavior, to try to get 'em back in the system, get 'em back going to school. That's the first thing. The second thing we have is a very aggressive truancy program that is designed to get the children that you just mentioned who are not a part of the test scores, to get those children back in the school. Now, the recent revelation that the School District is having all of these financial problems, which we thought might have been in the neighborhood of $10 million but now appear to be in the $100 million range, is very distressing, because on the chopping block are all of the programs that are designed to meet the problems of the truants. And if we were to implement our program today -- and I will tell you, in two or three months, we could be 69 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 ready to drive children back into the school system that are not now attending. All of the programs that are now threatened to be cut are the programs that those children would need when you get 'em back into the system, because these are not the children of regular, strong families who send them to school well prepared, well fed, you know, with their homework done. These are the children of the -- these are the problem children that are not getting the support at home, that need an awful lot of support. And even when they go back to the schools, these are the ones that the teacher looks around and says, "Oh, he's back," because these are the ones that are real problematic. And for us to get an aggressive truancy program and get 'em back now, you'd have to wonder what would happen to them when they come 70 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 back, because they need special attention, and they -- because these are the ones that, two years later, they become the ones that you can no longer make go to school 'cause they are beyond compulsory school age. But they're still our responsibility and they're still the people who are much more likely to be engaged in anti-social behavior -- from stealing cars right on up through robberies and homicides and shootings.

Last question about post-school-aged children: What can we do to get them to drop back in, if not to school and to GED programs, and can we go out and target those post-school-aged children who we can't force to go back to school but offer some sort of extension in terms of education like GEDs?

Yeah, we actually can do that. And for me, in some respects, this is kind of a look 71 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 backwards. When I worked for the OIC in the late '60s and the early '70s, I actually supervised a network of GED programs. We had GED programs in schools throughout the city. There's nothing stopping us from doing that today. We should -- the after-school program, that concept, ought to be applicable not just to school-aged children, because the Beacon Schools are really -- have programs for children and families that are not school-aged children. And there is no reason at all except a will and some resources where we couldn't set up programs in these schools and drag these young people off the street and give them training, GED training, preapprentice training, all kinds of training so they can do something.

Mm-hmm.

The reason why 72 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 we decided we were probably going to focus in on the truancy problem is because at some point in time, you got to stop the flow out of the system to the streets.

Mm-hmm.

And if you don't stop that, then it will just be a never-ending stream of people, because out of the 30,000 young people a day that are absent from school during the course of the school year, a huge amount of them will become truant. And then a lesser number, but a large number, will actually drop out. And it is those dropouts that you got to stop first. The truancy program stops the dropouts, and then you can start isolating this problem to those children that are now young adults that have already gotten out of the system. And they become a little bit of a challenge. But if we don't, they will go from that category you're 73 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 talking about, they will be out on State Road. Then they get into our drugs and alcohol population.

Lou used to say, if you drop out at 16, drop back in at 17, 'cause you could be 8 five times in your lifetime. It doesn't 9 matter. If you drop out, drop back in. 10

Well, 11 Councilwoman, the problem we have is 12 implementing programs to scale. It's 13 implementing programs to scale. 14 When we started this curfew 15 program, I said to the people in this 16 government that we aren't going to start any program that we can't expand to scale, because if you can't expand it to scale -- and I only have it in Council President Verna's district -- and Councilman DiCicco and particularly the other District Councilpeople say, What about our area? And we say, Oh, no, we can't put it in your area; we only have enough money for one such program. 74 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 That doesn't work for me; it just doesn't work. As far as I'm concerned, we did a pilot curfew program, and we can expand it to scale. We can have those programs in virtually every significant neighborhood in this city. And so to have a little pilot program and then say, Oh, yeah, you know, we have this program, and if you only have the capacity for 200 children and you're at capacity and you really need it for 10,000 children, that's not really the kind of program that I'm talking about. I think you need to be able to take these programs to scale, and I think you take 'em to scale in the existing school facilities which are systematically spread throughout the city. You don't need to build a lot of new buildings because now, all of a sudden, you got new maintenance, new 75 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 insurance, new this, new that. These buildings are already there. We have facilities that exist. And those facilities should be laden with the programs that are necessary to meet the needs of the population in those areas. There are already public buildings. I remember one time I used to give a really, really aggressive speech on limiting the number of new facilities that we decide to build in the city 'cause you can't take care of them. And so all of these programs ought to be in existing recreation centers, existing libraries, existing public schools, existing facilities that might be privately owned, existing churches, and other places that have the capacity to house these programs. And then I think then you largely have a recruitment, staffing, training, and implementation problem, and you don't have to go out and start trying to gather up facilities. 76 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 We now have Beacon Schools in archdiocesan schools. They're Beacon Schools, but they're in an existing facility and they work like all of the other Beacon Schools. And by the end of this year, we will have ten such Beacon Schools in those schools. I think, Councilman, you were there when we opened up one just in North Philadelphia just recently. So it is clear that those programs can exist, but there do have to be a commitment of resources. And now I'm back to the Councilman again, because when the federal government is cutting housing money, early-childhood education money, job-training money, every kind of dollar that comes to assist, then that makes it much more difficult for us to do our job.

And, Mr. Mayor, we totally agree. And when we focused our invitation list on these 77 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 hearings and talked about these after-school programs in our recreation centers -- we thank other recreation commissioner for being here in our schools -- and we knew that money is always a problem. But if we do try to use what we have, as you just said, then we can make a difference. We talked about the job-training program. We have Penn here. We have a Lucien E. Blackwell apprenticeship program we're looking forward to implementing. We talked about extending and expanding TANF regulations to let people use their neighborhood schools where their children are and in the neighborhoods for their job credit where they're not doing it. And we talked about tomorrow former Governor Schweiker will be here. We want private industry to help us with ex-offenders. And in a few moments, we will have -- after our Police Commissioner, we're going to ask 78 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 everybody to be patient because they have to leave. We have a job-training program for ex-offenders. So, as you have said, my problem in the past was always with the superintendents who always had one -- if you asked them, they had one program someplace for everybody, but it was never.

It was never enough.

It was never enough to matter. So all that you have said is very, very important. And certainly we thank you. Are there further questions for our mayor? (No further questions.)

Thank you very much, Mayor.

Thank you.

We appreciate your coming up from your busy 79 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 schedule and using this committee to help legitimize the use of what we have to do, this call to action, to make a difference. We're going to have Bilal Qayyum. When he comes up and when he testifies, we're going to clap for him for that long walk. He deserves a lot of credit. And we think that all -- everybody's doing what they can. And hopefully now, we can use this committee to help with the problem of implementing some changes where we can. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you. (Applause.)

Next is Commission Sylvester Johnson. (Witnesses come forward.)

I 80 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 guess, Commissioner, everybody kind of talked about all of your issues, but we do thank you and thank you for all that you continue to do. And you always give out statistics. I was at a meeting one night, and I heard you talk about how 40-some percent and 55 percent African-Americans are just dropping out, and I hadn't heard it stated that simply in a very long time. And we thank you for your leadership in our city and your commitment to the whole issue of violence, a call to action, and who we are and what we should be. Thank you very much. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: All right. Thank you. And good morning, Madam Chairperson and other members of the Council and the Finance. I'm Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson, and I'm here at your request to comment about 81 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 the new task forces created to help stem the violence in Philadelphia. But before I go into that, there's a couple of other things that I'd like to say that's not written to my testimony. One, I'd like to thank the Mayor, for one, for not just pointing fingers 'cause it's been very easy for 'em just to point the fingers at the Police Department, realizing that it's a comprehensive plan. The other thing: I just came back from Boston last week for a major city chief conference, and the major city chief is 56 police chiefs of the United States. We happen to have a population of over 500,000 and a department of over a thousand officers, and there are six from Canada. We had what they call "a round table," where we sit around the around table and we go over statistics and go over what's happening in our individual 82 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 cities. There's not one major city in the nation besides one or two who has not experienced an increase in violent crime. There is no city, you know, that's not experiencing that. C. because it is a concern of the major cities' chiefs in that national terrorism is a shame, and we've all said that. But domestic terrorism is just as bad, and we've been neglected. There's been over 30,000 people in the United States so far that been killed by gun violence here in the United States. And our funds have completely been cut 83 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 and eliminated. , starting tomorrow morning. C. tomorrow. And on Thursday, I'll be going back to Washington to meet with the Brady people about gun violence. So a lot of the things that we have put in place here right now, we realize that there has to be a comprehensive plan. One of the things that when the Mayor meets, there's not just police people there; there's social services there, there's recreation there, there's everybody there that's involved in city government. And I really believe that it has to be a comprehensive plan, a wholistic type in place. In the last year, we locked up 84 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 63,000 people here in the City of Philadelphia, confiscated over 5,000 weapons and confiscated over $88 million in drugs. So far this year, we've already locked up approximately 45,000 people in the City of Philadelphia, already confiscated $120 million in drugs, and almost 4500 weapons so far this year. And we still have too much to go. I know that law enforcement has the real responsibility to go out there and make these changes, and we understand that, and we are doing a lot of things. ), who is commanding officer of our SITE Unit, and Lieutenant Healey, who is one of our attorneys here in the Police Department. You know, this new unit is 85 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. " I created this specialized unit as a direct response to the rising number of homicides and shootings and violence throughout the city that occur overnight. The officers and supervisors in this unit were hand-picked based upon their background, past performance, and dedication to duty.

The mission of this unit is to target those areas where violence has occurred and, just as important, where it's likely to occur. But the purpose of this unit is not just to make arrests; rather, it is to function and interrupt the pattern of violence. To accomplish this goal, unit officers increase the number of regular patrol officers in the specific district for a certain period of time. The unit helps the district also with 9-1-1 calls to allow for quicker 86 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 response time for crime in progress and improve the likelihood of catching criminals at near crime scenes. Next, this unit takes proactive measures by interacting with the community and enforcing quality-of-life violations. This is the classic "Broken Windows" theory. Basically, if you enforce small quality-of-life violations, you interrupt the pattern of crime and violence. Often, the victims of shooters are involved in these types of activities, so aggressive enforcement can catch people carrying illegal guns before they commit a crime, break up crowds which are often the target of many shootings, and get juveniles off the street at night so they can't become victims. This concludes my testimony about the SITE Unit, but there's a couple of other things that we'd like to 87 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 talk about before we really answer questions. You know, when we first tried to put this unit in place, what I decided is, because the majority of our crime happens late at night and early morning, and most people didn't think that we would have officers that would volunteer to work 8:00 at night to 4:00 in the morning every Saturday and Sunday. We put a teletype out, and we've had over 288 people apply for it. What we basically did is had interviews, and we selected, you know, the people who we think were the best people for this type of unit. And it's not that the other units are not doing the job that they're doing right now, but I think what's happened is, this unit is going all around and going -- the only guarantee that they will have is that they will be working the busiest districts at the most violent time on the most violent 88 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 nights. And, you know, I want to give Lieutenant Danbeck and the people who are involved in that, and I want Lieutenant Danbeck to give some statistics that have already been done so far since this unit started, and it started in May.

Thank you very much, Commissioner. I also believe I heard you say at a community meeting that more than 80 percent on both ends -- the perpetrator and the victim -- have gun violence records. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: That's correct. The Mayor mentioned a little earlier that 98 percent of those who are being killed are victim-specific. And let me say this: We could never have a good year when it comes to homicide. I say that one is too many, so to say the fact that we had a good year because we only had 200, we can 89 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 never have a good year. Eighty-seven percent of the people who are being killed have criminal records, and 84 percent of those who are doing the killing have criminal records.

Thank you. LT. DANBECK: Good morning, Councilwoman.

Good morning. Welcome. LT. DANBECK: Since the commissioner initiated the SITE Unit in May of this year, 46 officers and 6 supervisors were selected, including myself, to man this unit. Our task was to attack gun violence and the homicides around the city in the busiest parts and at the busiest times. Since that time, the SITE Unit itself has taken a proactive approach to crime and to violence, and we have arrested a significant number of people. 90 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 We've taken up to approximately 50 guns off the street in the 71 days that we've been active. We're responsible for 99 felony arrests, Part arrests; 169 Part arrests; 163 narcotics arrests; 23 summary arrests; and 966 Code violation notices have been issued. We attack not only the violence, but we try to get to the root of the violence by addressing quality-of-life issues where the Code violation notices come in. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: You know, one of the things that -- and I see it in the news quite often -- that is not addressed a whole lot and it's not addressed by a lot of different people, but not only do our -- you know, our homicides are up, but we have had over 410 drug overdoses so far in that area this year, and we had over 400 last year, close to 500, and over 120 suicides. 91 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 There are so many social issues that are involved in it. You know, when you talk about drugs -- I guess when you talk about violence, between 85 and 90 percent of those who are dying of violence here in the City of Philadelphia are either African-Americans and Latinos, mostly under the age of 34, the majority under the age of 34. When you talk about drug overdoses, the majority of them are Caucasian, all different ages. The one thing we also don't talk about is the suicides. So far this year, we have had approximately 100 suicides so far here in the City of Philadelphia. We are at the point right now of 329 homicides in the City of Philadelphia -- 98 indoors. And we're not trying to make any excuses of what's happening right now, 'cause, as I said before, one is too many. 92 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 But at the same time, it says that we have to look at this whole thing 'cause it's what's happening, not just in Philadelphia, but it's what's happening in this entire nation. And, as I said, when the paper talks about certain things that are happening and whose fault it is and, as the Mayor has already mentioned, there is no silver built. It's not in Philadelphia, it's not in Detroit, it's not in other places. When they come out with the ideas that it's only that the politicians and some of the news people say, Well, based on per capita, we're the most violent city in the nation. Criminology doesn't base it on per capita; they base it on how many people you have unemployed in your city, how many have dropped out in your city, how many people come out of the prisons in your city. And that's what it's based on. 93 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 If you have a city where the average income is 15, $16,000 a year, and the average educational thing is one year in college compared to cities whose average income is unemployed, or you have people that's dropping out there, that's what the criminologists do. A person who is making 40 or $50,000 a year is not going to go out there and commit a homicide unless it's a domestic homicide. He's not going to go out there and rob drug dealers. He's not going to do those certain things. A person that has the educational background, the same thing: He's not going to go out there and do certain things here. We have a city where almost 55 percent of those who enter in the 9th grade does not graduate from the 12th grade. We have a state that's still arguing about a (indiscernible) 15 percent in minium wages. 94 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 And one of the things that I've read quite often is where you have frustration, you have aggression.

And there's a lot of frustration here that's happening in the City of Philadelphia. We know we need mothers in charge, we know we need many united, we know we need the clergy, we know we need the community. We need a lot of these different people to get involved in this. So if there's one person that you want to point fingers at that think they can change -- if you change every police chief in the entire United States, you're not going to change the violence. You're not going to change it. So, again, the time that everything that we can do, we will do. Yesterday, I was in Baltimore to meet with the police chief in Baltimore in Prince County, Maryland, and another police chief, trying to 95 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 strategize to what they have in place and see what we can put in place. They, in turn, come to us for different things that we have in place. And, as I said, I've been all over this entire nation, talking about what we have put in place. This program we have, the SITE Unit, came from Dallas. What Chicago has came from Philadelphia. What some of the things New York has came from Philadelphia. You know, we realize there's hot spots here in the City of Philadelphia, but there's a lot of warm spots too of where these things are happening right now. And so we deployed, we redeployed, we did other things. But the other factual things we have to understand too is the availability of guns has devastated this city. We're -- almost 86 percent of our homicide are by handgun. And in Philadelphia, if you 96 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 read in the paper today about a person who has a gun permit that gets involved in an argument at a six- and seven-year-old football game and pulls this gun out and threatens to shoot people. At this point, we have over 31,000 people in the City of Philadelphia who have permits to carry. The availability of guns. And when you talk about, you know, a person who has been convicted of a crime cannot get a gun permit. Yet we have 87 percent of those who are committing these homicides; obviously, they didn't get a legitimate gun. The one gun a month will make a difference. The other thing that would also make a difference is that if you have a person who's held accountable for reporting those guns lost or stolen will make a difference. It will stop some of the straw purchases. And so, again, I know I've 97 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 gotten a little bit out of my testimony, but I appreciate the opportunity to come here and be able to answer any questions that you may have.

Thank you. No, it's exactly what we need, Commissioner. You said 87 percent of the people that commit homicide don't have a permit; is that correct? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: That's correct, because 87 percent of those who are committing the homicides have criminal records, which will prevent them from getting permits.

And that's very, very, very important testimony. Thank you. Councilman Ramos, you have a question?

Thank you, Madam Chair. And thank you, Commissioner, again for the 2,028th time testifying in 98 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 City Council -- and I stopped counting. So we appreciate your availability to us and to the public all the time. Councilman DiCicco went off to another meeting, and he asked me to pose a question that he posed to the Mayor on the curfew program: If the police officer comes up on the corner of kids that look young but they cannot provide an I.D. to prove their age, how are you handling that? Are you apprehending them? are you letting them go? Or if you haven't figured out that problem, what kind of solutions do you have? COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Well, the solution is that person hasn't violated the law, the mere fact that they're 13 or 14, they don't have the permit to carry. I mean, I have my attorney here, but as far as the law is concerned, I don't think there's anything on the law book or the penal 99 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 code that would indicate that they're committing any sort of a crime. So, hypothetically, if that person who is or years old that 6 doesn't have any identification, and 7 it's not during the curfew time, I don't 8 think there's anything we can do with 9 them, unless the attorney knows 10 something and can tell us. 11

If it's 12 over the curfew time. 13 LT. HEALEY: Well, I -- 14

Excuse me. Please identify yourself for the record. LT. HEALEY: I'm sorry. Lieutenant Healey, with the Police Commissioner's office. With respect to whether or not we're going to transport a juvenile or not, take one under a violation of an ordinance, boils right down to probable cause -- just like it would for an arrest. Whether or not we can transport 100 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 them legally would be based on probable cause. Probably cause is developed, number one, by the officer seeing a young-looking kid, stops him, and then does a follow-up investigation. Then he asks, "How old are you, kid?" He says, "What's your date of birth?" Oftentimes, they can't match that up real quick, especially when they're juveniles. That gives the officer an indication that the child is either lying or is giving false information. So regardless of whatever the age the statute might say, the officer is going to act on probable cause, whether or not he's violating the issue. The officer's just not going to walk up to a young-looking child, put him in handcuffs, and take him to A curfew Center. He's going to do a follow-up investigation on the site. According to the way the 101 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 statute's written out, there are several options. One is to take the juvenile home, one is to send him home, and the last recourse is to take him into district facility -- that's under the existing statute. The officers would enforce a varying degree of the curfew statute the same way they do now -- based on probable cause. So I don't think it would be proper or appropriate to require juveniles to carry an I.D. just like adults don't necessarily need to have an I.D. to walk around the streets of Philadelphia. But the officers would not be allowed to just be taking children off the street without the probable cause. And we have documentation with our pet stops and car stops forms that the officers would fill out to actually support whatever actions they've taken. Now, even when it comes to the 102 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 current statute, we make mistakes. People give us wrong information and we transport someone in who may actually be and they wouldn't tell us the truth 6 or whatever the case may be. 7 But when the officer actually 8 put the cuffs on him and took him 9 somewhere, he had the actual probable 10 cause. 11 Now, if that probable cause 12 falls apart later on when the 13 identification comes up or someone can 14 testify, the individual is released and 15 either brought back to where he was or 16 is allowed to walk where he was. 17 So there's no -- I don't think 18 putting any definitive age bracket would actually impede our ability to do our work. And I don't think you should worry so much about that because our officers on the street will use not just the youthful appearance but will do a follow-up investigation, whether it takes ten seconds or twenty minutes, to 103 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 find out whether or not the child should be taken in for his own safe-keeping.

