Historic "National Summit on School Violence and Kids from 2:00 to 8:00 pm"

Violence in the Entertainment Industry, News Media Draws Angry Response from Participants

Ed Somers
esomers@usmayors.org

On September 24, 1998 the nation's mayors sponsored an historic National Summit on School Violence and Kids from 2:00 to 8:00 pm in Salt Lake City. The Summit was chaired by Salt Lake City Mayor Deedee Corradini, President of The U.S. Conference of Mayors.

In an emergency response to the recent spree of school shootings, an unparalleled group of concerned leaders came together for the first time to draft a National Action Plan to address the alarming problem of youth violence.

Participants included almost 60 members of The U.S. Conference of Mayors Leadership, several mayors from communities which have recently experienced devastating school shootings, over 15 police chiefs, elected representatives from the National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers and the National Parent/Teachers Association, students, top health, human services, parks, recreation and arts officials, representatives from the entertainment industry and news media, and other national experts on youth violence.

Attorney General Janet Reno, recognizing the importance of this National Summit, came to Salt Lake City to hear from the mayors and other national leaders, and to participate in the drafting of the National Action Plan.

Also participating in the meeting was Roma Downey, star of television's "Touched by an Angel," a show which has received recognition as an exemplary model of positive family programming.

220 Best Practices Released at Summit

Prior to the National Summit, a call went out to all mayors requesting best practices on preventing school violence. The response was immediate and overwhelming. After meeting with local police and community leaders, over 125 mayors submitted in excess of 220 best practices. The resulting report, entitled Preventing School Violence: Best Practices of Mayors in Collaboration with the Police, Schools, and the Community, was released at the National Summit by The United States Conference of Mayors Best Practices Center. The report was funded by the COPS Office of the Department of Justice and its Director, Joseph Brann, participated in the National Summit. (for more information, see story on page 22)

Alarming Statistics on Youth Violence

In setting the tone for the meeting, Mayor Corradini presented participants with a number of stark statistics regarding youth and violence in America. Mayor Corradini was joined by Lisa Cohen, an injury and violence prevention specialist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

• A survey of 16,000 students found that four percent had skipped school in the past thirty days because they were afraid for their own safety.
• An estimated one million children between the grades of 6 and 12 carried guns to school at some point in the last school year.
• The rate of firearm deaths among children under 13 is nearly twelve times higher in the U.S. than in 25 other industrialized nations combined.
• Almost 30 percent of all juvenile offenses are committed on school days, between the hours of 2:00 and 8:00 pm.
• Children watch an average of 28 hours of television each week, roughly twice the time they spend in school.
• Before age 18, the average child will have witnessed over 200,000 violent acts on television, including 16,000 murders.
• More than 60 percent of television programming contains violence.
• 76 percent of children's programming portrays violence in a humorous context.

General Reno Supports 100,000 Youth Counselors

After listening to the ideas suggested by the participants in the National Summit, General Reno commented that the nation must recognize the many "building blocks" needed by youth to help them grow up safe and strong.

Among the specifics mentioned by the General were: each community must understand its basic needs based on statistics and facts, then they can plan how to solve them; child support enforcement is critical; domestic violence must be addressed to interrupt the cycle of family violence; preventive health care and family-friendly workplaces are needed; education is key to all efforts relating to children; every teacher should have training in conflict resolution, as well as police officers; basic life skills must be taught to children; kids must be given the opportunity to give back through service; mentors and tutors need to be trained; and quality housing for all families is needed because physical environments impact the mind of a child.

General Reno then said, "most important - young people need counselors to give them support - that is what I learned today. We must develop the capacity for counselors."

Reno was referring to one of the specific action items offered during the National Summit calling for 100,000 new youth workers or counselors. The General strongly supported the proposal and said that, during a lunch break, had already called back to Washington, DC to have aides begin working on the idea.

A National Action Plan

During the Salt Lake City meeting, participants worked to refine a National Action Plan on School Violence and Kids from 2:00 to 8:00 pm. The first draft of the plan was developed by a task force of mayors, police chiefs, and top city staff which met in Chicago on September 15, chaired by Mayor Scott King of Gary.

The National Action Plan contains proposals in four key areas: School Violence; Kids from 2:00 to 8:00 pm; Youth Violence and the News Media; and Youth Violence and the Entertainment Industry.

Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton of Minneapolis, who chairs the Conference's special Task Force on School Violence and Kids from 2:00 to 8:00 pm, was also represented at the September 15th meeting and was an active participant in the Summit.

