Project SAFE Neighborhoods & Project Hope Partner with Faith Community to offer Teen Summit '08
Nightly Event Draws Adults & Teens
March 25, 26 & 27
Project SAFE Neighborhoods Resource Specialist Teresa Vinson shares, "The Teen Summit was truly wonderful and we are so very thankful to Dr. Clary Phelps, Gethsemane Baptist Church and the Interdenominational Fellowship of Churches, for sponsoring this community event."

Vinson offers that throughout the program, teens were able to receive support  and information in the areas of job readiness, motivation and confidence for a better future, and a feeling of constant community care. Parenting 101 classes were offered each night for parents as well. Vinson notes, "A gospel/rap/hip-hop concert was held the final night and offered an inspirational celebration in support of our youth. It is so important that we let the youth of our community know that there are positive alternatives to a life a crime."
 

Project SAFE Neighborhoods Holiday Family Day

Draws Crowd
Event Offers Positive Community Intervention Venue for Salisbury-Rowan Youth
December 8, 2007


 

Participants enjoyed receiving information from the following representatives, training sessions and displays: Project SAFE Neighborhoods' Gang Awareness, Anti-gun Violence Education, Help Your Child Succeed and an Interactive Drug Education Puppet Show. Project SAFE Salisbury, Youth Services Bureau, Communities in Schools, Rowan Partners for Education, Salisbury Parks and Recreation, the YMCA, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Adolescent Family Enrichment Council and Salisbury-Rowan Community Service Council.

Special thanks to our event sponsor, The Rowan County United Way, for their outstanding support for our community. Together we can make a difference!
 

Project SAFE Neighborhoods, established five years ago to curb gun violence in Salisbury, will hold a "Holiday Family Day" Saturday at the J.F. Hurley Family YMCA. It's the second Family Day Project SAFE has organized this year and is part of the city's initiative against gangs and youth violence. The Family Day, going from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., is geared toward families with children in kindergarten through fifth grades. The first 500 families will receive a "goody bag." Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.

Door prize drawings will be held at 1 p.m. To win a door prize, a person must be present and holding a ticket punched at all the workshops, showing attendance. The grand prize is a Wii video game system. Other prizes include four bicycles from Wal-Mart, four DVD players and MP3 players.

Information workshops for parents during the day include Project SAFE Neighborhoods' Gang Awareness, Anti-gun Violence Education, Help Your Child Succeed and an Interactive Drug Education Puppet Show. Information booths and displays will include Project SAFE, Youth Services Bureau, Communities in Schools, Rowan Partners for Education, Salisbury Parks and Recreation, the YMCA, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Adolescent Family Enrichment Council and Salisbury-Rowan Community Service Council.

Music and free food and drinks will be available. There is no admission charge, either. The United Way of Rowan County is sponsoring the event. Salisbury Transit is providing free transportation to and from the YMCA. Children will be able to have their pictures taken with Santa. Other activities for children include the puppet shows, a moon bounce, games, arts and crafts, the Kids' Fire Safety Smokehouse and an appearance by McGruff, the crime dog.

Henry Diggs, the Project SAFE facilitator for its intervention program, said his group knows from the well-attended first Family Day that Saturday's event will be exciting and have an impact. The event was one of the strategies identified by participants in the city's gang summit initiatives. "We just have all kinds of things planned for children so their parents can and will attend the workshops," said Jackie Harris, in charge of youth intervention for Project SAFE.

Mayor Susan Kluttz said she thinks the event is a "wonderful way to bring families together and I hope we can continue this."

"Salisbury-Rowan United II: the Next Steps in Creating an Action Agenda for a Safer Community and a Positive Future for Our Youth" followed the June 14 summit on gangs and youth violence that attracted more than 500 city and county residents. When asked about the difference in attendance, City Manager David Treme said he wasn't disappointed. "I'm pleased at the turnout. I think this is very good. A lot of these people were representations of other, larger groups," he said.

Those who attended learned about the eight focus areas that are part of the new agenda which include law enforcement support programs, schools and school programs and community awareness. Steve Bird of Salisbury used to volunteer with Big Brothers/Big Sisters and thought he could participate in one of the mentoring groups who attended the summit. "I'm encouraged. Everybody cares and they feel like it's something they can do," he said. Barbara Hart, is a minister at First Calvary Baptist said there are no bad children. "They just need to find a path," she said. Hart was also attending to support her husband Keith Hart, who works with J.F. Hurley Family YMCA's Black Achievers Program.