Are you -- are the police officers allowed to see an I.D. card? LT. HEALEY: They can ask for an identification card, but the fact that you don't have one is not a violation. And they do that routinely now. "How old are you, kid? I'm 19. You got any I.D.? I don't have any I.D." Or they may produce a high school I.D. I mean, we can ask for anything we want. The question is, I can't take someone in for not having it. I mean, the idea is, I need to have at least probable cause, which isn't absolute. I just need probable cause that the child is a curfew or is below whatever age may be the new statute that comes out.

So as 104 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 long as the officers can establish probable cause, you don't need to necessarily see an I.D.; is that correct? LT. HEALEY: That's correct. That's how we enforce the statute as it is now.

Okay. Al right. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Are there any other questions from members of the committee? (No further questions.)

Thank you very much. We appreciate getting the information about the SITE program and always the statistics 'cause they keep us updated on what's going on in our city. And having said that, Commissioner -- I mean Councilwoman Reynolds-Brown.

105 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 Thank you, Madam Chair. I should just mention for the record that we will be scheduling the hearings on the curfew; we're actually going to bump them up from early December to as soon as we can get them on the roster, and we will be inviting you back to speak on that curfew ordinance. Thank you very much. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON: Thank you very much.

Thank you for always coming and thank you for doing the wonderful job you do. Thank you very much. We're going to get everybody and are moving quickly before they leave. Eric and William Stamps, Fleetway Leasing. After that, we will go to the Managing Director's Office. And please -- thank you, Tumar, Bilal, our recreation 106 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 commissioner, our prison commissioner, we thank you all for being here. We're going to move quickly. Penn and CHOP, thank you. I promise you we won't hold you long. You know we love you. Thank you very much. As many of you know, we call this a call to action because we do want to have programs that make a difference. Fleetway Leasing is one of those companies who came up to bat. Thank you, Sutan. We're going to get you. Thank you for being here. They came up to the bat and said, We're willing to have a program to help ex-offenders, to help the unemployed. And we welcome you. We know you have to leave. Thank you. Please identify yourself for the record.and begin your testimony. (Witnesses come forward.)

Good morning, Councilwoman Blackwell.

Good 107 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 morning.

Thank you for having us here. My name is William Stamps. I'm a native Philadelphian. I graduated from Overbrook High School and had the privilege of attending Temple University. I'm here to tell you about the Fleetway Workforce Empowerment Training Program for professional automobile detailing people. I have with me Melvin Hall, who is one of the people that we trained, who is very productively employed with us. And I think some of his comments -- he is an ex-offender. I think some of his comments about some of his experience will be very enlighting to you. The management team at the Fleetway Sales and Leasing is proud of our program to train, educate, and empower all individuals -- and I want to emphasize "all" -- to take control of 108 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 here life, learn a trade, and become productive members of our community. The professional automobile detailing program offered at Fleetway not only teaches individuals how to provide high-end professional detailing services for the automobile industry, but it also teaches people how to be an owner/operator of their own business. This knowledge provides individuals participating in this program the ability to become self-sufficient and capable of taking responsibility for their own income potential now and well into the future. It is a lifetime skill. During this program, participants take part in an educational curriculum that includes lectures, hands-on workshop, on-the-job training, role-playing, and evaluation process that ensures that each participant has mastered the job skills needed to be successful after the program, including 109 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 assistance in obtaining employment, how to conduct themselves at an interview, et cetera. The technical aspects of the program include efficiently wash a vehicle and how to deal with cleaning the motor, wheels, jams, and exterior elements of the vehicle; taking care of the interior sections of the vehicle, removing spots, vacuuming; leather and vinyl conditioning and repair; instrument detailing; working with wood; window tint removal; cleaning trunk interior; and making sure all of the vehicle's components are in working order; exterior preparation for detailing handles, moulding, prep, cleaning chrome, and protecting the paint from the cleaning chemicals used; special tips and techniques for wheel cleaning; different cleaning compounds and their use; different cleaning tools; proper technique to eliminate tough, rough dirt quickly and easily; waxing 110 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 the car, tips and techniques to protect the clear-coat factory paint; product demonstration, evaluation; and application of removal techniques; preparing the car for delivery to a customer. The business aspect of the program include how to find a professional detailing position within the industry; what tools, products or equipment is needed to get started; preparing for the interview; and how to start your own business; pricing, marketing, and how to find customers. All of the participants in our program are provided with an off-to-work kit with products to get them started in the workforce. The kit includes a professional power auto detail orbiting buffer and pads, detail brush kit with three brushes, assorted detailing products and spray bottles, tire shine, window cleaner, microfiber rags, bucket, industrial safety goggles, full-sized 111 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 compound spray apron, and final detail high-polish wax, paste wax, and a light-duty compound. They're also told where to obtain these materials from suppliers that are in the community. Finally, all participants will receive a detailed manual outlining the professional automotive detailing process.

This manual explains in detail each of the steps associated with providing a professional automotive detail, the reason these steps are important, the equipment necessary to execute the steps, and any special tips or techniques required to successfully complete this portion of the detail. The manual also provides a sample detailing checklist that is completed upon finishing the work to ensure that all elements of the professional detail have been completed. This program is designed to be executed at Fleetway Sales and Leasing in Bala Cynwyd. Tools, material, staff, 112 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 and cars required to successfully deliver this type of program are all resident at this location. Fleetway Sales and Leasing is a family-owned and -operated business that has been in the community for over 40 years. We feel fortunate that we are able to provide a program like this one. Our commitment to helping the community in which we leave and work has always been a tenet of our organization. Supporting programs like this is directly in line with the overall corporate objectives and the personal goals of myself and my family.

Now tell me we don't have wonderful service organizations who are willing to come to the plate. We love it. Ex-offenders, unemployed, there's job training out there, and we're hoping that those from private industry will give us a little support. 113 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 And these are the programs and companies that make a difference to violence.

That's right.

Because we can hire people and we can hire ex-offenders so that they have something to do. You know, Lucien Blackwell said -- back in '73, he had bumper stickers, and they said: Give you something to do, something to love, and something to look forward to. That was for youth. And you heard the Mayor talk about after-school programs, the Beacon Programs, and training programs in schools. And Vic Richard is here, and he's wonderful for what we can do in recreation centers, especially Class A. But for those who are older, who need jobs, who need job training, Fleetway has come up to the plate. And 114 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 we're really grateful because that's what it takes. All of the issues that we're dealing with and the way we're dealing with them are targeted. We asked the Police Commissioner to talk about his new program. We asked Fleetway to come. We're really trying to say that we can change things in Philadelphia if we want you. We can change things if we are committed enough to doing that. Of course, I'm preaching to the choir. At any rate, we thank you. Thank you, Fleetway Max; I didn't mean to interrupt you.

Good morning, Councilwoman Blackwell.

Good morning.

My name is Melvin Hall. It's truly an honor to be here first. 115 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708

Thank you.

And I first and foremost would like to give honor to God and also my 12-step program, Narcotics Anonymous. It's like truly a blessing to be here, like, in front of -- with all of these important people, you know. And, like, this program has really been good for me. And I came here from Baltimore City and, you know, I got a history of chronic drug abuse, repeated incarceration, and also a member of organized crime. But I just wanted to -- I made a decision to change and just coming in this program, Mr. Stamps, Bill Stamps and Eric Stamps, they helped me out a great deal. You know, I learned a lot of things, and it's just -- they afforded me a lot of things. I'm not just talking about just the money; I'm talking about how to live and how to become a man. And it's 116 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 important. Like my mother, who had five brain operations, she proud of me today. I'm able to take care of my son, who I neglected for years, and I'm able to take care of him now. So I think this program is very important. It's very important. You know, they just teaching me a way to live, and I'm thankful for that. The City of Philadelphia welcomed me and Fleetway welcomed me, and I accept Philadelphia as my permanent place of residency. Thank you very much.

Thank you. We're glad to have you here. (Applause.)

You know what they say: If you take one step, God will take two. Thank you very much. Any other statements, questions? 117 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 Councilwoman Reynolds-Brown?

I cannot sit here and not acknowledge you. Yours is a wonderful story and one that should give people hope that it is possible, when corporate and private citizens like Fleetway step up and say yes, I can do my part to make a difference in my corner of the world. And so we appreciate enormously you leading by example. Now I just wrote here that this is a great story for Philadelphia Magazine, so you can trust that I will send a letter to Philadelphia Magazine because to the extent that other private corporate citizens hear a success story like this and those who complain about what can we do, this is an example of what you can do to make a difference and what we're facing with regards to our city's enormous, enormous crime and violence problem. Thank you very, very much. 118 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

A special thanks to Maurice Floyd and Jeff Felder. Thank you both for putting us together. Thank you very much. Next we'll have the Managing Director's Office. We know that we have Julia Danzy here. We know that we have Bilal. When Bilal comes up, we know that we have Tumar (ph.), we know that we have Brother Wiley come forward, and we know that we have Miss Speight. We'll hear you next and then we ill have our Commissioners. Thank you very much. Bilal, you're up. Let's give Bilal a hand because anyone who can walk from Philadelphia to Harrisburg deserves our hand. (Applause.)

And listen, I don't know how you're walking 119 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 today, but certainly we saw you there, heard your testimony, and we want you to know that we appreciate you, Bilal. We always knew you were okay, but anytime -- you know, that talks about putting your money where your mouth is, to make that level of sacrifice, to point out that we have to be committed to ending this problem. We say thank you and certainly we appreciate all that you are, your commitment over the years, and we thank you for coming here this morning.

Councilwoman, thank you very much, Madam Chair and Councilwoman Blondell and Councilman Juan Ramos. Glad to come. I know Dorothy Johnson is joining me, who is with Mothers In Charge. I'm going to be very quickly 'cause I know I was -- I came here when the Mayor was testifying, and I heard the Police Commissioner. 120 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 And my comments are going to really be that there is -- the way we look at it now in Men United for a Better Philadelphia is that there's this long-haul commitment we all have to make as citizens of this city to reduce violence, and then there's short -- there's what we call "the short sprint" that we all have to take, and I want to basically comment on both of those. Number one, the long haul is really about rebuilding families, concentrating on education, improving the education system, 'cause once a person is educated, that gives the person a better opportunity to participate in a society. So we know education is crucial. We know building and strengthening families are crucial. But one of the short solutions that we see -- and this is what the walk that we did to Harrisburg, when we billed it as "Jobs, Not Guns" -- is that in the City of Philadelphia now, it's 121 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 estimated that between 50 to 60 percent of young African-American males are jobless, which creates an environment in this city where young men, particularly in the African-American community, but also in the Latino community and in the white community. But particularly in the African-American community, young men have no sense of hope. They have no 12 sense of feeling that this society cares about them, which is one of the main reasons which is driving the gun violence that's taking place in the City of Philadelphia. As you know, we go out in the streets every week on corners to engage young men on the corners to try to encourage them to come off the corners that they're involved in negative activity. And what we're finding out and hearing more and more since the Men United has been in operation -- next year, it's going on our fifth year -- is 122 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 that we're sensing and seeing more and more of these young men that have less hope, that have less of a feeling that something can change. So when we used to go out on the corners, we used to get into the ability to have a dialogue with a lot of young guys on the corner. And, you know, they would talk and say, Look, if you help us get a job, we'll get off these corners. You help us do certain things. They would call the office. We're finding out more and more now we're not getting that response; we're getting more a response of anger of young men talking about society doesn't care about us, and we don't care, and we got to take care of our own business, and our business of taking care is what we got to do to live and survive. So we think it's very important now that we zero in and have the discussion about reducing violence 123 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 to the fundamental problems of what's creating violence and having long-term programs. I mean, I know the City is trying its best, and the Mayor talked about a lot of programs that he has initiated. We're one of the beneficiaries of the AVR Program where we have staff out in the streets working with young folks, and we got support from other -- the State for projects. But the reality is: Unless we zero in and figure out how we're going to create employment opportunities that's meaningful jobs for those young men, I'm very -- I'm not optimistic that things are going to change. And I know that the persons in front of me, the Council folks know me and know that I'm always optimistic. And I think that anything we do is going to make a difference if we collectively work together. And I got a history of working 124 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res.

060708 with folks in the city, and I know in the '70s, when we had the gang problems, we all came together and reduced the gang violence from 60, 70 deaths per year to zero. But we're dealing with a different kind of situation now, we're dealing with a different kind of mental 'cause of we have had years of folks who have been locked out of the system. And now, we're actually seeing that results of those years of the crack epidemic environment that hit us of the high number of unemployment consistently. So we see now where there's a generation of kids who have fathers that are either dead or in prison, mothers who have been or are strung out on drugs. So we see generations of children now that are actually raising themselves in the streets. So the street code has now become the families. So unless we crack that, there's not going to be a big change in 125 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 what's going -- and not only in Philadelphia. And the Mayor, I heard some of his comments, but I know the Police Commissioner talked about that this is now a national problem. When I traveled to Harrisburg, you know, we stopped in Norristown, Pottstown, Reading, all of those cities that had the same exact problems going on in those cities with a lot of young men who are involved in criminal activities. And so this is not -- and every city you go into in the state now -- Pittsburgh, Reading, Chester -- they all having some of the problems that Philadelphia has. So it's a national problem, and it's being driven by the same issues in every city. It's the unemployment, lack of educational opportunities, and the breakup and destructions of families. So if we could kind of zero in 126 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 in those three areas and really begin to concentrate how we can direct our local resources to solving those problems, I think that's when we will really begin to see the big difference and the change. Unless we don't do that, then we're going continue to see homicide escalating at the rate it's escalating right now. So that's my comments. I mean, I think that we have to do everything. I'm here -- I'm glad to hear Councilwoman Blackwell that Mark Schweiker is supposed to come tomorrow? The private sector has let down the communities in the City of Philadelphia with employment; I would not hesitate to say that. The private sector. I told a reporter a couple weeks ago, Go out to the corner of 16th and Market this afternoon and watch who comes out of those high-rise buildings and watch who is coming out of those 127 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 jobs -- white males, white females, hopefully some black women, very few black men. And if you do see black men, they're in janitorial uniforms or security uniforms. So the private sector has to step up and get more involved in hiring these young men that I'm talking about. And also Dr. Bernie Anderson with the University of Pennsylvania pointed out to me that in Philadelphia, there is four kind of engines that's driving this economy: It's the medical systems like University of Penn, Temple Hospital, and other hospitals; it's financial banking; it's the tourism and hospitality; and the fourth is education and medical. Most of those jobs in those fields, 40 percent of those jobs in those fields, if you have a criminal record, you cannot work in. So that means that 40 percent of the jobs in the City of Philadelphia, if you have a 128 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 criminal record right now, you cannot work in. So we have to figure out how we're going to change that. How can we begin to get the private sector, once again, to figure out how they can change their attitudes about hiring folks coming out of jail. Young men consistently coming out of jail, if they feel that they're locked out after they have done -- and this is always what kind of blows our mind too.

Once you commit a crime and you get caught, there's a trial and you convicted and you go to jail. When you get out, you're supposed to be redeemed, you're supposed to have served your time for society. But when we're actually putting another jail term on them by locking them out of employment opportunities, that is also feeding into the situation that we're seeing now with violence. 129 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 So with that, I'd like to close my comment by saying: We have to work day and night to create employment opportunities for young men in our communities.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Qayyum. And that's why we invited Fleetway to come forward, and Penn has been mentioned several times. We have the assistant vice president of community relations. I always have him wait too long and he always loses some of his people. But Glenn Bryan is here. He will talk about a program we've been working on for nearly two years -- the Lucien E. Blackwell Apprenticeship Program -- so that we can begin doing some of those things. Absolutely you're correct that if we don't have a place for ex-offenders and a place for the unemployed, then we can't win the 130 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 battle. And if we don't have after-school programs and if we don't feed people, we just can't win this battle. So we appreciate that and we look forward to hearing from Glenn. And we thank all of you who are here. We're moving quickly; we're not going to hold you real long today. You notice I did it in two days so I wouldn't frustrate people and have you wait hour after hour in one day. So we're trying to accommodate everyone because we really, really need your input, and I think we're at the point where we have to go the next step. We can't have Bilal walk to Harrisburg again. Once was enough. (Laughter.)

So he's pointed out the problem. He's pointed out the issues.

I'm walking to Washington -- did I tell you that? 131 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708

Oh, dear. But we've got to do our part to go the next step. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Miss Speight?

Thank you, and I agree with everything that my brother Bilal has said. Men United is a brother organization to Mothers In Charge, and I'm honored to appear before the commission to provide testimony for a call to action on reducing violence in the city. I represent an organization of women, many of whom are mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and sisters who have lost a son or daughter to violence. We know firsthand the pain.

Thank you. Would you please first identify yourself for the record for our 132 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 stenographer.