Plan to be Presented at October 15 White House Conference

The National Action Plan will be presented to President Clinton on October 15 during the White House Conference on School Safety. Following a July 16 White House meeting with the President, Mayor Corradini and Conference of Mayors Executive Director J. Thomas Cochran, the President sent Lynn Cutler, Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, to participate in the Salt Lake City National Summit and brief the mayors on the October 15 meeting.

According to Ms. Cutler, participation in the actual Conference will be limited to approximately 130 people from a wide variety of fields. However, live satellite coverage of much of the Conference, including President Clinton's remarks and an expert panel, will be available. The White House is encouraging mayors to hold their own local events on October 15 to focus on the issue of school safety and to take advantage of the satellite opportunity.

School Violence

Mayor Hubert Brodell of Jonesboro (AK) and Mayor James Torrey of Eugene (OR), both from areas which experienced recent school shooting incidents, actively participated in the Salt Lake City Summit.

Mayor Torrey said that key indicators of youth violence must be recognized including: 1) substance abuse; 2) failure in school/truancy; 3) anti-social behavior; 4) negative peer associations; and 5) dysfunctional families.

Mayor Brodell focused on the need for alternative schools, greater truancy interdiction, and efforts to improve low self esteem in some children.

Other action items included in this area include:

• 100,000 youth workers or counselors, modeled on the successful COPS program.
• A comprehensive effort to reduce youth-related gun violence, including "one gun a month" limitations, personalization of guns, and increased gun-owner responsibility.
• Metal detectors for schools that need them.
• School uniforms as an effective means of promoting discipline and safer schools.
• Later starting times at schools in light of the latest studies on children's learning patterns.
• Alternative schools for dropouts and others not able to learn in a typical school setting.

Kids from 2:00 to 8:00 pm

Two strong themes ran through the conversation on kids from 2:00 to 8:00 pm. First, the participants stated that school systems must do more to keep school buildings open and make school facilities available for after-school activities.

Second, there was consensus that arts, music, parks, sports and recreation officials can play a critical role in providing meaningful opportunities for youth and reducing violence in the 2:00 to 8:00 hours. As stated by Charles Jordan, Director of the Portland Parks Department, "kids want to be with us."

Other action items included in this area include:

• Increased after-school and summer job opportunities for youth.
• The need for mayors, city councils and school boards to work on the joint use of public facilities for youth programs before and after school.
• Transportation to after-school programs outside of the school system to be provided by school systems.
• Youth services hotlines to provide parents and kids one-stop-shopping information on all services provided by agencies and community organizations.

Youth Violence and the Entertainment Industry

In introducing Roma Downey, star of TV's "Touched by an Angel," Mayor Corradini expressed optimism in the fact that 22 million people watched her show in the previous week, making it the number one show in America. Corradini said that "Touched by an Angel," which is filmed in Salt Lake City, show that the American people are interested in television programming with a positive message which does not glamorize violence.

Ms. Downey said that the entertainment industry does have a responsibility to curb violence, particularly shows that air in the early hours, a sentiment strongly endorsed by the participants in the National Summit. Ms. Downey also urged parents to control the viewing habits of their children.

In addition, Ms. Downey said, "I know that to younger children, I seem like a real angel," and that she would be willing to work with mayors to produce anti-violence PSAs for local TV stations.

Other action items in this area include:

• The formation of a joint task force of mayors with entertainment industry executives to address the proliferation of violence presented to children.
• A boycott against products whose commercials fund violent TV programs.
• A commitment not to air commercials for violent movies and TV programs during youth-watching hours.

Youth Violence and the News Media

Participating in this discussion were David Mazzarella, Editor, USA Today and Charles Feldman, national crime correspondent for CNN.

Mr. Mazzarella said that the news media is constantly wrestling with questions as to whether or not juvenile offenders should be identified and how much detail should be given in youth related crimes. He said that as the nature of youth crimes has become more violent and children are being charged as adults, coverage has increased.

Mr. Feldman told the mayors not to underestimate the power of complaints. He said that CNN takes every viewer response seriously, and that local affiliates will pay attention to the protests of elected leaders.

Other action items included in this area include:

• A joint task force of mayors and news media executives to work to ensure more accurate and balanced news coverage of youth-related issues.
• More follow-through coverage of criminal justice cases showing guilty verdicts and punishment.
• Commercials and sponsorships promoting products such as video games, toys, music, movies, and other television programs that implicitly or explicitly encourage violence should be rejected by news programs which air in the morning hours before school or in the 2:00 to 8:00 pm time period.

In reflecting on the work of the National Summit, Mayor Corradini remarked, "If we take away the means and the opportunity for youth to engage in violent activity, and instead impart them with healthy attitudes and provide attractive alternatives, we can stop the elements that can cause some children to become killers."