Also at Thursday's summit, Salisbury Police Chief Mark Wilhelm introduced the department's newly expanded Gangs Task Force. In addition to gang investigator Todd Sides, the department has added investigators J.J. Wilkerson and Suad Jakupovic. Wilhelm also introduced Officer Shanita Millsaps, who teaches the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program at Knox Middle School. Sides teaches the same curriculum at Isenberg Elementary. The program is designed to help children resist peer pressures and understand how gangs and youth violence impact the quality of their lives. The police have identified 287 people suspected, admitted or validated as gang members in Salisbury, Wilhelm said. Since January, there have been 137 gang-related incidents reported in the city that range from vandalism to murder.

Educators like Salisbury High School's Sakinah Shakoor attended the summit to advocate for school programs like the one she teaches that cites educational opportunities as one tool to steer children away from gangs and violent behavior. She said the class has a "buffet of different resources." The reason they target freshmen is because "they're young and are easily influenced." "It's to wean them off the path of mediocrity," she said. Shakoor hopes she's inspiring them to do great things now and later in life. Four of Shakoor's students from Success 101, a class that addresses freshman literacy needs, were available to discuss research papers they wrote on gangs. The students -- Brandi Bledsoe, William Watkins, Micah Ford and Mohamed Shakur, wrote on various aspects of gangs from modern gangs, to the Klu Kluk Klan and the Black Panthers to girls in gangs. "I learned that it's not all about being in a social group or being recognized. Instead getting involved in something positive," Bledsoe said, summing up her research paper. "I hope to inspire someone to realize they shouldn't join gangs," Shakur said of discussing his paper with others.

Free prizes and gifts totaling $1,000 were given away during the event. Mayor Susan Kluttz reminded the audience that Project Safe Neighborhoods will have a Family Day Event from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Dec. 8 at the Salisbury YMCA. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a federally funded program created to reduce violent gun crime by partnering volunteer citizens with law enforcement.

For more information about Salisbury-Rowan United visit the Web site at www.salisburync.gov/positiveyouth. Contact Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253 or spotts@salisburypost.com.  

Salisbury-Rowan United Summit

Mayor Susan Kluttz, speaking on stage at the Salisbury Civic Center, addresses a "standing room only" crowd at the recent Salisbury-Rowan United Summit, held June 14, 2007.

The Mayor thanked attendees for their support and asked for citizen suggestions, ideas and thoughts on addressing the youth violence and gang situation in Salisbury-Rowan community. Following the informational segment, attendees were given the opportunity to participate in citizen feedback sessions.
 

Salisbury-Rowan United Summit

County Commissioner Arnold Chamberlain shares his views with summit attendees and asks for community-wide support in the City-County combined efforts underway for helping to deter youth and gang violence.

Upon completion of the informational summit segment held at the Salisbury Civic Center, Mayor Kluttz, Commissioner Chamberlain, Secretary Beatty and Officer Sides were transported to the Salisbury Depot to deliver their message to another large group of summit supporters.

By Steve Huffman, Salisbury Post
Organizers of Saturday's Project Safe Neighborhoods Family Day admitted they didn't know what kind of turnout to expect. Would they have 200 participants? Three hundred? A few organizers went out on a limb and hoped aloud for 400. Turns out, they had that many and a whole lot more. Putting an exact number to a mass of humanity is a lot like totaling those grains of sand that the waves are always pounding. But those who headed Saturday's festivities guessed they had a turnout of 800 to 900 children and parents. At least.

"It was amazing," said Lt. Rory Collins of the Salisbury Police Department, director of Saturday's Family. "We were thrilled." Children and their parents began streaming into the J.F. Hurley Family YMCA early Saturday. The registration line at the front of the Y didn't shorten until mid-afternoon. Along the way, children danced, sang, played and ate more hot dogs than you can shake an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile at. Parents enjoyed some fine dining, too, while also picking up valuable information about organizations and agencies that can help their children. Family Day organizers had packed 240 bags with school supplies, a single bag to be given to each child. The bags contained notebook paper, crayons and the like. All of the pre-packaged bags were given out early, and vouchers for another 310 were distributed. Those with vouchers can pick up their bags at City Hall anytime Thursday. Collins said the motivation behind Family Day stemmed from a recent initiative by the city of Salisbury to fight back against gangs. The idea, Collins said, is to give young people an alternative to joining such groups. "We're trying to help educate young people to resist gangs," he said. "We want to give them confidence to deal with a disagreement without resorting to violence."