Dorothy Johnson Speight, founding Executive Director of Mothers In Charge. We know firsthand the pain and the ultimate cause of what is happening in our city. We don't want our membership to continue to grow because of violence in our city, but every day, our phones ring in our office with a call for help: Someone on the other end of the line has suffered a tragic loss to violence or someone they know. But every day, the courageous women of the Mothers In Charge who make up a great group of women touch their own pain to make a difference to reduce the violence and to prevent another mother from getting the call that we received. We understand it's a very complex problem, and to reduce violence, let's look at many aspects and root causes that contribute. There is no one 133 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 answer. We work in several schools, and for three years now, we've worked every Saturday morning during the school year to teach conflict resolution and anger management to students that are in the Smart Program that are sent to us because of acting-out behaviors. These students are in grades 1 through 12. Yes, students in 1st grade with anger-management and conflict-resolution issues. Imagine that. But who else needs the support? Their parents. Early this year, through DHS, many of our mothers were trained and certified to be parent educators. That simply means to educate and support parents because an angry 1st-grader who is often angry because their first teacher, their parents, are teaching and instilling in them that anger through their everyday interactions. We saw that recently when a father pulled a gun 134 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 on his 6-year-old's football coach. We believe that if you educate and support the parents to be better parents early on and get children help early, we will not have the likes of Ernest Odoms. Ernest Odoms was one of the young men who was found guilty of first-degree murder in the murder of my son and 19-year-old Justin Donnelley in 2001. ) was found guilty of the horrific murder of our member Donna Gettings, her mother, her 20-year-old son, her 67-year-old mother. We must provide the families the mental and behavioral health that they need before a crisis. They can usually be identified, because if they can be identified in 3rd and 4th-graders based on reading scores to determine how and when to build prisons for them, surely we can identify them to provide the needed help before they are 135 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 sentenced and before their lives are lost. We must provide support to young people before they end up in county and state correctional facilities. Let's spend the money before we have to house them in such places. And those that end up there, they will be returning to our communities. They're going to need support also to prevent them from committing more crime or taking lives and increasing our numbers. We must work together to prevent that. For several months now, we've been working with the Commissioner of Prisons and the House of Corrections staff to help develop an innovative, supportive program to help the juveniles at the House of Corrections while they are there and upon their release. But a real barrier to support we attempt to provide is funding, but 136 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 because of the determination and the commitment of Mothers In Charge and a few others, it looks like it may finally happen. We've also began a relationship with the staff and inmates at SCI Prison in Chester. We were invited there and we went. Ten mothers traveled a few weeks ago to meet over a hundred inmates at SCI. It was one of the most emotional, moving, and empowering presentations we've done. Some ask why? Why go into a prison to visit inmates? Some of them are responsible for our pain. We know that, but we also know and realize that these are our, sons our grandsons, our nephews, and neighbors.

Many are coming back to our community. How can we support them to live free of violence. How can we get them to help us stop the violence and give back in a positive way? Many of them have said they 137 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 want that, they want to help support our mission in reducing the violence. We've connected with them because of that. Many mothers too have connected to us because they have a mother and they understand a mother's pain. They want to help. They want to be given an opportunity that they can help. Let me read to you a few lines from one of the letters we received after the visit to SCI, and I'll be brief. "Mothers In Charge: First of all, I'd like to thank Mothers In Charge for being a voice in the wilderness. I'm truly sorry for all the pain caused by violence. The words cannot express the horrible feeling I get when I see tears in the eyes of a mother who lost someone they love to violence. "I was a part of the problem, and I'm truly sorry for the pain I've helped to cause. My name is Jonathon. 138 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 I'm years old and am currently incarcerated at SCI Chester for conspiracy to commit murder. "Two months prior to my 19th birthday, when I was years old, I 7 decided to go with some friends to rob 8 the home of local drug dealer. In the 9 process, he was fatally shot and killed. 10 I was not the one who shot him, but I 11 was with them, and I am just as guilty. 12 "I never had thought he would 13 have gotten killed. There's not a day 14 that goes by that the guilt does not eat 15 away at my heart. 16 "By the grace of God, I was 17 spared a life sentence. I received 6 to 18 20. I've been in prison for almost five years. The whole experience has given me a spiritual awakening. Even though my relationship with Christ has improved, I still feel something is missing as far as giving back. "I didn't deserve a second chance, but God in his mercy gave me 139 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 one. I vow to God that I will spend the rest of my life helping others and give it my all to pull people from the path that I have taken. "I try to talk to brothers here and give them encouragement to go back into the communities and make a strong impact for the good, to be fathers to their children, and get involved in rebuilding our broken communities. "I feel that since I helped create the problem, I should help to come up with a solution. I hope to get out next year. Upon my release, I plan on attending Community College to become a sign-language interpreter for the deaf. I also want to spend the rest of my life rebuilding communities and hearts that I have helped to destroy. "I'm asking you for an opportunity to help when I'm released. I want to help Mothers In Charge. If there's any way I can help, please let 140 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 me know. If it's rallying for stopping violence or speaking to kids. I'm 4 years old, I'm young, but I sincerely 5 want to help. It would be a great 6 blessing to hear from you and to be able 7 to join you in your fight for stopping 8 the violence. 9 "If you have any resources and 10 information of anything that deals with 11 bettering our communities, please send 12 it. It would truly be helpful. I want 13 all of you to know that I will do all I 14 can to help and to show you that your 15 loved ones did not die in vain, but that 16 a lot of lives and souls will be saved 17 out of their loss. 18 "I'm sorry for all of the pain 19 you've had to endure to violence. I'm 20 sorry for all the poor decisions that 21 people like myself have made. " And it goes on. But my point is, an 141 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 incarcerated 23-year-old wants to help join our fight, and we are aggressively looking for support and resources to support this population so that they can support our fight.

We're so tired of getting calls from families that are devastated by this senseless violence. We need everyone that wants to make a positive difference. For those that want to come back to our communities and do right and correct wrongs, shouldn't we support them? Let me share with you this plaque that the men of SCI presented to Mothers In Charge because they believe in what we're doing. In addition to the plaque, they presented us with a check for $3,000. Imagine that. Men behind the wall supporting our efforts with a check for $3,000. They've taken a stand where many others on the outside haven't. 142 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 They've made a commitment to work with us in our communities, and we want to work with them. They can really help. They can help send a message especially to young people that they can reach. And the message is that the violence must stop. We've called them to a call to action, and they've responded. And, yes, we do need the focus for them on education and skills training in order to keep and get jobs. Job training programs and work-related activities. We work closely with the Connection Training services where our North Philadelphia office is located. And we support their efforts in this area, but we also need to provide the support for them to fill a need that they can make a difference and improve the quality of life in their communities, give back, and right wrongs. 143 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 They are an integral part of the solution to reduce violence, to find the funding to support programs like Men United, Connection Training, and Mothers In Charge because we do so much more than attend vigils. We are on the front lines every day in spite of our own pain and we're committed, truly committed, because we will not allow our loved ones' lives who have been taken in vain, and we will make a difference. But we need your support and commitment. We want and we must work together. As you've heard this year, there are almost 330-some murders, homicides in the City of Philadelphia. Many families in communities have been devastated by this number each year. It must stop. Now is the time for the call, a real call for action. How many more of our loved ones must die. Who will be 144 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 the next one that receives that dreaded phone call. No one is safe until we're all safe. Please know, as many of us can attest to, that's not a call you ever want to receive. I just want to read the plaque. "The inmate improvement (indiscernible) organization of SCI Chester wishes to recognize Mothers In Charge for taking a stand against violence in our communities and for having the courage to confront prisoners with a message of peace. Stop the violence. " I thank you for the opportunity to testify. Thank you. )

Thank you very much. Any questions? (No questions.)

Again we thank you. And obviously we support 145 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 you. Thank you so much. Commissioner Vic Richard and then Commissioner Leon King; Director of Social Services Julia Danzy; and then Commissioner Carmen Paris. After that, Glenn and Roosevelt Hairston, we got you. (Witnesses come forward.)

And, Commissioner, thank you so much. We know we've kind of mixed it up here. And, Commissioners, we know that you do have a city to run, so we're not trying to hold you any longer. Commissioner Richard, thank you for what you do. I know it's not easy for you commissioners to make financial commitments. We're going to have our Director of Social Services, Julia Danzy, to testify first. And I'd like to publicly thank her. You know, "one day at a time" plays a major role in our city, and if she had a nickel for every 146 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 moment she spent on it, she could retire. But we thank her for her commitment to some of the hard issues and hard cases. But, you know, these are the "where-the- rubber-meets-the-road issues" that we have to deal with every day to help deal not only with drug programs but with homeless programs, other programs involving the welfare of our city, and we thank you for the job you've continued to do.

Good morning, Madam Chairperson and members of the Committee on Finance. I'm Julia Danzy, Director of the Division of Social Services. And I thank you for the opportunity to address the committee. I am going to make mine abbreviated because the Mayor has kind of laid the format for his Safer Streets Strategy, and I will be focusing on the social services piece, which is one of the four prongs of components they have. 147 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 I would just like to preface to say that we're all aware that violence is one of the major challenges before us and that based on data that we've gathered in our last report card: Our homicide victims aged 7 to 24 increased by 41 percent in '05. Our juveniles continue to commit a high rate of homicides with 21 homicides committed by youth under the age of 18 in '05, and it continues to be the leading cause of death among our 15- to 14-yeard-olds [sic] in '04. Clearly said, we have a crisis. The elements that are involved in the Mayor's Safer Streets Strategy for our social-services intervention, which is a complement of our community engagement, encompasses several programs. Some of the specific ones are YVRP, which you will hear specifically from Denise Clayton, who is the coordinator for that program. AVRP, our 148 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 youth curfew centers, and sort of an abbreviated focus to you on our truancy, one of our individual recidivism programs, and really kind of a look at overall our after-school programs. Let me just say first that our AVRP programs are those programs that are -- it's a single program that's designed to prevent the movement into that area of violence and use of guns. The persons who are referred to that program are youth who are between the ages of 13 and 15, because our idea is that if we can do an ounce of prevention, it's worth a pound of cure. And so what we do is, we take in the youth who have shown some indicators of violence either through threats or even aggressive behaviors in the school, either because they have been picked up for some offense but have not yet had to be placed, or because the community at-large has identified that 149 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 child as one who is clearly on the road to being one of those who will be killed or will kill. In addition, we allow referrals from sibling groups who may be involved with our Youth Violence Reduction Program as well as any that the courts, when those kids come through, feel are appropriate for our program. The program is a three-pronged program. The first component of it deals with having youth workers, and those youth workers are assigned just ten youths, and they are to become almost like the skin of those individuals -- knowing their activities, knowing where they go to hang out, and ensuring that they are involved in the things they should be such as school and such as any treatment programs that they're involved in. The second part of that program is what we call our intensive 150 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 treatment segment of it, whereby our adolescents need to be involved in programs that are dealing with them from mental health, from basic more active engagement in productive programs, and in helping them in their school work. And the third part of this program is community engagement, whereby we work to ensure that the community gets involved in not only identifying these youths but providing resources in those communities for getting our kids engaged in more healthy activity. The bottom line for us is that we had never hoped to go and start a program and stay there forever, and so we must empower our communities to feel that they have control over their community and in what's going on in their community so that they can begin to take charge of that. Currently, we have 924 youths who are involved in that program. We've had over 2,000 that were referred to us. 151 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res.

060708 And for every youth that is referred to us, if they're not appropriate for the age of our pre-program, which, again, you do have to have a level of aggressive behavior already evidenced to be in this program because of its intensity, they will, though, be referred to some other program if they're not appropriate for AVRP. It could be some of our after-school programs, our Beacons, it could be at teen centers which I'll elaborate on a little more, it could be any of our other supportive programs that we have. In addition to that, we have our youth curfew programs. We started that program in South Philadelphia in Police Districts 1 and 17. And the reason we went to South Philly first is because at that time, the incidence of youth violence and youth homicides was greater than in any other area. And, unfortunately though, the cooperation between the 152 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 community in helping to identify the perpetrators of these violent acts was the lowest in the city. And so we went out to engage that community, and we made a pact with them that if they would commit to being involved with us as full partners, we would commit to working with them on programs. That community identified for us three key areas that they felt would be essential for how they could help address the violence in their community. One of those was getting the curfew violators off their streets. The other was helping them to find jobs for the young people in their community. And the third was helping them with the truancy issue in their community. We agreed that we would do that. And what we decided first was to take on the issue of the Curfew Center, but all along, we said to them you have to have community involvement. 153 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 And we are pleased to say that we have had consistently between and 4 40 volunteers working with us in those 5 programs. And that program is one that 6 begins at 10 o'clock at night and runs 7 until 8 o'clock in the morning, and we 8 have never had any less than ten to 9 fifteen volunteers with us throughout 10 the staging of those hours within those 11 centers. 12 And what they asked for were 13 several components to be involved in 14 that program. One was certainly 15 accountability for that youth being 16 aware of, This is the law you should not 17 violet. 18 Secondly, it was providing 19 some kind of services and support for 20 the children and families. And, third, it was ensuring that there was a point of parental accountability for those youth who are in violation of the curfew. And we agreed with them. And 154 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 with that, we met with the courts, and they agreed also that where necessary, we would refer families to them, and they would then also have the ability to sanction -- be it from ordering community work, to actually issuing fines. For us, fines was the last thing that we wanted because that was easier to do than it was to make a commitment to working with some of these youths to see why it is so essential for our youth. We have already started the planning and the sort of developing of protocols of how we're going to proceed to ensure that across our city, we have curfew centers that are implemented. We are looking at bringing up five more before the end of this fiscal year and having six by the middle of the next fiscal year. So we are hoping that by July, we will start on our next six, but in November, to begin really 155 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 implementing five more that will cover across our city. And backing up on our AVRP piece, even though we started first in the 12th and 25th District, we now cover that citywide so that all of our youth have the opportunity of being directed to AVRP programs, if that's something that is needed. The next thing that I think is a critical piece to the strategy of what we're doing -- and I agree with you, Councilwoman Blackwell.

While we've seen some good commissioners in recreation in the city, I dare say to you, no one comes higher than Commissioner Richard. He has shown a tremendous ability to be creative, to really think like the adolescent, and to begin to put into the recreation centers innovative programs to the point that we now moved away from -- our recreation centers were always viewed as just basketball, baseball, and swimming. 156 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 He has made it now what it really should have been all the time: An essential component of a quality of life for our community and the families in that community. And he has worked within the DSS structure as a partner and a member of DSS to now be incorporated to where we look at it as an overall treatment program for the families that we are dealing with. One of the pieces that I am crazy about -- and I'm always urging him on to create more and trying to figure out how can we do that -- and that is the teen centers. Commissioner Richard recognizes that when we have great after-school programs -- and we'll mention those in a bit -- that the reality is that the children that we are trying to reach more often than not, who have passed a certain point of prevention per se but are at that 157 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 secondary or tertiary point of prevention, that they need something else to engage them. And so he created the concept of the teen centers, which really, if you've ever had the opportunity of going to them, you immediately get the feeling that this is like a clubhouse that belongs to the adolescents. And so it's a protective environment, though, but at the same time, it responds to some of the very things that our adolescents require from us. And understanding that they're going through growing pains and that they are searching between and vacillating between "I want to be babied" and "I want to be a man" or "I want to be a woman," and helping them to go through that process of being able to make decisions, but, at the same time, protecting them as they kind of get ushered through the boundaries of what life is all about. 158 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 It's putting in things that appeal them, that the way they think. The videos, the games -- there are ways to use them creatively, and Commissioner Richard has found a way to do that. We are now moving with our next budget year to begin to add the other components to it because, unfortunately for Commissioner Richard, he's had to do this kind of tooth-and-nail. We are now looking at how, within DSS, we can bring our collective resources to, one, bring from programming of our DHS pieces a staffing component that provides structured services and programs that will work with our youth, help with the tutorial, help with some of the other aggression- behavior programs, the violence- reduction issues we are talking about. The other is, we know that for most of our children, too many of them, they have behavioral problems. They 159 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 don't have mental illness, but they have emotional problems. And yet, we also know that our adolescents are the last ones that are going to go sit up in a therapeutic setting and spill their guts to a therapist; they're just not going to do it. So we have to find creative ways of how do we introduce that health element to them without them having the awareness even that it's happening. We want to do that in our rec centers, we want to introduce that in the teen centers so that we incorporate an element of the behavioral-health pieces, our social-services pieces; that is, providing a wholistic package that now blends recreation, education, health, and social and emotional development so that our children are well-rounded in their development. In addition to that, as I've said, as we've gone around the city, we have had the communities talk about the 160 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 issues of truancy.

You mentioned it today, Councilman Goode, and I know Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds is always been one who's been concerned about that. While DHS already has truancy programs and we also have truancy courts -- we have eight across the city -- we recognize that for the number of children that we have truant that we have to do better than what we're doing. And so while I won't go into that, because that is an initiative that the Mayor is just now developing with the School District, we certainly have plans for a more expansive movement in that area. As it relates to your out-of-school issues that you talked about, you are absolutely right: We have too many of our young people who have dropped out. And in reality what we've discovered is, they have dropped out because, one, they might have gotten 161 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 in trouble. But more often, we find that they have dropped out because they dropped behind. And after a while, you're not going to go and sit up in a classroom when you're years old, 8 sitting you with 12-year-olds and you 9 can't even read on the same level that 10 they can; it's not going to happen. And 11 we have to be realistic about that. 12 Our education system overall 13 must understand that not every child has 14 to go to college. Every child can be a 15 success within a skilled piece that's 16 endowed to them. Amd so one of the things that DHS has in combination with our youth network development piece is what we call our E3 Centers, which is empowerment, education -- and what is that other one -- employment. What it does is, it pools those three together, and we go out and reach out to our adolescents who have 162 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 dropped out. We kind of put feelers out in areas where they might be. We engage with PWCD, who helps us also in terms of monies for some type of job training and apprenticeship. We provide education within the venue where they can be comfortable, because it's persons within their own categories. And we also help them to gain self-esteem. And we've seen tremendous success in that to the point that we are putting in our budget now for increasing by at least 8 more centers across the city, with an idea of continuing to expand those until we feel that we have ample to cover across the city. We're also partners with Project U-Turn, which recently had its kickoff, whereby it is concerted efforts to ensure that we are reaching out and drawing back our dropouts, because the bottom line is, when you talk with them, you learn that they don't want to be a dropout. They regret that they dropped 163 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 out. They just don't know how to make that U-turn without feeling embarrassed by it. So we have to create the venues that would allow that to happen, and we are more aggressively involved in that. The last thing that I would like to kind of point out is that no 11 matter how many intervention programs we have, at the end of the day, if we don't prevent better than we're doing, we will be at this table every day -- at least we'll be here probably every five years and certainly every decade, because we are seeing it. At this table in the '80s, at the latter part of the '80s, this was going on. And here we are now, at the mid part of 2000, and we're here again on this same issue. Things are cyclical. As Bilal pointed out, we are reaping the unfortunate "benefits" or like thereof 164 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 from the crack epidemic from our children who were born in those families and/or who were raised up in those families, who nurtured themselves, who had no one to inspire education, who had no one to direct them. And, indeed, we are paying for that. We can't continue paying that price. It is cheaper for prevention. And so this administration has done a major commitment towards prevention services.

