Britain to model "solution" after U.S. experiences

British Prime Minister David Cameron has called for laws appropriate for Great Britain but modeled after U.S. cities that had problems with street gangs.

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Friday, 12.08.2011.

13:54

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British Prime Minister David Cameron has called for laws appropriate for Great Britain but modeled after U.S. cities that had problems with street gangs. StreetSafe Boston could be the best model for British legislators. Britain to model "solution" after U.S. experiences The StreetSafe project in Boston is a model that seeks to bring down disproportionately high youth crime rates in neighbourhoods persistently affected by violence. One of its workers, Alan Turner, believes connecting with the young is crucial to success. “I am in charge of one street only, the street I know almost everyone on. Those are young people I usually work with and I know their weaknesses, I know their needs, I help them by finding them jobs, by making them go back to school, I try to give them hope and encourage the entire family,” Turner pointed out. StreetSafe Boston is trying to find solutions to problems by relying on the entire community – from gang members, police to employers. “It’s not just a police problem, because the police can’t arrest their way out of it. The community, the civic community, the business community, schools and others where these young folks convene, have to sit and talk and collectively think about what is the next step. That’s the lesson we have learned from our past,” said StreetSafe Boston Vice-President Robert Lewis Jr. A similar system was set up in Los Angeles, where in 1992 street riots, clashes with police and robberies lasted six days and left more than 50 people dead and thousands injured. U.S. Community Coalition officials say the situation in Great Britain reminds them of the situation they have been through. “Problems run deep, they have roots in both social and economic inequality. There is no magic solution here. It takes years and hard work of a large number of people to find a solution,“ Community Coalition’s Coordinator Joanne Kim. A scene from Birminham (FoNet)

Britain to model "solution" after U.S. experiences

The StreetSafe project in Boston is a model that seeks to bring down disproportionately high youth crime rates in neighbourhoods persistently affected by violence.

One of its workers, Alan Turner, believes connecting with the young is crucial to success.

“I am in charge of one street only, the street I know almost everyone on. Those are young people I usually work with and I know their weaknesses, I know their needs, I help them by finding them jobs, by making them go back to school, I try to give them hope and encourage the entire family,” Turner pointed out.

StreetSafe Boston is trying to find solutions to problems by relying on the entire community – from gang members, police to employers.

“It’s not just a police problem, because the police can’t arrest their way out of it. The community, the civic community, the business community, schools and others where these young folks convene, have to sit and talk and collectively think about what is the next step. That’s the lesson we have learned from our past,” said StreetSafe Boston Vice-President Robert Lewis Jr.

A similar system was set up in Los Angeles, where in 1992 street riots, clashes with police and robberies lasted six days and left more than 50 people dead and thousands injured.

U.S. Community Coalition officials say the situation in Great Britain reminds them of the situation they have been through.

“Problems run deep, they have roots in both social and economic inequality. There is no magic solution here. It takes years and hard work of a large number of people to find a solution,“ Community Coalition’s Coordinator Joanne Kim.

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