Funding for Saturday's activities came from Project Safe Neighborhoods, part of a Governor's Crime Commission grant. Henry Diggs, chairman of Project Safe Salisbury, stood back and observed the proceedings, then smiled. "Just look at everybody," Diggs said. "No one wants to leave. Everyone's having a good time -- adults as well as young people." The turnout, Diggs admitted, moved him. "You're always pleased when something exceeds your expectations," he said.

Lining the halls of the Y were representatives from a number of community organizations, all anxious to get the word out about what they had to offer. "We ran out of pamphlets early," said Sandy Reitz, a representative of Communities in Schools of Rowan County. Donna Wiseman, another CIS representative, said their goal was simple. "We want to let people know what the organization is all about," she said. Carol Morrison is a health education specialist with Salisbury-Rowan Community Service Council. The organization's most well-known offering is HeadStart, aimed at preschoolers. "People have shown a lot of interest," Morrison said of Saturday's attendees. "We've passed out a lot of applications."

Richard Davis, Rowan County director of Boy Scouts of America, said much the same. "There's been a huge turnout," he said. "They're asking a lot of questions, finding out what we're all about." Behind the Y, Joseph Cataldo manned a huge grill. He said he'd been told to plan food for 350 and, as a precaution, had brought enough to feed 500. But police officers helping with Family Day hustled to a local grocery store for more supplies when it became apparent that they still weren't going to have enough food.

Yvonne Hawkins brought her two sons to Family Day and felt moved enough by all that transpired to seek out a Post reporter covering the event. She wanted it in the paper, she said, what Saturday's gathering meant to her and her family. "This program is really good for the community," Hawkins said. "I want everyone to know that." Her friend, Ulander Franklin, accompanied her. Franklin said she brought a number of neighborhood children and said the youngsters couldn't have been treated more kindly. "They've been great to these kids," Franklin said. "This has been a wonderful experience for them."

Part of Saturday's fun included an interactive puppet show where children were shown positive ways of dealing with confrontation. The puppet show was presented by Win-Win Resolutions Inc. McGruff the Crime Dog also wandered the halls of the Y and posed for pictures with the children. Door prizes -- including a pair of bicycles -- were given away.

Contact Steve Huffman at 704-797-4222 or shuffman@salisburypost.com.
 

Article courtesy of Salisbury Post - Reporter Mark Wineka       
Follow-up to city's gang summit is Family Day
on Aug. 18
August 8, 2007
Salisbury Mayor Susan Kluttz said Tuesday she hopes as many as 400 parents and their children will attend the Project Safe Neighborhoods "Family Day," the first big community event meant as a follow-up to the city's June 14 gang summit. The Family Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 18 at the J.F. Hurley Family YMCA on Jake Alexander Boulevard in Salisbury. The event is open to all of Rowan County, the mayor stressed. It will be targeted toward children in kindergarten through fifth grades.

The day will include free food, free school supplies, live music, interactive puppet shows, McGruff the crime dog, workshops for parents, door prizes for children and adults, information booths and displays. Programs and information offered will contain anti-gang, anti-violence messages aimed at youth and their parents. The 45-minute puppet shows will address things such as conflict resolution and will be presented by Win-Win Resolutions Inc. Workshops for parents will arm them with a few strategies on identifying and having their children resist the gang lifestyle. The music will include Christian-based bands and Christian hip-hop.

Rory Collins of the Salisbury Police Department and Karen South Carpenter of the Youth Services Bureau described some of the components of Family Day for Salisbury City Council on Tuesday. Funding for the event will come from a Governor's Crime Commission grant, which also has supported the "Nine-Up" program. Nine-Up identifies rising ninth-graders who are at risk and provides a month long program of mentoring and tutoring. Fifty students were in the program this year.

Kluttz said the core group which has been looking into the gang issue met for three hours Monday to come up with an action agenda based on input gained from the hundreds who participated in the June 14 Gang Summit. The group decided there should be eight categories or components to the agenda:

* Law enforcement measures to curb gang violence.