We increased above and beyond all that we were doing by 45 million just for after-school programs and Beacons. We have 30 Beacons thus far. Five new ones are going up. Ten of those will in our archdiocese, because we recognize our commitment is not just to the public school child; it is to every child in this community. We have after-school programs that in our school systems, in our communities, in our churches to begin 165 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 more and more to bring our children in. And we are looking at that to ensure that we begin to build healthier children, children who understand the value of education from day one. Because, you know what? As much as we talk about creating job programs for getting out our young people who have moved on, the bottom line is: The system we are in, the technology we're in, the job era we're in, we'll never be able to develop enough jobs to capture that population. We must prepare our children for the jobs that exist in the future so that they can have a head start from day one. Thank you and. If you have any questions, I'm here to answer.

Thank you very much, Director Danzy. Excellent testimony. And thank you for all the work that went into and for the commitment of our government to try to make a difference. 166 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 Councilman Goode?

Thank you, Madam Chair. Good afternoon, Ms. Danzy.

Good afternoon.

I want to talk about the issue of intervention versus just prevention. And first, let me start with the question of: What is the source of data for identifying post-school-aged dropouts?

What is the source of data for identifying it? Between surveyed pieces we've done with our kids just who are leaving, or have left, foster care, who dropped out of school after they left out, of looking at the data from our shelter system for youths or young people who are coming through that also, and our prison system, there is data of the percentage of those who --

So you're 167 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 pulling from several sources of data.

Yes.

But there is no data out there that captures all of the post-school dropouts.

All or it, right, right.

My next question along the same lines --

Oh, no. Wait a minute. I will say this to you: You gave me a great segue there, Councilman Goode, to talk about, just quickly, two that the administration is responsible for us being to create that will soon be able to give you that kind of data. We have created a system called DSS Cares, which is a technology system that really is appropriate even for this violence initiative we're talking about because it will now link all of the social-services programs, so that a worker who is in DHS working with a family, with the consent of that 168 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 family, can go in and know they're involved in mental health, they're involved in substance abuse, they're involved in our shelter system, and they have a history in our prison system. That's one piece. But the beautiful piece of it for me that excites me as a manager is that we are putting in all of this aggregate data, and it is now being able to tell us: Tell me how many brown-eyed, brown-haired five-year-olds with mothers who are in prison who have substance-abuse issues.

Ms. Danzy, that's for people who are already in the system.

Yes. You're right. Those are the ones --

Do we have a way of capturing data that tells us who are those people who are post- school-aged who have dropped out?

No. The only 169 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 way -- and yet I know that the Youth Network did some effort in trying to gather some of that data, but I do not know what their primary sources were. And I don't really know if there's anywhere that it's logged at one point, that you really would have to kind of gather it and then store it at some point. But I don't -- I'm sorry. I will try to get that information for you as to whether there is a source.

I'm just actually trying to figure out whether there is a way that we can identify who are the post-school-aged dropouts; and if that is actually the target group, whether we can go after them. And I actually just believe that that's -- I may be wrong, but I believe that that's the key toward a lot of the issues that we're discussing today.

I agree. 170 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708

And so my next question -- and it is not to be critical, and it is sincerely not to be critical. It's actually just a question because I want to know the answer to it: How do we know we're actually identifying the most at-risk youth?

Well, for instance, as we said, the AVRP initiative that we have, we have a criteria by which we establish that you have to have certain characteristics in order to be involved. And those characteristics are risk characteristics, such as you may have a parent who's incarcerated. Two, you may have a sibling who is already committed for a serious crime or has already had a violent activity. You have already exhibited violent behavior but it just has not landed you in a placement piece. You already have some of the pieces involved in our system. You may have already been involved in 171 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 the system because of child abuse or neglect. And then we do, with that assessment, a kind of gridding-out to ensure that you are at a certain level, because resources are limited, and so we have to target them where we are. But that is kind of the way we do it.

So in terms of a data-driven approach, it's not specific, and so the term "most at risk" is still a general term.

It is general except, again, by the specific characteristics because these characteristics are the ones that basically, data has shown, they're the ones where these characteristics, if not addressed, will become more progressive delinquent and will become your prisoners --

I guess --

-- will be your 172 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 dropouts, will be your homeless, will be your substance users.

My question is not so much whether we can broadly identify but whether we can actually target the most at risk and whether there's a way to actually identify the 100 most at risk or the 500 most at risk or the 1,000 most at risk, or whether that is a general term in the way it's used in testimony.

I don't know if, as you are saying, we could say, "I know I absolutely have the 100 most at-risk kids in this program." I couldn't say that, because it depends on what system did they bounce up against. Sometimes I have kids who are most at risk that they may have only bounced up in one of those systems, but I don't know what's perking inside of them; you know what I mean? And so just based on criteria is the best we can do in terms of what 173 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 all the data has shown us of the child who's most inclined to be in prison is the child who's had at almost, we were saying, at age 4, age 5, now they can't read, they're lingering, getting lost in school, and as they move up, they have certain incidents of violence or delinquent behavior. We know that they're on the progression and that those are the kids that are most at risk.

And so you refer to it --

There is no 16 science. I wish I knew a science.

Well, actually, there might a science. I mean, I'm not suggesting there --

Okay. I'll buy it.

But essentially, you referred to a Boston model. Is Philadelphia implementing the Boston model exactly as Boston does it? 174 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708

That's the YVRP, and Denise Clayton will be -- why don't you come up, Denise, and you can explain that to Councilman Goode on that piece. (Witness comes forward.)

Good morning -- oh, good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

I'm Denise Clayton, and I'm the coordinator for the Youth Violence Reduction Partnership in Philadelphia. If you would like me to answer your questions, and then I can make a presentation, or however it would best serve your purpose.

Actually, just in answer to the question of how fully you're implementing the Boston model and whether you've tweaked it regarding Philadelphia, and how scientific is the Boston model?

Well, as I have 175 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 presented before, and perhaps you've already heard, it was about nine years ago where a group of Philadelphians did go to Boston to have the opportunity to observe what was going on in Boston, which was known as "the Boston Miracle." As you know, it was done under Reverend Eugene Rivers, and it was a heavy clergy-based initiative that really helped to identify those young people in the Boston area that were committing most of the crimes. We came back from Boston with a lot of learnings and have adapted that model to Philadelphia. And let me explain why there were some adaptations. In Boston, obviously, it's a much smaller municipality, and they were having primarily their crimes in one concentrated area. In Philadelphia, we don't have the luxury of that. We have multiple areas where we have concentrations of crime, so we had to do some adaptation 176 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 around that model. The other part was that their crimes were gang-based in the traditional gang sense, where they wore colors, through signs, and were very identifiable on the streets. As we know, in Philadelphia, and particularly going back eight years, when YVRP started, we didn't have that level of crime -- I mean, gangs, as demonstrated in Boston. Our gangs are more loosely associated groups that come together around drug corners. And so they aren't -- they don't have that infrastructure of hierarchy that the traditional Crips and Bloods have. And that's what Boston was dealing with. And so we had to come back and, again, do some adaptations to make it applicable to Philadelphia. Since the inception of YVRP eight years ago, we have reduced in the areas where we currently are working, 177 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 which is in the 24th, 25th Police District, the 12th. And at the end of last year, we moved into the 19th Police District. And just recently this summer, we moved into the 22nd Police District. In those areas where we have been at least a year, we have re -- the average of reduction in homicides in the age group in which we focus is 42 percent. So, again, we primarily focus on those young people. And I think, Councilman, that you were saying, how do you identify those most at risk? A little different than AVRP, ours are -- ours are already in the system; it is not a prevention initiative. It is an intervention initiative, with the primary focus of reducing youth homicides. We go up to the age of 24, and so we say our primary mission is to keep these young people alive until 25. 178 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 And we do that with intensive surveillance. We have tremendous cooperation from adult and juvenile probation, the District Attorney's Office, a lot of nonprofit organizations such as Philadelphia Safe and Sound, Philadelphia Anti-drug Anti-violence Network. There's multiple people at the table working on YVRP. And it's through this intensive surveillance where the probation officer -- traditionally an adult -- could have up to 200 cases. The YVRP adult probation officer, the maximum they can have is 25. It's a very different intensity that they have. There are also very set accountabilities in terms of what kind of performance they have to have in terms of benchmarks that they have to meet each month with their youth partner, and that's what we call our young people. And so the surveillance piece 179 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 is more intensified. But on the same side, in line with the Boston model, we have this piece called "Positive Supports." We know that, yes, our primary focus is to keep these young people from being killed or killing others; but at the same time, while we're working with them, we want to turn their lives around. And for me, what I always say is --

So, Miss Clayton --

-- if it weren't for YVRP, these young people would never get these services again.

Miss Clayton --

Yes?

So the Boston model is not an exact model.

It's -- it's --

And I'm not 180 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 suggesting that it should be.

It is not. It's modeled after it fairly closely but not exactly.

Okay. Thank you. My last question is if: We can't capture the full universe of post-school-aged dropouts, are we at least tracking every program participant, everyone who's in the system in terms of whether they are dropouts or not? Do we at least have data for everyone that's in the system with regard to whether they've dropped out of school or not?

All the ones in our system, yes, we do keep their educational level or whether or not they're in --

So everyone who is in the system we have data of whether they dropped out of school or not? 181 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708

You mean in the -- now which system? Are you talking about the total --

I'm not talking about the total universe of post-school-aged dropouts; I'm talking about the total universe of people who are in the system, do we absolutely have dropout data on them?

Well, if it's the parent, no, we wouldn't. We would have the educational level, and you could assume that they've dropped out. If it's any the youth, yes, we do identify what is their educational level, 'cause, first of all, for us, any youth we're dealing with, we don't want them to be a dropout. I mean, that would be a focus of treatment.

Okay. And how do we know their educational level?

One is by the asking. Secondly is by the coordination with our school system in order to 182 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 determine what grade they're in and whether or not they're attending. I mean, a part of the treatment piece is, for instance, in all of our social services programs --

Is there a specific source of data that tells us how much education they have?

No, there is no -- we are trying to get a data link with the school system, but we don't have a central source of data coming to us beyond our asking those systems, what grade are you in? what is your educational attainment level?

Can we find out -- can we make it part of our business, so to speak, to find out, one, the educational attainment level; and two, just very specifically, are they a dropout or not?

Well, I guess we could ask that.

I mean, I'd 183 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 like to see a whole universe of post-school-aged dropouts and see us go target those people. But at least for the people that are in the system, can't we at least make sure we have dropout data on them?

Oh, yes. I don't see why we could not.

Thank you.

I mean, that's just a matter of asking them, you know, because for us, we would then want to address that.

Okay. Thank you.

You're welcome. And, by the way, I do want to say to you, Councilman, that while we can't say conclusively they're at risk, because we direct our AVRP pieces and place them according to where the police have identified the highest youth levels of violence and homicide. We feel that just by the nature of their living in an 184 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 environment of exposure, they are at risk.

Thank you very much. Are there any other questions for Miss Danzy or Miss Clayton? (No further questions.)

Recre ation Commissioner? (Witness comes forward.) COMMISSIONER RICHARDS: Good afternoon, Madam Chair, Councilman, and Councilwoman.

Good afternoon and thank you. COMMISSIONER RICHARDS: My name is Vic Richard, I'm the Recreation Commissioner, and I thank you for the opportunity to present testimony concerning Resolution No. 060708. In our after-school programs in the fiscal year of '06, the Department operated 90 after-school sites across the city. Seven of those 185 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 ninety sites were faith-based or community partners. During those 90, sites there were 2,750 children that registered for the program, with an average daily attendance of 2,235. So far in the beginning of this school year, we have 85 after-school program sites up and running, 7 partner sites with an anticipated registration of over 2500. This past summer, the Department created a program to employ high school students as assistants in the rec centers in the neighborhood. The difference with these young people is, the Department intentionally hired the young people to work directly with the center director and the camp directors to achieve a higher level of job training and career development also in our after-school programs and summer camps. Twenty of the students that 25 participated in that program this past 186 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 summer were recruited directly from the centers that are operating across the 4 city. 5 Currently, there are 20 high 6 school assistant program participants 7 who have been hired and are being 8 trained right now to work in our 9 after-school programs and at special 10 events in the recreation centers. 11 Sixteen of the 20 high school assistants 12 were recruited from the Department's 13 teen centers as well. 14 This selection/hiring practice 15 helps us to showcase the young person in 16 his or her particular neighborhood and 17 create self-esteem and peer group 18 prestige. The training also provides 19 the teens with exposure to the professional sports and leisure career track as well. The Teen Center Program in '06, the department just this past summer hosted 13 dances on Saturday nights. These dances created a 187 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 structured social-growth environment for over 672 teenagers across the city. The teen centers also hosted Friday-night movie nights across the 6 city as well. 7 There have been five personal- 8 development workshop geared specifically 9 for teen girls, with a registration of 10 approximately 300 young ladies, where there have been 220 young ladies that have graduated from this unique program. Currently, the Department operates centers, with a registration 15 of over 3100 teenagers and several 16 thousand drop-ins daily. 17 The Department will dedicate 18 Teen Center No. 10 and 11 in the next 19 three weeks, and has begun construction retrofit of Teen Center No. 12 and 13. I thank you for the opportunity to present this brief testimony today, and I appreciate your leadership and your dedication to our city. 188 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708

Thank you very much. Any questions? (No questions.)

Thank you. We want to have our commissioners -- Commissioner King and Commissioner Paris, you're next. And then I promised that I would get -- Sutan, don't leave us. We need you all. Hang with us for a little bit. Thank you. (Witness comes forward.)

Thank you, Commissioner King, and I thank you for all that you do. You know, many people may not note that when you were hiring, you came right here, right on the pavement of City Hall, and you conducted hiring and had applications there. And you've really instituted a 189 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 new style when it comes to being a commissioner and upgrading and modernizing what we do. It's not easy. Overcrowding makes it not easy. COMMISSIONER KING: Correct.

And, as you know, we try to work with the Local 159. I believe they're concerned people too. None of it is easy, but we appreciate the job that you do and certainly support you in your leadership. COMMISSIONER KING: Thank you, Councilwoman Blackwell.

Thank you. COMMISSIONER KING: I'm Leon King, Commissioner of the Philadelphia Prisons, and I do have some brief remarks; I'm going to read them. And my plan is to digress just once and then wait for your questions. I want to thank you for this 190 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 opportunity to testify. There are 2600 men and women who work in the Philadelphia prison system, who are also residents of the City of Philadelphia and who care deeply about the future of our city. We join you in raising our voices to call for end to violence on our streets. Like everyone else in Philadelphia, correctional staff is affected by crime in their neighborhoods, but they also feel the impact of crime in their workplace. The same people who are dealing drugs and shooting each other on the streets of Philadelphia try to continue their illegal activity once they come to jail. We join you in this call to action. We want to make peace in our homes, in our streets, in our schools, and in our workplaces. And we encourage you to learn about the opportunities of working together with us to achieve these goals. 191 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 Let me add that the 8,800 who are in our custody are also residents of Philadelphia and are also adversely affected by the culture of crime in our streets. Some of them identify with that culture, many of them actively participate and find profit in it. But at the same time, they and their family members are among the most victimized and vulnerable people in our city. And if you walk through our jails and speak with the inmates, you will find that the vast majority of them are just as horrified at the murders and just as angry and desirous of change as you and I. We must help them recognize that change begins with them. We must help them understand that we need to put aside our anger, put aside our fear, and work for real and lasting change in our personal behavior if we are going to change the culture of the streets. So I wanted to come here this 192 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 morning to tell you that our staff is doubly affected by crime, that most inmates want the same peace and safety for their families and their neighborhoods as you and I do, but also to make these three points. First -- and this is the most important point -- any long-term violence-reduction strategy must take into the account the potential impact on the prison system. I am not saying do not put people in jail; I am saying that if that is a part of your strategy, go into it with an understanding and a preparedness to meet the real costs of incarceration as well as the real costs of meaningful alternatives to incarceration, and go into it with some concrete ideas of what you would want incarceration to accomplish, and to work with us to arrive at some realistic, sensible, and coordinated planning of how that might be achieved. And I just want to digress here. 193 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 We're now involved in a mayoral campaign to see who's going to take over when Mayor Street's term of office is up, and I want to connect something that came up with Mothers In Charge and what I read in the newspaper. A while back, there was an article in the Daily News -- I think it was about a shooting or something that happened, and there were two things that were featured. One was an interview with all of the mayoral candidates, asking what they would do about violence in the city. Another was an article about five kids up in SCI Graterford. And all five mayoral candidates said, well, what they would do to fight crime in the city is hire more police, spend more overtime, and I think there was some talk in there about increasing mandatory sentences for thus and thus. And there's two things to be said about that. Whenever we seek to 194 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 increase mandatory sentences, that affects this prison system, the State Department of corrections.

It affects us in that people's bails are going to be higher. If your bail is higher, you're less likely to get out of prison, which means we need to find a place to put you. We don't have much space. Right now, things are climbing down, but prisons were full this summer. So you have to plan about where you're going to put these people. And the prisons are not a bottomless pit where you can just continue emptying thousands of people and having us cram them where we can find them, because then, what's going to happen is, not only will the correctional staff be affected by just dealing with inmates daily, but you're affecting the lives of the people who work at the prison system, because the more you crowd people, the more dangerous it gets, and 195 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 it just takes one little spark to set some inmates off, and you've got employees and inmates who are hurt. The second thing about planning for incarceration is, in that Daily News article, the next one, they talk about five or six kids who are up in SCI Graterford. They were either 10 or in their early 20s, and they were 11 involved in gun violence. And always 12 the gun violence has something to do 13 with drugs most of the time. And they 14 interviewed them. 15 And, you know, it runs the 16 gamut, as we see in the prisons, where 17 some of them had parents who said, "Do 18 the right thing," and they didn't 19 listen. Some of them didn't have parents to help guide them that way, and they ended up doing things that they shouldn't have done. And, I think, going back to one of Councilman Goode's points, I think they all started having trouble in 196 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 middle school, stopped paying attention, and dropped out. They grew up and they were involved in the culture of the street. " That's not the way it works. So we have to take these things into account when we're talking about increasing mandatory sentences and sending people to jail, because the Police Commissioner likes to say, "We 197 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. " We could build jails until we're all blue in the fact and it's three generations away, and what will happen is, we will fill them up, and then we won't have any -- most of the African-American men in this city won't be walking around Center City or in any of your Councilmatic districts; they'll all be up on State Road, in whatever various prison facility we build. So it's very important that we think about what you want incarceration to be, what you want the end-product to be, and making sure that everybody is involved in what the solution is. " And when I first started teaching it two years ago, the textbook told us that the United States 198 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 2 million people. The last textbook came out and told us that we're now the leader in the entire world in the number of people that we have incarcerated. And if you think about that and if you think about the fact that we are also not the safest country in the whole world, I think that makes a glaring point about the effectiveness of incarceration and whether or not that's going to be the solution to crime in the city. Second, public health officials have long looked at incarceration as an opportunity for intervention. That intervention is including testing, evaluation, education, and counseling, as well as treatment and referral of individuals with high-risk behavior and/or chronic or acute medical and behavioral health 199 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 issues. That may be an appropriate model for a response to issues of gun violence and assaultive behavior -- if, after identifying the target population, we can create and support programs to the effective of counseling, education, and treatment both inside the jails and in the community. Third, we welcome your participation in our work. The challenges we face are huge. Fortunately, we are not alone.

We cooperate closely with the courts, other the City departments, criminal justice agencies to create a network of care and support especially for inmates with substance-abuse issues, with abuse issues, with medical and behavioral-health issues who are returning to our communities. We understand the need to work effectively with community-based and neighborhood-based organizations as well 200 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 to meet the needs of those who are coming out of jail. Not only to meet the needs but help those who want to change. The pilot project for this has been the Frankford Reentry Project. It has had its ups and downs during its startup year, but we believe that the relationships we are building with faith-based and community organizations in Frankford that are supported by Probation and Parole and the Courts and the Department of Human Services and others will provide an effective model for reentry that can be replicated in other neighborhoods. And just one digression, 'cause I want to pick up on what somebody said about the business community. That's been one of my frustrations, because the business community has a responsibility and an interest in a safe Philadelphia. And they do not, as far as I can tell, step 201 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 up to the plate either in hiring ex-offenders or in sponsoring organizations like the one that testified before, to come up to the jail and do things like car detailing too often. I was at a community meeting out at 52nd and Parkside or 53rd and Parkside, and I had an ex-offender come up to me, and he had been involved in gun violence and drugs, and he apparently got a light sentence, was set up on State Road, and probably went through the Options Program and some other stuff, and decided that, you know, he was going to give this up. And he went back and got custody of his six kids; one of his daughters I met there at the meeting. He was working under the table for his uncle, he didn't have any health benefit for those kids, et cetera, et cetera. And he told me he actually had a job -- I forget what company he was 202 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 working in. And when they found out about his criminal record, they fired him. So now he's out there, trying to provide for his family, trying to do the right thing. I'm trying to find him a job. But, you know, that's the type of situation. You have somebody who's now off the street, trying to do the right thing, can't get a job because people are discriminating. You know, your debt to society, as far as I'm concerned, is the time of your sentence. If it's two years, when it's done, you go do something else. But that's the situation where that man, in the future, could get so frustrated with the fact that he's been trying to do the right thing, and all of the doors have been shut in his face, and he may well become an angry young man again and take to drugs and terrorizing his neighborhood with guns. 203 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 So, you know, the business community has a lot of responsibility here to step up to the plate -- not only to hire people but to sponsor them. You know, they have Verizon, Aramark -- all of these companies have divisions where they give money to the community. And one of the things they need to start thinking about is sponsoring scholarships for inmates; and whether they're inside or outside the walls, to get them working to make them become productive members of society. In my mind, you know, if you were a gun-toting gun dealer in 1995 and you went to jail for five years or six years and you were at Graterford and you decide you got your bachelor's degree in accounting, when you get out, you should be able to become an accountant. I don't see what one has to do with the other. Now, if you were an embezzler or a thief, that might be a little 204 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 different.

But, you know, you have to be more sensible about what crime you've committed and what job you can do. If we are to extend that model from community custody and minimum custody offenders, to men and women charged with violent offenses, we must have confidence in our ability to effectively intervene in the lives of particular individuals. We must have confidence that we can redirect their desire to find satisfactions and rewards from the culture of the streets to the civic culture of work, family, and community. I invite you to join us in this effort. It is not glamorous work. We do not have all of the answers, and the evidence that we do have suggests that we need to develop programs based on specific needs and underlying issues of particular individuals. We cannot do it without your support. Jail offers a negative 205 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 example. For the few weeks or months or years that an inmate is in jail, they are surrounded by other inmates who are often bad examples of behavior. We need to create communities of positive examples in jails, which we've been starting to do, where people can model good behavior and be rewarded for it, just as we need to develop those communities of positive behavior on the streets, and we need to do it with the same tools -- with education, communication and outreach, with meaningful and productive employment, with decent and affordable housing, with support for families and family reunification, access to medical and behavioral health care, and with safe streets. If this sounds to you like a circular argument, then I invite you to take a step into the circle with us, if you're able, and work with us where we are, with some of the most violent and 206 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 hardened people in the city, but also some of the most vulnerable and needy. That concludes my testimony, and I'm willing to take any questions you may have.

Thank you very much. We had a young man who was sitting to my right who came down to the office yesterday -- I invited him to testify but, of course, this is an extended time -- who just came out of prison, spent many years there, and said, as you mentioned in your testimony, that he knew he was wrong and that he wanted to do something to give back to his community. So it is, as you say: Many people do -- he's no longer a young man but, many do want to contribute to make life better if we can redirect them. And what's the common costs that we say it takes to keep a prisoner incarcerated in a year? 207 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 COMMISSIONER KING: I believe it's $88 a day, around there, about $89 a day.

How much, you said? COMMISSIONER KING: It's about $88 dollars a day.

Yeah, so it makes a big difference. We hear those in numbers all the time. But thank you. That was excellent testimony. Councilman Goode and Councilwoman Reynolds-Brown.

Good afternoon, Commissioner. COMMISSIONER KING: Good afternoon.

To your statement about what we want incarceration to be and to your analogy of how it takes more than an angel coming down on the shoulder of an inmate to make them a quality citizen, please 208 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 speak to what types of efforts -- and very briefly 'cause I know you went into this in great detail during the budget hearings, but for these proceedings, for the, record the types of efforts, educational efforts, that are currently in place in the prison system so that they walk out with some level or degree of additional education more than they had when they came in there. COMMISSIONER KING: Well, for all the certified juveniles, they're required to go to school every day, and they get a high school diploma if they're there long enough. You know, the School District runs that program and they pick them up wherever they left off in high school. And they, you know, move along. And every June, we have a graduation.

Oh, I see. COMMISSIONER KING: So if 209 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 you're there long enough, you get your high school diploma. I think you get a Lincoln High School diploma; it doesn't say "Philadelphia Prisons."

I see. COMMISSIONER KING: And then we have a GED program that the School District also runs for inmates who are not, you know, mandatory -- required to go to school, and I forget the numbers, but we graduate hundreds of people every year through the GED program because, you know, we have teachers that teach the GED, we have Plato and some other things that, you know, if you're not -- if your reading and comprehension level isn't good enough to get you in the GED class, we have a computer-based program called Plato that we allow inmates to work with to get them up to the level so that we can get them to GED. So, we do offer -- you know, if you come and you are there long 210 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 enough, you can get your high school diploma.

And to your best knowledge, the GED program administered by the School District is not in jeopardy? Have you heard any notion about anything that is in jeopardy? COMMISSIONER KING: Well, I mean, the only thing -- it came up in the sense that the Juvenile Law Center was concerned about the extent of the services and the public defender that were being provided to the juveniles. And there was some discussion of scaling back the GED program and taking some of those teachers out of the GED program to meet the requirements that people were demanding of the juveniles. But as I understand it, that did not occur. I haven't heard anything in months about them.

211 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 Do you get reports of the number of young people graduating, getting their GED, who are affiliated with the public school system? COMMISSIONER KING: I don't get regular reports on that, but I could get them for you if you would like, if you want.

I would certainly be interested particularly in the context now that the School District has this severe deficit. And I know you invite Councilmembers to the graduation of your officers. Begin to invite us to the graduation of these young people who are coming back into the real world and have completed their GED. COMMISSIONER KING: And that's -- I mean, that's one of the challenges too. I like to tell the story when I'm out in the community: You know, when you have the juveniles who 212 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 graduate, you know, we give them caps and gowns and we play and we have a valedictorian. And a lot of times -- the last two times I've been to graduation, you know, if you have kids graduating, 8 there's maybe two of them that have any 9 family there, and the rest is just, you 10 know, prison staff, if they have a 11 minute, who come into the auditorium. So it would be very good to, you know, have Councilmembers come up to those graduations and the GED graduates. I recall Councilwoman Blackwell has been to one of the GED graduations, and they always appreciate it when you come. It makes them feel important.

Please make that a practice for us. Thank you for your testimony. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. 213 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 And you always feel like you're in a high school motivational setting. You know, they're so happy. COMMISSIONER KING: Yeah.

And they seem so innocent and so overjoyed. COMMISSIONER KING: Yes.

And so hopeful. It's a wonderful experience. Thank you. Councilman Goode?

Thank you, Madam Chair. Good afternoon, Commissioner. COMMISSIONER KING: Good afternoon.

First I have the obvious question: Of your 8800 inmates, how many are high school dropouts? COMMISSIONER KING: I would say 70 to 80 percent of them.

But do we 214 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 know specifically? COMMISSIONER KING: I could get you that information.

That would be -- COMMISSIONER KING: I could search the database to see if we have that information, and get it. But generally speaking, you know, my modus operandi is 70 or 80 percent of the people there are at a 4th-grade comprehension-in-reading level, so they --

My specific question is: Do we know specifically who they are? Do we know -- COMMISSIONER KING: I will look and see if we can get you that information.

And the second questions is: Do we know how many have GEDs? COMMISSIONER KING: I can get you that information. 215 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708

And, thirdly, how many GEDs are obtained in a year in your system? COMMISSIONER KING: Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you very much. Are there any further questions?

I have just one other questions.

Yes.

Commissioner Danzy spoke about how systems are now talking across each other, which is a major leap for the City of Philadelphia compared to where we were ten years ago. Is there any connect, link with the prison system for the young persons that they're serving and DHS and the School District and the Rec Department up at -- COMMISSIONER KING: Yes. 216 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 Prisons is part of DSS. And our information is integrated into DSS Cares. And, actually, yesterday was the first time I've actually heard some data come out of DSS Cares, and we had -- I think 'cause we're looking at reorganizing and revamping all of our reentry programs, and we got some information, 'cause we know with 35 percent maybe of our population is homeless upon discharge.

Uh-huh. COMMISSIONER KING: So we always want to know, well, how many of them ended up in a shelter? And we found out, I think, that about 6 percent end up in an emergency shelter. So we're beginning to get that information so that, you know, everybody knows where everybody else has been.

Sure. 217 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 COMMISSIONER KING: And it helps us coordinate services, especially, for example, with the women, 'cause I know you're always concerned with the women and, you know, reuniting them with their families and knowing who has, you know, a case in DHS and who doesn't. So they're actually starting to train people on that system now. So we're in the beginning stages of actually using that system.

I'm delighted to hear that. I know, seven years ago, when I came here, there was literally no 18 conversation across systems. And given these days of tighter dollars coming from the Feds, it requires municipalities to act smarter because the dollars are fewer, and to know that DSS is now a real tangible product, that leadership across those departments can interact with is to be applauded. 218 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 Thank you for your testimony. COMMISSIONER KING: Thank you.

Thank you again, Commissioner. COMMISSIONER KING: Thank you, Councilwoman.

And thanks for all you do. We appreciate it. Next is our Health Commissioner, my friend Commissioner Carmen Paris. These aren't easy days, but we do appreciate you. We know it's difficult, but we thank you for the job that you're doing. COMMISSIONER PARIS: Thank you. Good afternoon, Chairwoman Blackwell and members of the Committee on Finance. I am Carmen Paris, interim Health Commissioner, and I would like to present some of the current programs that the Division of Social Services, Department of Public Health has in place 219 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 to help address the issues of violence as part of the Philadelphia Safer Streets initiative. We in the Department of Public Health have incorporated many of the preventive measures the Mayor addressed earlier today. As we have testified in the past, many of us in the public field believe that an approach to effectively reduce violence is one that incorporates concurrently applied strategies that target a variety of risk factors, serves individuals and families. The public health approach component that include identification of the nature of the specific problem through surveillance systems for morbidity and mortality associated with interpersonal violence, identification of those persons or entities that are at risk, application of case-controlled methods to modify risk factors for victims and perpetrators, and institution of ongoing evaluation of the 220 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 controlled methods that have been established. The preeminent component of this model is prevention. This model is not a quick fix that any one entity can expect to put in place; but, rather, it's an approach that must be supported in part by all three levels of government, community leaders and community members, social-service agencies, students, teachers, parents, extended family members, neighbors, peers, behavioral and medical health providers, and the business community. It fairly well documented that there are many risk factors associated with the potential of violence. Youths who are victims of weapons-related violence are at risk for repeat injury and/or death or for becoming perpetrators of violent acts themselves. The identification of youth who are at risk and the application of early intervention techniques are two 221 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 functions that fall within the public health model of addressing violence. The Department of Public Health participates in a number of violence-prevention activities, which includes the Pennsylvania Injury Reporting and Intervention System, PIRIS. This is basically a research project that is funded by the State Department of Health where we are intervening with those young people that have been the victims of shooting. Firearm safety and gun safety lock programs through the Department of Environmental Health Services Injury Prevention Program, we provide firearm safety program, and we do that by every time, we're going to the home, we provide injury-prevention education. And part of that is providing firearm safety locks during the home safety inspection. We also do that at health fairs, with the focus of getting safety 222 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 locks into the hands of home owners possessing guns to reduce the incidence of accidental weapons discharge that may result in injury or death. We have the ability to distribute approximately 800 firearm safety locks per year citywide during these home inspections. We also have the grief assistance program that provides counseling and support services to surviving families, and we are currently operating and have been operating that program out of the Medical Examiner's Office. We also have various domestic violence prevention programs at the eight District Health Centers, and we are also conducting these programs through the Maternity, Child, Family Health programs.

We have extensively trained our staff, our clerical staff, in addressing the issues of violence and 223 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 identifying potential victims. The Department also provides staff for approximately 400 neighborhood health fairs each year throughout the city. Many of our representatives are trained in recognizing the signs of violence, and we have violence prevention and gun safety information at many of these events. I appreciate the opportunity to present testimony of the Department of Public Health programs that focus on the violence prevention as part of the Safer Streets Initiative. Thank you. And I would now like to answer any questions that you might have, ma'am.

Thank you, Commissioner. I didn't realize that you ran the Grief Assistance Program and gave out the locks. I thought it was the police or the D.A.'s Office. So I apologize. 224 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 COMMISSIONER PARIS: Not a problem.

And we thank you for all that do you there. Are there any questions? (No questions.)

Thank you, commissioner. COMMISSIONER PARIS: My pleasure.

And now I'd like to call the University of Pennsylvania Assistant Vice President of Community Relations, Glenn Bryant; and Roosevelt Hairston, Vice President of Government Community Relations, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Dr. Fine, if he's still here. Let me tell you, I won't forget you, Mother Mantua. We got our eye on you. Let me tell you, it must be because we're trying to do what we need to do because these gentlemen I work 225 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 with, and we're talking about not millions, but billions of dollars of investment certainly in West Philadelphia, as you know. And we couldn't make it without 'em. So they can't say that we're not trying to do our very best, because, as I said, we're talking billions of dollars and a new initiative Penn is now starting on its next billion-dollar investment. So we appreciate you. Thank you for your patience. Next time you're here, we'll call you first; is that a deal?

Oh, that's all okay.

And thank you very much. Please identify yourself for the record and begin your testimony.

Hi. Thank you. My name is Glenn Bryant, Assistant Vice President of the University of 226 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 Pennsylvania and head of Community Relations. I want to thank you and Councilman Goode and all of the members of the committee that were here. It was a pleasure to hear the testimony. That's one good thing. Sitting through it is not bad because this -- you know, room should be filled based on this issue of violence as being a present and growing epidemic in our city. And I was listening to the Commissioner of Prisons, who talked about -- and I got my calculator, and I I'm sure you did too. And $88 a day, that averages into $32,120 a year that it costs to have a person in prison. It sounds like a good job to me. And in our call to action, we should consider really the development of a comprehensive plan involving the city and, as Bilal talked about and others, the business community, faith-based, educational institutions, 227 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 and health-care institutions. I think that's really very, very important. My colleague, who should be -- who, I'm sure, will testify a little bit later, he had to leave, Cory Bowman with our Center for Community Partnerships, he will come and talk about some of the programs that exist with respect to youth violence and alternative measures and programs that we believe speak to this critical issue. The various interventions that he will -- that will be discussed, as you know, only represent a small and beginning step in addressing the national and local problem. We clearly understand that the challenges before us will call for a collaborative and well-coordinated effort amongst institutions such as Penn, CHOP, local government, community- and faith-based institutions to create an atmosphere of hope -- and I say "hope" -- and meaningful and long-lasting engagement. 228 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 It has become clear that the needed enforcement interventions are only one measure to address this problem. Youth engagement that includes academic and social exposure and coordinated resources amongst community stakeholders is the key to making inroads with respect to this issue. It's also become clearer that there is an erosion of innate and learned skills in resolving conflict. And I think when we're looking at violence -- and I've been hearing it all this morning -- we're looking at it as a one-lump sum kind of situation, and it's really not that; it's categorized violence. I think there's conflict and that's how people resolve issues more and more. Someone mentioned earlier about behavioral health not being mental health. They're the same thing as far as I'm concerned. People, you know, the individuals that you really need to 229 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 worry about in terms of their mental status are -- those are the individuals that can't cope and are using violence as a form of resolving conflict. It calls for community organizations, health-delivery systems, local and state government agencies to work directly with schools to explore ways to collaboratively address youth violence and all kinds of violence. I spend like one day, one evening a month in Penn's emergency room, and I speak to families, and I see who comes in, and it's not pretty; it truly isn't. Penn has an emergency and trauma room which serves the West Philadelphia community and even beyond. And the amount of violence that I see as a result of gunshot wounds and the like, it really crowds up our trauma room 23 'cause that lets you know how many people are being shot every day and every night in West Philadelphia and in 230 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 Philadelphia. In the past year -- with all that said, in the past year under the leadership of the present government, we've embarked upon an agenda that aims at local engagement, and that's just a term.