* Jobs and job training for youth between 16 and 20.

* Mentoring and tutoring of youth.

* Expanded recreational opportunities.

* The utilization of schools.

* Support for parents.

* Education of the community on identifying the signs of gang activity.

* Encouraging the faith community to be involved.

Kluttz emphasized again that gang activity and youth violence has to be addressed through a grass-roots initiative on many levels. But she said for now the community should leverage its existing resources and not create any new programs. Officials in other N.C. cities have been impressed with Salisbury's approach and massive citizen participation on the gang issue to date and have used it as an example, Kluttz said.
Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263, or mwineka@salisburypost.com.

Creation of Action Agenda to Take Place Next
July 18, 2007

Mayor Susan Kluttz on behalf of the Salisbury City Council and Commissioner Arnold Chamberlain on behalf of the Rowan County Board of Commissioners would like to take this opportunity to express their appreciation to the many dedicated citizens, civic/community/business leaders, school administrators, law enforcement officials and municipal leaders who attended the recent Salisbury-Rowan United Summit and the Anti-Gang Bill Press Conference.

Valuable feedback provided through Focus Group participation at the Salisbury-Rowan United Summit has been tabulated, compiled and presented to Salisbury City Council on July 3.

Mayor Susan Kluttz, in an update to Salisbury City Council just yesterday, offered that, "Councilman Kennedy and myself will be meeting with the core committee that organized the summit and we will put together a proposed action agenda which we will be bringing to the Council for consideration to adopt. It will include the Council's appointment of a coordinating committee, to coordinate our resources and volunteers and people who want to help with people who are in need. It will be a plan that the entire community can use to assist in these efforts."
 

Mayors representing 23 of North Carolina's largest cities urged legislators Monday to pass a "Street Gang Prevention Act." They said the problems with gang activity can reach into every community. "This is not just a big-city issue," Salisbury Mayor Susan Kluttz said at a press conference held by the N.C. Metropolitan Coalition at Salisbury City Hall Monday.

Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines said the Street Gang Prevention Act -- represented by House Bill 274 and Senate Bill 1358 -- would accomplish four important things:
* For the first time, it will define a "criminal street gang" and "criminal gang activity" in North Carolina's general statutes.
* It would provide increased punishments for crimes committed while conducting gang behaviors.
* It would make it illegal to be a gang leader and criminalizes threats to a person or that person's family for leaving a gang.
* It would allot funds for gang prevention and intervention programs.
Rowan County's State Reps. Lorene Coates, a Democrat, and Fred Steen, a Republican, support the legislation. Coates is a sponsor of House Bill 274. The House bill would appropriate $10 million to the Governor's Crime Commission to provide grants for street gang violence prevention and intervention programs.

It also would allocate $150,000 to the N.C. Department of Justice for the purchase of software that would create a statewide criminal street gang database. State Sen. Andrew Brock, R-Davie, said the Senate Judiciary I Committee has discussed the Street Gang Prevention Act five times already -- an indication of how important senators think it is. While forces exist in trying to weaken the bill, according to Brock, he said it could emerge from the committee as early as today. Salisbury City Council already has passed a resolution in support of the Street Gang Prevention Act, and other members of the coalition, whose cities encompass some 2.5 million people, are expected to follow suit.

Gangs and youth violence have been front-burner issues for Salisbury this year, especially after the March 17 shooting death of 13-year-old Treasure Feamster. The middle school student, attending a party at the J.C. Price American Legion Post on Old Wilkesboro Road, was shot and killed when she was caught in crossfire between rival gang members in the post's parking lot. Salisbury City Council has approved the hiring of two additional police officers to concentrate on gang activity. On June 14, the city also sponsored a community summit on gangs that attracted more than 500 people to two city locations. The action plan resulting from the community's input at the summit will be presented to City Council this afternoon. The coalition held two Monday press conferences, one in Greensboro and one in Salisbury, on its concerns about gangs. The mayors and others speaking at the Salisbury press conference noted that states next to North Carolina -- Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina -- have all passed gang legislation. More than 70 percent of the states in the country have enacted gang legislation, in fact. Speakers Monday described the legislation being considered in North Carolina as a comprehensive, balanced approach that can't afford to be weakened. Joines said the act as written represents suppression, intervention and prevention working together.

Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory said gangs are infiltrating schools, neighborhoods and families, and he warned that youthful members of gangs are stealing, robbing, selling drugs and killing people. McCrory said the average age of a gang member is 15, and gang leaders are recruiting kids as young as 11 and 12.

Gastonia Police Chief Terry Sult said gangs are in direct competition for today's youth. They look at the potential members as a ready-made network to distribute drugs and commit crimes. They compete by offering kids jackets, tennis shoes and cash, which the youths often find more attractive than minimum-wage jobs at fast-food restaurants, Sult said. The legislation is needed to go after people who are recruiting kids in the schools and putting guns in the hands of children, the Gastonia chief added.

Gastonia Mayor Jennifer Stultz described how her city recently had 40 car break-ins in one day and learned that the break-ins were part of a gang initiation. The potential gang members' task was to see how many break-ins they could pull off in 24 hours. Stultz warned that gang membership will become generational unless communities address the issue now and pass legislation with some teeth. "We've got to make this happen," she said.

Forsyth County District Attorney Tom Keith said gangs were a state problem needing a state solution. He noted the bills' harsher provisions for gang members who would use or display a gun in criminal activities. "It is a strong bill," he said. Keith and others said they also support increases in court costs to provide for more jail beds. One problem, a coalition member said, was that many gang members under 16 are released immediately back into neighborhoods after their arrests. They don't fear incarceration because they know chances are slim that the state has detention space for them. The Salisbury press conference attracted law enforcement from across the state, as well as numerous local police officers, town and county officials.

Kluttz introduced virtually everyone in the room to show how far people traveled and how strongly they support the legislation, she said. Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263, or mwineka@salisburypost.com.
 

More than 400 people gathered Thursday for what many called the largest community meeting of its kind to discuss how to address gangs and youth violence.

About 300 people filled the Salisbury Civic Center and an overflow crowd of about 150 assembled at the Salisbury Station for the city-county gang summit.

Bryan Beatty, secretary of the N.C. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety, spoke to the group about government funding for programs to detect and deter gang activity. He also encouraged people to speak to legislators about laws to secure the communities.

Salisbury Police Gang Investigator Todd Sides said the number of gangs is on the rise. "We are looking at 25-plus gangs in the city," Sides said.

He asked parents to cooperate when law enforcement investigates crimes and not be quick to think their child couldn't be involved in gang activity. Law enforcement officers are here to enforce laws so people can live without fear, Sides said.

Mayor Susan Kluttz followed Sides, saying that when it seems like law enforcement officers are being hard on children, it's because they have to be.

The crowd divided into 13 groups, including churches, recreation programs, civic clubs, neighborhood associations and more. Each group had a facilitator who was either one of the many organizers or a law enforcement officer, fire fighter and the like.

The groups addressed three issues: what community assets or resources are available, an idea each group wanted the community to focus on and what they wanted the community to do.

Once the groups came up with their ideas, they presented them. Those collected ideas will then be narrowed down and presented to the Salisbury City Council.

After the event, Kluttz said she believed the turnout would be astronomical. "This proves what I felt in my heart about this community. I'm proud to represent the city," she said. Kluttz said the solution will need to come from clergy, educators, law enforcement and many others. "I think this is the beginning," she said.

Robert Heffern, principal of Koontz Elementary School, said it was good to see different groups represented, including business leaders, churches and other community groups. "It's an indication that people love their community and want it to be the very best," Heffern said. He said he hopes everyone who attended keeps the "spirit of active involvement." "That's the most beautiful thing. Any solutions that are going to come are going to have to come from the people," he said.

Salisbury Deputy Police Chief Steve Whitley echoed those same sentiments, saying he hopes the vision for the community didn't stop with this meeting. He said his biggest fear is that this is a one-time, feel-good kind of event. "This is a fantastic beginning. We want this to be the start of a long, successful relationship," he said.

Sitting in a group was the Salisbury Police Department's Explorer unit, a program designed to introduce youth to law enforcement and a possible future career. Brandon Avant, 18, an Explorer, said people in the group he sat with discussed their idea of a perfect community. They said they'd want to live in a world where they didn't have to lock their doors or worry about something bad happening to them while walking down the street. "The group said our ideal community is Mayberry," Avant said simply. Of the summit, he said he's never been part of a gathering of its caliber. "It's great to see how many people came out to better their community," Avant said.