We need to put things in action, and we've been looking at ways -- we're the largest private employer in the City of Philadelphia, second to the city, where we intend to build probably more development than the city will see in the next years east of the campus. 15 There are plenty of opportunities. So the question is: How do we change -- how do we turn violence and the issue of violence and all of the symptoms around violence, how do we turn that into opportunities? And I think one of the ways is not only just through enforcement, but how do we put people to work? how do we give people hope? I want to, Councilwoman 231 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 Blackwell, thank you for insisting and urging the University to undertake a very large economic inclusion program which puts people to work, but we are taking one step higher, as you've indicated earlier in this hearing. Not everyone goes to college. In fact, percent of the population in 10 Philadelphia have a BA degree in a city 11 that has more colleges and universities 12 than Boston -- figure that out. 13 But the other piece is: How 14 do we expose our youth to college life 15 and early on? So we intend to double the amount of programming that we have with the youth in our community to come to Penn, to be involved in programs, and to begin today to talk about the summer of 2007 -- not wait until later on to do that, but to talk about it now. And we really challenge all of the business community and all of the other institutions to really think about 232 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 what we can do in terms of a call to action regarding this. 'Cause, like I said, not everyone goes to college, but guess what? There are a lot of buildings that are being constructed. And as I said earlier, we're going to be doing that. And Councilwoman Blackwell has alluded to it early, and we are going to develop what we call the Lucien E. Blackwell Apprenticeship Program. As you know, the unions have not been too friendly for years. Now they are, they seem to be coming around. The School District has announced an apprenticeship program. We're announcing an apprenticeship program very soon. We'll start up and we will employ people on construction jobs at Penn so that they can learn the skill trades and become -- you know, have hope. And I can tell you this and 233 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 then I'll shut up after this. I speak with -- I don't sit just at the ivy tower at Penn, you know. I'm on 52nd Street, which is a major corridor in West Philadelphia, and I speak to the young brothers and I talk to them about -- and some of the older ones, as Councilman Goode said, that have been out and have been in and out of jail, in and out of trouble, have nothing to do no hope. And I kind of mention this program to them, and their eyes lit up, because they too want an opportunity to do something with their lives. They just don't want to sell crack and dope and hide it around porches on the street. They want to do something viable with their lives. And we feel that this program and another program that we're starting, the Skills Development Center, will hopefully be one piece of our attempt to look and address this issue of violence. 234 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 So it is clear that our conventional ways are not working. We feel these are ways that directly address the problem of violence in one respect. So I would like to thank you, Councilwoman Blackwell, for urging the University and working with us to develop programming to meet the needs of -- and address the needs of the community and for your tireless efforts in developing institutional partnerships with the local schools and improving the quality of education and for your efforts in securing additional services and resources for all of us as we work together to improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods. Thank you. I have next to me someone who just popped in.

I was talking so much, I didn't see him come in, but Cory Bowman, who is the Associate Director of our Center for Community Partnerships. 235 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 Which has had a long history of engagement in the community in dealing with community schools. Even before the Beacon Schools stuff even started, Penn was involved in the community school movement, opening up schools all across West Philadelphia.

Welcome and good afternoon. I thank you for coming back, Cory.

Thank you, Councilwoman Blackwell and members of the committee for sponsoring this resolution and convening this important discussion. I'm Cory Bowman. I work at the Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania and have been working to help create community schools in West Philadelphia. The partnerships I want to talk about briefly represent two decades of collaboration between Penn, community organizations, and the public schools in 236 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 West Philadelphia. Our Center for Community Partnership has created, in partnership with a number of organizations, university-assisted community schools that are -- these schools are the centers of education, engagement, and provide a range of services for students, parents, and all community members. The approach behind community schools works towards integrating, mobilizing, and galvanizing the resources of the entire community, including colleges and universities, to improve the community, the school, and the learning of students. More specifically, the community school strategy assumes that, like colleges and universities, public schools can function as environment- changing institutions that can become the strategic centers of partnerships that engage and coordinate a variety of 237 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 organizations and institutions. Public schools belong to all members of the community. Public schools are well suited, therefore, to function as the neighborhood hubs or the nodes around which partnerships and youth programs can be generated and formed. Through collaboration between school, university and community partners, each university-assisted community school site has a variety of locally determined activities and partnerships. Many of these focus on health, environment, and arts and cultures. These programs engage all students, K to 12, and college and university in real-world, hands-on problem-solving. This problem-solving is integrated into school-day learning as well as to after-school, evening, weekend, and summer programs. Young people in community 238 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 schools are engaged in creative work to advance their skills and abilities, advance their social development through service to their school and family, and at the same time, improve quality of life in their own local communities. There are a couple guiding principles of a university-assisted community school. Focus on the neighborhood school as the core institution to revitalize the community. Community schools are open to youth, parents, and community members before and after school, weekends, and summers. University-assisted community schools bring together a university or any institution of higher education and community partners in neighborhood- centered, action oriented efforts that will serve educate-all members that will serve and educate all members of the community, to serve as the educational, social-service, health, and recreational needs of the entire community through 239 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 partnerships with community organizations and social and human service agencies. And, finally, they work to link the school's curriculum programs and services to actually solving, actually addressing identified real-world local problems. I want to spend just a minute to talk about the Sayre High School at 58th and Walnut and Penn University- Assisted Community School Partnership. The Sayre High School Penn University-Assisted Community School Initiative is an example of how these principles are actually put into practice. There's a Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Program that was developed in the school that is a part of Sayre High School becoming a health-focussed high school. Sayre now, after transitioning from becoming a middle school, has 240 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 students in all high school grades, about 700 of them.

And Penn classes, several dozen, are focused in the school to help the high school in this development. Additionally, Penn's Health Professional Schools, such as Social Work, Nursing, Dentistry, Medicine, Law, Designs, et cetera, work to provide clinical and educational services to the school's school day and after school and weekends. Moreover, Sayre is a Beacon Community School, and through Penn, we recently received awards for a 21st Century Community School site. We're finally operating a school-based school and community health center that will be open to all members of the community that will address people without regard to an ability to pay and will serve not only children but families and all members of the community. 241 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 There are four elements of this partnership. First, the school day programming. Our coordinators partner with teachers to create engaging curricula on health topics that complement the core curricula. These curricula are effective interventions exposing students to health knowledge, as well as allowing them to become deliverers of health promotion and deliverers of education to the entire community. For example, Sayre 11th-graders are taking an intake medical procedures course with Penn students to learn how to perform the basic intake medical procedures such as blood pressure, height and weight screenings, glucose, reflex, vision, et cetera. The Sayre students learn about prominent community health concerns, such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, et cetera, and they gain clinical 242 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 experience by operating a weekly after-school monitoring clinic, where they work with Penn doctors, nurses, and other health professional students and community members to provide medical intake services, education, and referrals. These students will be working in the Sayre Health Center when it opens in the next month or two to support its outreach in clinical operations. It's an example of our students learning about health care through actual health care-delivery and improving their own education at the same time and delivering a concrete service to the community. That's an example of school day programming. The second component is, we have after-school, evening, weekend, and summer programs that we operate at Sayre. The Sayre site, through Beacon Community School funding, 21st Century funding, and additional funding that it 243 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 has leveraged through the University and Community Partners operates programs for all members of the community, all ages. They provide free classes that are academic, cultural, recreational, and job training. It's governed by a community advisory board, and it is in the process of working broadly with other city and community agencies to help expand these services. For example, we have an elementary school project at the school that serves well over a hundred children Monday through Friday, three hours a day, during the entire academic year. We have another 200 students in grades 6 through 8 programs. We have another several dozen students in high school career- and college-readiness programs. Moreover, two evenings a week, we have between 150 and 200 members of the community show and attend for three family fitness nights. People take exercise, yoga, cooking, dance, GED, and 244 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 a variety of other recreational classes. We're open on Saturdays, and we provide an academic sports league, and we also provide a Beacon Pride summer camp that serves well over 120 students at the school, including elementary students through Freedom School, a job-readiness program for high school students, and we run a major peer sexual health program and a major nutrition education program where the students learn about these topics by providing educational services to local health clinics and local communities of faith.

Third, we are working with health and clinical collaborations with the school. Our school health needs are supplemented by a number of departments at Penn; for example, the Penn Dental School provides free us dental screenings and care on our dental van, providing critical dental care to over 50 Sayre students a year, as well as 245 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 oral health screenings for several hundred students during the day and an additional several hundred families and community members during fitness nights. Additionally, nursing students work with the school nurse to support heights, weights, vision screenings, and other health services. Students from across the university work with the health teachers to implement engaging health and physical education activities. Fourth and finally, we are in the process of opening a school-based school and communitywide health center. This is federally funded and is a 501(c)(3), an independent community organization that is comprised of the school, community leadership, and the University to operate a unique clinic in the United States that will not only be a community clinic that provides quality health-care services onsite in a school, but is directly linked to the 246 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 educational program of the school, where student from Sayre will be involved in all operations of the health center, its organization, its evaluation, its outreach, and its clinical services. That's our fourth component. In summary, university- assisted community schools serve, educate, and activate their students, their families, and all local residents. Students learn not only by doing, but they learn by and for service. Simultaneously, the University benefits from the unique opportunities community schools provide for learning, research, outreach, and program development. To speed the advance and development of university-assisted community schools as a vehicle to make our schools and communities safer for students, teaches, parents, neighborhoods, and businesses, Philadelphia City government could: 247 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 One, develop and apply innovative funding strategies that provide support to broad-based local coalitions that are designed to develop and sustain university-assisted community schools; and, second, create a multi-agency commission designed to advance and implement university-assisted community schools. We would like to applaud this committee of Council, Councilwoman Blackwell, and City Council in general for holding these important hearings. Thank you very much for your time.

You know, everybody should be here. I hope all of you in your offices have heard it. Just use the Third District as a model, and you will see all of the great things we're doing. Councilwoman Reynolds-Brown?

And we'll get a good example of what's possible when the University connects in 248 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 a meaningful way, both this way but this way as well, and reaches to the real trench of where you're trying to make a difference. So through your testimony, is one to assume that Sayre -- what is the catchment area for the University of Pennsylvania when it comes to these types of programs?

As a liaison between Penn and the West Philadelphia public schools, I work with University City High and its entire feeder pattern, West Philadelphia High and its entire feeder pattern. As you know, there are more high schools now such as Sayre as a high school. Sayre, being 58th and Walnut, serves about 35,000 people in that catchment area as a community, but the Sayre Community School has activities that are distinct from the Shaw Community School that are distinct from 249 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 University City High. Each community school identifies locally its priorities.

I see.

And some of them focus on job training, some of them focus on health care primarily.

I see.

And some of them focus on arts, et cetera. Almost all of them have all of those components, but they prioritize locally what they want, and we support it as that community council sees fit.

Well taken. Are you a one-person shop, or do you have a team?

The Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania has 40 full-time staff. We have eight full-time staff at the 250 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 Sayre School alone. We have a full-time career- and college-readiness coordinator, we have three Beacon full-time staff running evening, weekend, and summer programs. We have three full-time staff working on the school day curriculum to help our Sayre students learn about health through actual health delivery and service learning. And we have a number of other resources. Most of our staff are based in the West Philadelphia public schools.

Okay. And so they are employees of the University of Pennsylvania or of the funding pot that supports that program, or whom?

Councilwoman, that's a good question. The University of Pennsylvania is the fiscal agent, so they are on the University of Pennsylvania payroll, but many of them come through grants. 251 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708

Okay.

So, for example, the three full-time staff are paid for by a Beacon grant of which we are one of --

Of several recipients.

-- two dozen recipients.

Right.

But those employees happen to be managed and supervised fiscally by the University of Pennsylvania, but we make sure that in our model that they report to the Sayre Beacon Community Advisory Council.

I see. And with either dotted lines or bold lines directly to you as well?

We are fiscally responsible but jointly programmatically responsible, meaning that the direction 252 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 of our full-time staff is supervised by our organization at Penn, the principal administration of each school, as well as that Community Advisory Council. But we ultimately are responsible.

Okay. So who are the staff ultimately held accountable by?

By our office, based on the promises and commitments and binding agreements we make with the funding agencies, but we do those in conjunction with our school and community board partners.

Very well. Finally, the programs mentioned here are needed, are substantive, and are substantial in terms of the scale. Where's the evaluation component? 'Cause it's great to offer programming; I did it for years as a program manager, program planner with the City of Philadelphia. 253 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 What matters is that at the end of the day, it's not just a giving out of the money, but the fact that a difference has been made.

I appreciate this question. Thank you. First is, is that we are accountable to individual funders, so for example, the Beacon Program across the city has evaluated our after school as having the highest attendance of all Beacon programs. 14

15 Okay. 16

We have a number 17 of other outcomes with students in terms 18 of raising their attendance and other 19 outcomes that are related to funding. 20 So I guess the first answer to 21 your question is that different funding 22 streams have their own evaluation measures.

I see. 254 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708

Our community schools have been funded sometimes by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor, and we have to have a percentage of people who complete GED or job referrals. We've always met or exceeded all of those. So the first answer is: We meet and exceed through our partnerships the individual requirements of the funders. This is because we can leverage so many resources. So, for example, our after-school programs, by working with the University, we have two-to-one, three-to-one tutor rations because we bring so many university students -- undergraduate, graduate, and also staff -- to the table that other Beacons that may not have higher ed partnerships, so I think that helps our success. But the second part of evaluation, besides individual 255 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 requirements by the many funding sources is, we are for the first time putting together a comprehensive evaluation with the Sayre community, looking at how all of these components add up to actually change the quality of life and health in the Sayre community. And so we are convening a committee that is comprised of the Beacon Program, the after-school program, the school day, the health center to look at what are we doing to actually improve the economic, social, physical, and educational health of the entire community. And we are beginning to figure out how we can actually measure -- how these programs, once we integrate and aggregate them, often the problem is that individual funding sources do not request comprehensive evaluation. They require to just tell us what your attendance is for this piece or what's the graduation rate for this piece? 256 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708

It's not adequate.

But we are excited that we're trying to bring together through our partnership a comprehensive neighborhood health indicator system, where we are collectively responsible for making tangible, measurable change in the health of our communities.

I would submit that the beauty of that information is, at the end, when you look at the evaluation report, the convergence of the services you're offering stacked against what is not happening in other parts of city, because this is probably the only section of the city where you have the convergence of so many needed services, the hope is that there would be a substantial difference made, compared to other parts of the city where you do not have an analogous circumstance. Do you 257 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 follow me?

That's right. The belief of this community school work is that if we create community schools as hubs, while our communities definitely need more resources, a key problem is, how do we integrate and aggregate the resources that are already there. Especially if we leverage the resources of higher education, we can do exactly what you recommend, Councilwoman, which is integrate and aggregate so that these resources truly add up to measurable change, and that's the theory behind community schools.

The public policy direction of the city is to look closely at truancy, to look closely at what's happening between the young people 13 through 17, I believe, with AVRP. And to Councilman Goode's concern and interest, to look at what's happening with the out-of-school youth, 258 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 noting that those are three priority public-policy area of the city that would be useful and helpful for what you're doing to factor and consider those three areas as you evaluate the programs there in West Philadelphia.

We will do that and work with you on that.

Thank you very much for your testimony.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you very much. And we note that the Vice Chair probably knows Dr. Ira Harkavey, who is the Director of the Center for Community Partnerships.

That's my boss.

Is Dr. Harkavey still there?

Yes, he is. He happens to be out of town today and 259 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 wishes he could be here.

You have done well.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is extremely special to me. Many of you that the park in the city where they request most use is the Friends of Malcolm X Park at 52nd and Pine Streets, and that whole renaissance began because of the contribution of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. We couldn't have begun, we couldn't have designed it, we could not have gotten new playground equipment. It looks like a suburban park in the heart of our community. It's across from an elementary school, Bryant School, and a church. And all of that renaissance 260 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 happened because of the wonderful partnership with Children's Hospital and the direct support of Roosevelt Hairston, Vice President of Government and Community Relations. And we thank you. I promise that you and Glenn will be first next time. That's a promise. (Laughter.)

Thank you. Please identify yourself for the record and begin your testimony. Again thank you.

Thank you, Madam Councilwoman. My name is Roosevelt Hairston, and I'm Senior Vice President for Government Relations, Community Affairs, and Deputy General Counsel at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. I'm not going to spend a long time. I'm going to really limit my comments to just a few brief ones. What I would like to do, if it's okay, is to 261 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 just submit our written testimony.

Certainly.

Both mine and Dr. Fine's, rest on that written testimony for the record, as well as to highlight just a few points for the Council, if possible. The first is that we are not going to take up your time today and tell you all of the wonderful things that Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is doing for children. I think it's in the record that we are 151 years old, the oldest children's hospital in the country. Last year we had over a million outpatient encounters. Our emergency department, where Dr. Fine spends part of his time, is one of the busiest emergency departments in the country of any independent children's hospital. We constantly respond and see the tragedies 262 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 that violence causes the children of this city and indeed in the region and nationally. One of the things that we have submitted with our testimony is a 13-page document that outlines for you many of the violence-prevention programs that we currently have in place. And I will tell you, I will confess that we did not put this document together for my testimony or Dr. Fine's today. We put this document together following the tragedy of the Amish shootings. We have received five of the children, the little girls, who were shot in that event. They are still with us at our hospital. One of the difficult things that we learned following that, the initial traumatic period, was that the Amish shooting was indeed and in fact a tragedy that should not have happened. But what we learned and what we became keenly aware of, more so than 263 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 before, is that the violence that's perpetrated upon children that we see every day goes, in large measure, not talked about, not discussed, and not really addressed in a coordinated fashion. And so we commend the Council for having this hearing today. We also commend Council for moving forward in new initiatives. We're not going to spend a lot of time -- or indeed any time, really -- talking about the initiatives that are outlined here, because we have looked at these initiatives as a starting point, not as something to tout for Council or for anyone else. We're going to look at what we're doing. We are here in an effort to be partners, in an effort to be good citizens, and in an effort because we see violence against children as one of the number-one pediatric health issues in this country and certainly a major health issue to the citizens of 264 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 Philadelphia. And so we are here, Councilwoman, to provide you with some information about what we intend to do in the future. And I underscore the word "some" because we would hope that we can partner with you and other members of this Council in the future so that we can enhance some of the things that we are doing, and maybe we can provide value to some of the things that the city is seeking to do. With me today is Dr. Joel Fine, and Dr. Fine is an attending physician, one of our fine emergency department physicians. He is also the principle investigator of the Philadelphia Collaborative Violence Prevention Center, and he's going to provide you with some comments about the work that he is moving forward with doing at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Thank 265 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 you, Mr. Hairston. Thank you, Dr. Fine.

Thank you. My name is Joel Fine, and I'm from Children's Hospital, and thank you Chairwoman Blackwell and members of the Finance Committee. I wanted to come to you today wearing a number of hats -- not just because it's cold out. But as an emergency physician at CHOP, I witness firsthand the devastation that violence reaps on the families and the patients that we take care of in Philadelphia. And every day I can say that our emergency department sees an adolescent or a child that's been injured in a fight, even in their own home. Sometimes we see these children on the nightly news or in the daily papers demonstrating the worse that bullets and knives can cause. But to be honest, most of the 266 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 time, these injuries are minor, and we can patch them up, send them out, and hope that it doesn't happen again. But in our hearts, we know that it will -- if not to them, then to their friends, their classmates, their brothers, or their sisters. And I'm wearing my second hat as a pediatrician. There are other things that we should know. We know that some studies show that the return rate for teenagers who are hospitalized after a violent injury can be up to 44 percent to that same hospital. We also know that the danger of experiencing violence, even worrying about it every day, extends way deeper than the cuts, bruises, and broken bones. The psychological ramifications of violence in the home and on the streets include anxiety and depression, which can lead to substance abuse and other high-risk behaviors that decrease 267 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 the line span of our Philadelphia citizens. Our children often feel that they are offered no choices that can redirect them towards a more positive future. It is our job as parents, physicians, and legislators to work together to give them those choices. And there are many excellent programs and organizations in Philadelphia that can set out to do this. We've heard from many of them today: Men United for a Better Philadelphia; we'll hear from PAN, Mothers In Charge; and some of the more recent ones like the Pennsylvania Injury Reporting and Intervention System, or PIRIS, and the Blueprints for a Safer Philadelphia. My third hat, and the one that I've acquired most recently, is as the director and principle investigator of the Philadelphia Collaborative Violence Prevention Center. This center is a 268 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 CDC-funded, community-based research partnership that includes Penn, CHOP, Drexel, Temple, as well a compendium of interested community organizations, known as PARCC -- the Philadelphia Area Research Community Coalition. Together, we hope to design and implement and evaluate primary prevention programs that reduce violence and aggression in children and in young adults. However, many of these programs count on the fact that kids need a place to go that is not the street corner or an unsafe park. For example, our center hopes to find venues in the city where youth ages 10 to 14 and their parents can congregate, and we hope to utilize the resources and personnel at these sites to implement successful violence-prevention initiatives. The legislation that you're considering will increase the hours of 269 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 operation for recreation facilities and will also provide support for those community members who will want to volunteer for our efforts. We're hopeful that you will consider partnering with us and that other dedicated men and women who work so tirelessly and passionately to seek and reduce the incidents of an impact of violence in our city. I want to thank the committee for their efforts in this initiative and for your consideration.

Thank you so much. And we appreciate the partnership and all that you are -- not only to the citizens of our city and those five children from Lancaster who are there, but what you are to this country and this world. And I'm just proud to represent CHOP here, and we look forward to doing everything that we can to continue to work together. 270 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 And thank you for always coming forward whenever we ask you for documents. Or if we're having any health emergencies, you always come forth. You bring your doctors, your professionals forward so we know what to present in schools. When we went from meningitis years ago at a school in Mantua, whatever the issue has been, CHOP has always been there, and we gratefully appreciate it. Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds-Brown?

Good afternoon, gentlemen. I first need to echo Chairperson Blackwell's comments. We do appreciate it. And clearly, the region appreciates it. So to my question. You've shared with us the number of programs you have on line for children. Have you shared this information with the 271 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 parochial schools, the private schools in the region? since we know now that, as far as Lancaster, parents have had the need for the services that you provide. And the reason why I ask that question is, I know for a fact that a number of school districts are now having lockdown drills because of the Lancaster tragedy. So to that, have you considered making this kind of information public to the school districts across the region?

Yes. Let me start out by saying that one of the -- in my mind, one of the difficult things that Children's Hospital has not done effectively over the years is to tell its story tell, tell the story about some of the programming like some of the ones that are outlined in this document to the public more generally.

272 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 Mm-hmm.

That is something that we're in the process of doing. Part of the reason why we wanted to do compile this as a starring point was to be able to tell the story in a more effective and transparent way.

Sure.

So part of what we intend to do over the next 12 to 18 months, in addition to looking at our partnerships, in addition to trying to create new partnerships where they don't exist, in addition to trying to help people like Dr. Fine, we are also going to be trying to tell our story and provide the information to school districts in a more effective fashion.

Yes.

And I want to put one of our staff people on the spot. 273 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 That is up to Val Cristalis (ph.), who's with us today, as well as Suzanne Ramsey, who is one of our public-affairs writers, to really do for us in a way we haven't done in the past.

I would strongly encourage you to do that because we already know that the time has passed for the need to do that -- again, given the Lancaster tragedies. And it certainly will put school districts at a different place in terms of being proactive and on the ready when they know what's available at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. So if I need to put that request in writing, I'm always ready to do that. But I will say on the record that we would strongly encourage you to look favorably upon that effort. Thank you.

And we will share. As we move forward, we will share information and our communications 274 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 with Council.

Okay. And, again, I emphasize across the region, because parents everywhere have the same concern.

Yes.

Not just those of us in the urban communities -- as, again, Lancaster has already illustrated.

Yes.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you Madam Chair. (Applause.)

Thank you again for all that you do. Let us ask Brother Sutan Achmed (ph.); Dr. Bivins and Mr. Bivins, if you're here; and the Mother of Mantua, Mary Jenkins. We get you next. And don't forget, ladies and 275 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 gentlemen, we still will make a skit on violence available for those who are interested and able to remain. And then after that DVD, we will recess until tomorrow. Thank you, Brother Sutan.

Thank you, Madam Chair, and I thank the Council for the opportunity to come before them. My name is Sutan Achmed. I'm the father of a son who was murdered in the City of Philadelphia, a 15-year-old killed by a 16-year-old over a girl's phone number. My wife and myself have decided that we had to respond to this issue more than just the tears of our loss but in an effort to change the quality of life for young people. One of things that we've looked at as -- and as I've sat here today and listened to much of the various testimony from the Mayor's Office, from the departments of the city, and the adjoining agencies, I find 276 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 that we still have a major contradiction, and I would just like to suggest about four or five things right quick. One, we say to young people that we're concerned about them, but yet we've cut youth service programs. One, we see say that young people need education, but we've cut funding and programs in the School District. One, we say that young people need to grow and develop, but we've cut funding to libraries. We say that children should have safe havens and places to go, but we've cut the recreation budget. We say that we're concerned about young people, but we've seen across the board both from city, state, and federal government that we have continued to cut, cut, cut. And we talk about not cutting in Iran and Iraq, but we have cut and 277 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 run on our children. We've have not given our children the real quality of life or a real opportunity to grow. We have, over the last three years, have held five youth leadership forums where we brought together over 1500 young people and put them at the table and let them qualify what this problem is, how they deal with this problem, and the effects of what they go through each and every day. And out of their discussion, we have come up with a document where we are proposing a bond, a bond. We know that the city has used bonds, and I hope that the other Councilpeople are listening and Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds, but we're proposing a bond. We're proposing that over the last few years, we've used bonds as a way to solve a problem now and full fund it now and then pay for it later. We just passed -- I seen the Finance Committee just passed a 278 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 $150 million bond for arts and culture and, you know, the Philadelphia Zoo and the Parkway and things like that. Governor Rendell recently passed a $600 million bond for the environmental green. We've seen that Mayor Street passed an NTI bond for brick and mortar for 500 million. We've seen that we've passed bonds for the Gas Works, for the Airport, for all other kinds of infrastructure relationships, but we've never passed a bond for the human growth of society. All of or bonds have been targeted to a 30-year period, but they've also been targeted to the growth of the infrastructure of society. And so we're proposing a bond that could be a community youth revenue-generating bond, and the bond is called the $500 million Community Youth Revenue-Generating Bond, and we think that this bond could address six major 279 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 issues. One, it could address the issue of unemployment among our youth. Two, it could address the issue of education, college tuition, and internship. Three, it could address the issues of public-safety programs. Four, it could address the issue of recreation. Five, it could address the issue of economic development. And, six, it could address the issue of community-based funding. We think that this bond, over a 30-year period and in its first year, could put 25,000 young people in full-time, part-time, after-school, and weekend jobs in the public sector, the private sector, the neighborhood sector across the City of Philadelphia.

We think in the first year we could put a thousand youth in college, pay their tuition, and then match them 280 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 up with a community-based organization for their internship to help those community-based organizations to grow and develop. Three, we think that the public-safety initiatives that we could address in such a bond, we could address after-school programs, Town Watch, witness protection programs, and neighborhood policing. Four, we think that we could actually look at fully funding our recreation centers. I know there was a commission report a year ago that talked about that the Department of Recreation would need about $50 million over the next five years to revamp and fully staff these facilities. My own community recreation center that's at 22nd and Cecil B. Moore has almost 25,000 square root of space, and less than 5,000 is being used. It's an entire second floor of 12 offices that are padlocked because there is no 281 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 staff there and there is no program capabilities in such a facility. We think that we can look at the young people who have figured out a way to make money illegally and move them into the economic fiber of their society by creating goods and stock on shelves in stores on many of our commercial corridors throughout the City of Philadelphia. We think this will, in turn, create a tax base, create jobs, and use the very valuable resource that young people bring to the table. And, in fact, last year, the sneaker business was a $16 billion industry growth last year of sneakers alone. So young people will spend all of our money so we can show them how to make money and create a tax base while we're doing that. And we think that we can find a way to look at the many community-based organizations throughout this city who, day in and day out, 282 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 provide goods and services, provide extracurricular support to families throughout the city, but who are all fighting on shoestring budgets. We think that we can now look at a way to fund those groups in a comprehensive way, from A to Z, where they could provide goods and services to their communities based on the scopes of their programs and their ability to change the quality of life. In summary, we think that in four years, we could add 100,000 young people into a workforce, creating new tax dollars to the city's base. In four years, we would have 4,000 youth in colleges who are giving back to community groups by way of the community organizations. In four years, through public-safety initiatives, we would see a major reduction in homicides and other violent acts, helping to move people in the direction of handling their 283 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 contradictions in a nonviolent way. And I would have to suggest to you that in America, this appetite for violence doesn't just start with children; it starts with world leaders, it starts with sports people, it starts with entertainers, it starts with the news, the video games, and across the board. So how hypocritical can we be at times to suggest that young people should resolve their contradiction in a non-violent way when we have world leaders who can't even do that. In a four-year period, we're suggesting that we could create safe havens and recreation facilities across this City of Philadelphia. We think that we have the ability to change the quality of life, that we could restore our small-business corridors with a neighborhood infusion of new dollars and economic development, which would provide goods and services within our 284 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 neighborhoods, leading to new jobs and a new tax base. And in four years, we will tackle the problems of social ills by fully funding community-based organizations.

Finally, our achievable goals would be that we would reduce idle time, giving youth something to do, going back to the concept of working for a living. We think we would strengthen the education and its outcome. We restore the feelings of safety and comfort. We restore positive recreational activities, which would negate the negative behavior. We reestablish the economic bases of our neighborhoods, and we end this cycle of poverty and dependency, restoring growth to many families. Some people said a while ago that the war on poverty is over; I would suggest to you that the war on poverty is not over. In my closing statement, if we 285 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 can use bonds for the infrastructure of society such as bridges, highways, water works, electric systems, convention centers, stadiums, brick and mortar, offices complexes, why not think outside the box and create a human capital bond where we can address the issues of unemployment, education, public safety, recreation, neighborhood economic development, community-based funding. And we could use this $500 million now and pay for it over the next 30 years, as this bond will generate its own revenue growth. As I understood it the other day, the new bond that we passed for the zoo and the arts and culture and to bring tourists to the City of Philadelphia will have a $12 million payback debt service. This bond would generate those kinds of dollars. In closing, bonds have been used as a historical way of solving problems. There is a 30-year cycle 286 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 related to the bond. We think over that same 30-year cycle, we are now changing the quality of life. I would just like to thank you for this opportunity and just say, in closing, that if we are serious about young people in this city, in this state, and in this country, then we have to look at the priority. One of the key statistics that I became aware of recently -- and now the number has changed -- is: 300 million Americans; 250 million guns, with a gun being made every 10 seconds; 195 million cell phones, with a phone being sold every five seconds; and less than 50 million books in our schools. The priorities are completely in the wrong place. And if we're talking about the infrastructure of society and we look at the Office of the President, where there are several departments of government in his office, that no matter who's the 287 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 president, those departments continue to cycle for the growth of society. If we look at the Governor's Office, no matter who becomes the governor, there are secretaries who are responsible for the growth of society. And if we look at the Mayor's Office and look at whoever is in the Mayor's Office, there are departments that have the responsibility for the cycle of growth. Why can't we prioritize and have a Department of Youth at a presidential level, a Department of Youth at the governor's level, or a Department of Youth at a mayor's level. If we're going to solve this problem, we got to deal with it. Being a father who knows what the pain is, who knows that -- I've heard a lot of statistics today, and I heard that, "Under my administration, there's less killings than under the administration. I heard that recreation 288 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 centers are doing this, and I heard that. The only stat that's important to me is that I will never see my child's child, because he was murdered at years old. The only statistic 8 that's important to me and many other 9 mothers and fathers who are losing their 10 children daily is that they will never 11 see the growth of their children. As 12 opposed to planning futures, we're 13 planning funerals. 14 And I'm suggesting that this 15 charge and this Council, who has the ability to change the quality of life in this city, look at such a bond idea.

And this document is drafted from myself, my wife, and a group of young people who believe that bonds have solved other problems, and this bond could change the quality of life in Philadelphia. Thank you very much. ) 289 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708

Thank you very much. And certainly, Mr. Achmed, we thank you for your consistency.

Yes, ma'am.

We've been talking about this for years. You're always motivated and always serious about your commitment to this idea, and we commend you.

Yes, ma'am. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Dr. Bivins and Mr. Bivins, after whom, we will hear Mother of Mantua, Reverend Mother Mary Jenkins. (Witnesses come forward.)

Thank you for your patience. And we really appreciate your commitment to education over the years. I keep up with you, I listen to you whenever I can or whenever you call talk 290 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 radio and when you contribute about your summer school program. As you know, we're Chair of Education again, and you've always been available.

Thank you. We're not always available anymore since we spend about a half a year in Florida now.

I know that. Lucky you. But I know that your time spent here is well spent.

I thank God because I think I am lucky. I am blessed.

Thank you, thank you.

Meanwhile, we're here to address you. We thank you for this opportunity to develop young citizens into contributing persons.

Thank you. Please identify yourself for 291 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 the record.

I'm Eugene Bivins, and this is my wife, Dr. Karen Bivins. And we have been directors of a nonprofit organization called Black Caucus Schools at one time. We have five different sites across the city brought on by a strike by the Federation of Teachers years ago, and we have 12 been contributing that work, although 13 now in one site at (indiscernible) 14 United Methodist Church behind 15 Germantown High School. 16 However, we are set up, and 17 because we are accredited, we can go 18 into any building and carry our 19 accreditation with us and teachers on 20 our staff if needed. 21 We thank you for this 22 opportunity to develop our young 23 persons. You know the problems, so we 24 need not enumerate them in great depth. 25 Some of the problems they face 292 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 include a lack of readiness to enter the world of work. Our schools are licensed and accredited by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the accrediting commission of the academic schools of Pennsylvania. We see a need for many young people to find a trade. However, to become a carpenter or an electrician or a plumber, a construction worker, many will need to gain the number-one skill, that of being able to measure. The lack of this skill stops most of them from entering the job market at step one. Our schools can provide the knowledge of measuring in the English and metric system. Schools in the United States have been unable to find enough teachers who are able to train others to do this for our industries to produce competent workers. We need not dwell on the reasons for the failure of the schools to provide such workers but recognize 293 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 the problem. The United States has fallen so far behind other countries that we must hire foreign teachers to teach science and math. We can teach conversion to and from the metric system and measurement in the English system as well. Most of you have heard that the United States had to drop the teaching of the metric system. We are the only major country in the world to do so, yet every industrial science laboratory in the United States and elsewhere uses the metric system. You can get it from us. If it is only measurement in English units, we can provide that too. We can create new instructors to teach others. To access the target population, we've proposed to rent space from the charter schools. You'll find them across the city so, therefore, the problem that the Mayor talked about of 294 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 reaching all neighborhoods would be solved by using charter schools. This includes the MLK Association for Non-violence adjacent to the Carpenters' Union on Spring Garden. The budget would depend upon the number of applicants. We estimate the cost to be approximately 600 per pupil for a six-week period. If we can be of service, we stand ready to help develop willing persons into productive citizens. It was mentioned earlier by the Police Commissioner and his staff that they have difficulty in solving the problems of I.D. on the street. This is not a part of my presentation, but I would like to bring out the fact that technology exists today. There are certain corporations that produce chips, and chips can be at birth through the nanotechnology, which can produce them so small and put them right under the skin at birth. Of 295 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 course, a lot of people will start yelling that you're getting the mark of the beast or something, but we have to evaluate whether or not it's a program that should be considered by society as far as identifying young people on the streets. I turn it over to my wife now, because she has a slightly different slant on how we should attack this problem.

Thank you, thank you.