Meagan Smith, 18, also an Explorer, said that if parents involved their children in positive activities, like the Explorers, it would lessen the violence. She said Explorers has given her something constructive to do with her time. It also makes her aware of the problems in the community, "I just want to solve the problems of the world," she said.

Colleen Morris, of Salisbury, attended the event to support her grandson Corey Whitlack, 11, who was bullied in school and threatened by classmates. Whitlack said the classmates told him they would shoot him. He has since become friends with the same children who threatened him. He missed karate practice to learn "what to look for" in gang behavior.

Cedrice Sanders, 11, and her friend Jayhona Johnson, 10, were also at the event to learn about gangs, drugs and violence, the girls said. They, too, said this meeting was something they knew they wanted to and had to attend.

The Rev. Nilous Avery, of Mount Zion Baptist Church, said it was good that the community was coming together with some goals and objectives. "I hope this will be a true action agenda where people will be active in enhancing the community," he said.

Tia Glass attended the event with more than 40 people from her church, Cornerstone Baptist Church. "This is what heaven is supposed to be like. This is beautiful," she said of the diverse attendance.

Some of the top ideas the community came up with were to promote interaction between schools, local government, churches, etc.; implement a curfew and increase parent involvement. Also to increase media coverage to raise awareness and create affordable programs.

One group's idea was "keeping the community aware that they are the eyes and ears of law enforcement. Without their help and involvement, law enforcement will never succeed."

The next step is to look at the feedback and submit ideas to City Council to be discussed at its July 3 meeting.

Another summit is expected in the fall, around September, to examine how the ideas have helped.

All 3,300 officers in Washington, D.C.'s sworn police force worked overtime last weekend in a blitz to jumpstart the city's summer crime-fighting program, aimed in part at gangs. They arrested nearly 500 people and soon expect to have 72 surveillance cameras standing watch across the city.

In South Carolina, where at least 340 gangs are in operation, a new law expands the state grand jury's powers to subpoena and investigate gangs. The law allows officers to seize gang property and creates a statewide database of gang members.

And in municipalities surrounding Atlanta, new street gang ordinances allow police to take minor crimes such as vandalism, disorderly conduct and trespassing to municipal courts for swift, sure punishment -- rather than to the heavily burdened state courts. Victims also could get punitive damages three times the value of their loss if they file a civil suit in municipal court.

"When word gets out that it is something we are not going to tolerate, we hope the gangs move on," Lawrenceville Mayor Rex Millsaps said.

As Salisbury-Rowan officials and volunteers sift through ideas from last week's gang summit, it's important to remember how widespread the gang problem is and how varied the solutions. The community needs to diminish the allure of gangs by giving young people better alternatives, but that's not the only tactic. A tough stance against gangs themselves and the crimes they commit is essential. If authorities can take a hard line on minor infractions -- and the community will back them up -- young members might drop out of gangs before their crimes get more serious.

In the past 25 years, according to national reports, both the number of cities with reported youth gang problems and the number of gang members have increased nearly sevenfold, while the estimated number of youth gangs has increased more than 10 times. Police say Salisbury has more than 25 gangs, from motorcycle gangs to youth gangs.

The more than 400 people who turned out Thursday night for the Salisbury-Rowan summit showed by their numbers that awareness is up, and so is determination to counteract this corrosive trend. Gangs are not limited to metropolitan areas. They're everywhere -- small cities, quaint towns and out in rural areas. They're everyone's problem.

One study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, "Youth Gang Problems and Strategies," concludes that the most effective approach will likely involve prevention, intervention and suppression strategies executed in a collaborative way, supported by shared information, and validated by rigorous evaluation.

Salisbury-Rowan took the first step toward that collaboration by coming together from varied walks of life on Thursday night and sharing perspectives on gang activity. Many more steps and perhaps missteps lie ahead. But eyes are open to the problem and hearts are earnest in wanting to help. That's a good start.
 

Salisbury-Rowan United Website created on June 18, 2007. Latest updates posted on 2/7/08.

 Thank you for visiting the Salisbury-Rowan United Website. To submit questions, concerns or ideas for addressing youth violence within Salisbury-Rowan, please click here.