Good afternoon. My name is Karen C. Bivins, and I'm the Education Chair for the Philadelphia branch of NAACP. I've been doing that since 1998, along with -- I've been teaching since 1957, and I retired in 1993. And being a glutton for punishment, I went to work for Vision Quest for two years, working with adjudicated youth. So I have had a full-rounded experience in that area. 296 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 I taught biology, chemistry, and physical science and general math. So also, dealing with high school students, I also had a rounded education in working with those young people. I want to start with my position now. Council Lady Blackwell, ladies and gentlemen, we thank you for this opportunity to help to develop and improve the reading schools of ex-offenders with their cooperation so that they may become contributing students. An article in the Friday, October 20, 2006, Inquirer discussing programs to help at-risk students described the School District's dropout prevention efforts. The article notes that 30,000 students dropped out of the city's public schools between 2000 and 2005. They also noted that 8th-graders who attended school less 297 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 than 80 percent of the time and failed either English or math have a 75 percent probability of dropping out of high school. Many have been unable to obtain legitimate employment and became involved in illegal activities to support themselves. Your literature has stated that 35,000 ex-offenders will be released this year. It has been my observation that a significant number of ex-offenders may have been dropped out of school between 6th and 8th grade and may be described as functional illiterates. As a result, their incarceration may have been related to low levels of reading comprehension, resulting in their decisions to turn to robbery, assaults, purse-snatching, car-jacking, drugs-selling, prostitution, and/or other illegal activities due to their inability to obtain legitimate employment. 298 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 Unless they received reading remediation while they were incarcerated, they returned to the streets with the same deficits that led them to their incarceration. Therefore, they may need to receive reading remediation as a necessary intervention to prevent recidivism. Otherwise, they will gain -- they will again revert to negative activities and renewed incarceration. Mandatory reading remediation may ensure that they will be able to function successfully in society by obtaining and maintaining meaningful employment. They will need a phonics-based remedial program to help them to read at a 9th-grade level or better. At my direction, our school contests students to determine their reading level and recruit qualified instructors to provide reading remediation. 299 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 As my husband stated, this budget will depend on the number of applicants who will attend the two-hour classes five days a week for six weeks, with an estimated cost of $600 per applicant. That boils down to about $10 per hour of remediation and teaching. I hope that you will consider my proposal. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Dr. Bivins. Thank you, Mr. Bivins. And you always have something positive to add. And absolutely, reading remediation is so basic. And we thank you very much. Thank you always for coming, your patience, and we are certainly glad to have that important part of your testimony, and we'll fight for that.

Well, we thank you for inviting us and giving us this opportunity.

Thank 300 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 you very much.

Thank you.

Next is Reverend Jenkins, Mom Jenkins, the Mother of Mantua. (Witness comes forward.)

Thank you for your patience. I'm sorry to hold all of you for so long. It does become too long a day for you. And we thank you for -- thanks for your patience and your commitment to Mantua and to kids and seniors in our city.

Good afternoon, Honorable Councilwoman.

Good afternoon.

My name is Mary -- Evangelist Mary Lou Odom/Jenkins, known as Mother of Mantua. I am here on behalf of the following agencies: Mantua Community Planners, Inc., Mantua Block Captain 301 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 Association, and the community at-large. Being an advocate for 40 years or are more for families, children, youth, and justice for humanity has given me the urge to dig deeper in the storehouse. I found in the storehouse of my soul no justice, no peace. The homeless, the hunger, the angry. Why do we find all of the above in the storehouse mentioned? When people are faced with any kind of injustice, they become angry. Anger breeds crime. When we begin to look at the cause and stop blaming the victim, we will see a decline in some of this violence. We need more than the law enforcement to cease the violence. We have to move planning in regards to cease the violence to a level of caring about humanity: Creating jobs for young and old, meeting heads of households better education for all, more treatment for total health care, and support of 302 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 all advocates who are working in God's vineyard, advocating for justice and peace for all humanity. Being in a leadership position, we must remember that it takes an entire community to cease the violence. We must begin with prayer and faith, believing that we can make a difference. Before I close, I would like to say that the storehouse I'm talking about as we, we as people, we as leaders, we as workers, we have the tools, and we are asking for more tools. Mainly, we need tools of faith, tools of strength, and our governments that we serve to help us in our communities, not just one, but the total community. When I say "total community," I'm speaking about the Philadelphia community and its surroundings. Wherever God sends us, that's where we must go to make this violence stop. However the plan comes 303 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 to us, this is how we should utilize it. We must have tools to work -- to meet with, meaning finances to purchase those materials where they are needed. And that material, those materials that I'm speaking about, are simple things. Like when someone is hungry, feed them, make a pot of soup, cook for those who are hungry, feed those who are hungry, clothe those who are naked, and be there for those who ask a helping hand, no matter what it is. If they need your last dollar, give them your last dollar, because the god that we serve will give you another dollar and maybe more. I'm got going to preach, Council, so I'm going to shut up and get off this mic because I know much more I can say, but maybe the next time. And thank you for giving me the opportunity to share this much.

Thank 304 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 you. I appreciate you talking about the victim. Lucien Blackwell used to talk about it all the time. We certainly agree with you. We thank you for your testimony and for being the example you always are. Mary Jenkins, whenever you have a meetings, there's food. She always practices certainly what she preaches. We're sorry to hold everyone. Anthony Murphy, Executive Director of Town Watch Integrated Services; Wiley Smith, Specialist Town Watch Integrated Services. I don't know if Tumar is coming up with you. We welcome you. While you're coming up, we will note that Robert Stone, Director of Stone Center in Southwest Philadelphia, had to leave. 1930 South 60th Street is the Stone Center, and we will submit his testimony for the record. 305 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 We haven't forgotten you, Toby. Next, after our friend Annie Murphy, we will have Marcy Green and Gary Ames. (Witnesses come forward.)

Thank you for patience. It doesn't mean we don't care, and I thank you for your patience. And for those who would like to stay after this, we have not forgotten you, either. Mr. Ferrelli, we got you, from Buffalo Soldiers. I see you, Patricia. We see you, Pat. We will have our testimony. And at the end of all our testimony, we are going to conclude with the skit from Sharon Baptist Church, excerpts of it that we promised we would show sooner. So if some of you in offices would like to see that, we're saying give us about 10, 15 minutes, and we will begin playing that, and that is 306 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 how we will adjourn our hearing for the day. Mr. Murphy, thank you please identify yourself for the record and begin your testimony. Thank you for the important work that Town Watch does.

I recognize how important these hearings are. And no 10 slight at all at the time and how much it takes. There's a lot to be said. In listening the testimony that was in front of me, I would like to try to tailor my responses, not just to what Town Watch Integrated Services does as addressing violence, but also how we begin to look at trying to take a wholistic approach to interacting in the communities in the City of Philadelphia. Town Watch, as you know, is developing and organizing citizens to become involved in community policing. It is through community policing, which is a community engaged and empowered to police itself, that we believe violence 307 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 can be addressed. However, violence in the City of Philadelphia, as is violence throughout our nation, is still growing. Town Watch, in the last few months, particularly with the thrust of the Mayor's Safer Streets Program, we have over 35 new Town Watch groups. We have trained over 800 new citizens -- some for established groups as well as those for new groups. We also train and certify citizens to do safe corridors. We are now currently working with neighborhoods to develop coalitions. Those coalitions are designed around neighborhood issues because we believe neighborhood people are the professionals and have the answers that we need in order to move our communities forward. Our community is families; and, therefore, we have to address families. Town Watch Integrated Services, which took Town Watch s step further from just dealing with groups 308 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 who wanted to patrol their neighborhood, who wanted to report crime, is now to get people involved in addressing it in a proactive manner. We're not waiting for things to happen; we want to make things happen. And the things that we want to make happen are things that prevent negative behavior. To that arm, Town Watch Integrated Services is also a youth-provider agency for the (indiscernible) and violence reduction program in the northwest area of the city. You see, it's important that you don't just deal with those who may do wrong. It's important that you get citizens involved. It is important that we begin to build the type of communities that the City of Philadelphia was always known for, a city of neighborhoods, meaning that in those neighborhoods: 309 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 You were the first line of defense, you were the first line of corrections. We also work with the school system, and we provide incident management for schools and also continually address racial situations throughout our City of Philadelphia. So, again, it's not just Town Watch as Town Watch used to be, but it is involving citizens in the complexity of the problems that we face. Violence in Philadelphia is not unique and is not separate. It's not disjointed. It is connected; it is connected to a culture of violence. It is not just connected to rap music -- and, yeah, we had Caesar Lawrence Tucker, who was our most staunch fighter against that type of music because of the wording. And what we've done is, we've embraced it. And in embracing it, we've embraced the negative images that come from it. And as our children have 310 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 become disjointed -- and, yes, we are dealing with the second and third generations of crack, that drug in and of itself was designed to impact on the female population, unfortunately, always being the strength in the black community. That's what they were. Mothers always made it so that fathers could do. Fathers always did what mothers needed them to do. We've lost that. We no longer have that type of community identification. It is important that as these hearings move forward, we reach out and wrap our arms around the most important ingredients in our community, and that is the family. That is the family in its nucleus, not the family that could pulled apart, because it has happened.

And what we attempt to do in dealing with Town Watch groups is to say that whatever the issue is, we will address the issue with you. And it's not just dealing with 311 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 crime, because Town Watch is about quality of life. It is improving the quality of life that will change the fabric and the culture here in Philadelphia as well as the culture across the state. We've had Columbines. Philadelphia has not had a Columbine. See, we've had incidents of violence throughout our nation that we have not had here. Yes, we've had 330-some-odd homicides. And in Philadelphia, in my youth, we had more homicides in a year than that through an era. " We have to teach children to care, and in order to teach them to care, we must show them some love. And if we do that, and if and when we 312 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 continue to do that and continue to support the initiatives that bring about love, those will be the ingredients that change it around. We are a part of a faith-based initiative because, you see, those institutions in our communities as well as the schools and businesses in our communities must be our partners of change -- not just in one area of the City of Philadelphia but in every area. And not just in Philadelphia; we are throughout the State of Pennsylvania. And not just in Pennsylvania, but throughout our nation. We are a nation that is now suffering from the fact that our culture has been one that has embraced violence as a behavior and has accepted it. We no longer can tolerate violence as an answer to a problem. Young people must learn and must understand, as do we, that it is not going to be solved through the barrel of 313 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 a gun, but it can be resolved through a conversation and a commitment to peace. Thank you for hearing me.

Thank you very much. The work of Town Watch is, as you say, is citywide, it's all-inclusive and absolutely affecting our quality of life. And we thank you for always giving out a Lucien Blackwell Award every year in his honor. And thank you for what you're doing for our city.

As you know, you and Lucien were very much instrumental in my desire to continue to do what I do. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

Thank you, thank you. Next is Ms. Marcy Green and Mr. Gary Ames. (Witnesses come forward.)

Next we will have Kenneth Ferrelli. Then 314 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 we'll have Michael Maleek Allah and Patricia Baltimore. Don't forget, folks, we still have a -- Toby, we haven't forgotten you, and we still will have our video for those who would like to see it. Thank you. Thank you so much for your patience. You were here early. You're so patient. We sure appreciate you.

Better late than never, right?

Thank you.

Good afternoon. I'm Marcy Green. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman, and thank you, members of City Council, for giving me the opportunity to share this critical information with you today. Just for the record, I am a born and bred Philadelphian, lived here all of my life until the last 315 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 three-and-a-half years. During my adult years, I served as a volunteer in Town Watch and Victim Assistance for over 5 years. 6 Also, it should be noted that 7 I have no previous or present vested 8 interest in the modality that I am 9 presenting here today. None of my 10 friends or relatives sell or use this 11 method in their careers. I only know 12 about this amazing development and have 13 been researching it for approximately 15 14 years now. 15 Although significant numbers 16 of people haven't been exposed to the 17 efficacy of this modality, neurofeedback 18 has its roots and discipline that go 19 back 30-plus years, so this is by no 20 means a "Johnny Come Lately." Technology has developed to the level that we can now virtually change the face of the criminal justice system as we know it, to evolve as a safer, more humane, and truly remedial 316 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 institution. We can turn this frightening pandemic of violent behavior and drug and alcohol addiction around if -- big if -- we are willing to step out of the box, explore, and utilize an innovative modality that the more sophisticated computers and software currently have made possible. The name of this modality is neurobiofeedback, and it is the most assuredly very powerful, effective and yet safe, non-invasive method to return an individual to the productive, non-violent person he or she was born to be, with the full measure of self-esteem that is their birthright. Due to the limited time frame we have to make this presentation, I will relate just one choice example that demonstrates how powerful and innovative this is. Several years ago, a young prison official requested that the Texas 317 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 State Correctional Institute, the juvenile division specifically, permit him to initiate a study utilizing neurofeedback. At the time, he worked on the neurofeedback study, Alphonso Breema (ph.) had a master's degree and was given Ph.D.'s to work under him on this program that he proposed. The outcome was that these young folk who had commit capital criminal offenses -- we're speaking of murder and rape -- were so improved that they then had to develop a second follow-up program for early release. The results were virtually remarkable. The revolving-door syndrome phased out. Without further ado, I introduce for the members of City Council and the other presenters that are still here Mr. Gary Ames. Gary is a neurofeedback professional and does hands-on work with this innovative modality. Gary is a licensed 318 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 psychologist in Pennsylvania. His interest in neurobiofeedback began in graduate school in the 1970s during the inception of the field. He resumed his interest in training in neurofeedback in 2002, when the technology arrived. Gary.

Thank you very much.

Thank you and welcome.

I am Gary Ames, citizens and servants and representatives. I have the answer to violent crime. I have the answer to violent crime because I know exactly where the problem lies -- in the right prefrontal cortex. Nineteen out of twenty death-row inmates show electroencephalographic abnormalities right there. Whether the cause be genetic, traumatic brain injury, family, 319 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 community, the cure is the same: Fix the brain and the nervous system, you heal the life, you solve the problem. Does anyone know what the recidivism rate for violent criminals?

We'll let you tell us. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: 50?

That's low. It's about 65 after three years. That's fairly typical. I've brought a few articles summarizing a study that was done over years, with 2,776 felons that were 16 given biofeedback and neurofeedback 17 training. And at the end of 40 sessions 18 of this training, the recidivism rate 19 for this group was 15 percent. That's 20 about a 70 percent reduction in 21 recidivism. 22 We're talking about 23 biofeedback. Biofeedback basically 24 means -- it starts with monitoring of 25 some physiological system and consists 320 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 of interacting with a display of your own physiology. The most powerful sort is brainwave biofeedback. If you put a few sensors up here and we'll see what's going on under the lid, under the hood, and you can make changes in the brain that are permanent, have pervasive benefit. This is safe, non-invasive, and has profound pervasive and enduring benefits. This is fairly -- neurofeedback is so advanced now, it's rather easy to implement. It can be in many settings. Biofeedback in the hands of a physician with his patients is medicine. In the psychologist with his clients, it's therapy. When a teacher does this with her students, it's education. If a parent buys biofeedback equipment for his son, it's parenting. And if a child uses his own brain as the joystick in a game, that's just fun. Nobody owns this. If someone 321 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 in prison or probation uses biofeedback with an offender, then it's rehabilitation. It's easiest to fold a biofeedback or a neurofeedback program into an existing program probably -- whether a halfway house, prisons, these curfew centers I heard about today, and there are programs within police stations for young offenders. Or school programs. About 10, 20, 40 sessions is typically all that is required, hours of training. Typically, people receive better-quality sleep, more emotional calm, greater mental focus. Within ten sessions, most everybody gets that. The price of this equipment can be a few hundred dollars and a few thousand dollars. The program that I have here, which is called "Correcting the Incorrigible," was primarily administered by volunteers in prisons. 322 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 I ask you to have an open mind. Look at the evidence. This is a little strange. Wires on the head, brainwave training is -- but it's not that strange. It is doable, it's cost-effective. I have a few handouts here. Please, you can look at my website, alertfocus.com. There's a section there on criminality. And Google neurofeedback. And I've come here to ask, can I get a meeting?

Of course. And we'll have someone come up -- we'll have Mr. Christmas come up and get some of the information that you have. We're always available to meet with you. Mr. Christmas will likewise give you his card. And if you call us, we're happy for follow-up. We thank you very much. We will read all of the documents you've given us. 323 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 Are there any questions from members of the Committee? (No questions.)

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you. Brother Maleek Allah. (Witness comes forward.)

Thank you for your patience and we thank you. Thank you for being here today and to be involved and committed to making a statement. Welcome.

Peace.

Yes. And to you as well.

My name is Maleek Allah. I'm just released from prison after 17 years, and my testimony here today is based on information and being a service to the City Council and especially under your leadership. 324 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708

Thank you.

A lot of time while we was in prison, we don't have the information that's out here. It's a lot of information out here that can help us. We don't have it. There seems to be a block, some type of a block that stops us from communicating with City Council, but I would like to start a dialogue and start a relationship with the Council so that I can get the information, get the information back into the prison, to the prisoners, and get the information to the youth in our community. I don't have any problem with dealing with the youth in the community 'cause that's where I come from. I was once, you know, that same young brother on the corner, robbing and stealing and shooting and what have you, until I was raised up in Islam by the Elijah Muhammad. 325 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 And so what I'm asking is to be involved in the work of the rebuilding of our community. In order to do that, I would have to be able to communicate with the City Council and get this information back into the prison. I just talked to the Commissioner of the Prisons, and he told me to contact him so that we can sit down and have a meeting, and I would come back into the prison as a representative.

We're happy to work with you. And just for members of this committee, I know him and have known him for years, as did Lucien.

Right.

And certainly, we're happy to work with you. We will coordinate information with you. And then tomorrow, another brother, Robert Smith, was here, who just came 326 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 home after more years than you served.

Mm-hmm.

And so we have to communicate and keep information together so that -- because we are working on trying to have job training and jobs for ex-offenders as well who are coming out and prevent some of those issues like support payments from going in. We've been working with judges as well.

Yes.

And so we have your number. Just make sure that Penny has your number or whoever in my office you would like, just leave it there with Gloria. We'll be here tomorrow, hearing other testimony if you're interested in coming back to hear people who did not testify today but who also have interests in this area. One will be the Chamber of Commerce because we want to talk about 327 10/24/06 - Finance Committee - Res. 060708 what private industry can do to help in this arena.

Right.

So we invite you back if you have time. If not, we will stay in touch with you.

Yes, I do have time.

Thank you. All righty. We'll be here again starting at 9:30 tomorrow morning.

Yes, ma'am. Thank you.