Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 9-25-15 Edition

Local
‘Safe And Sound Hillsborough’ Comes To Grant Park
Safe And Sound Hillsborough (from left to right): County Administrator Mike Bridenback; Public De- fender Julianne Holt; Temple Terrace Mayor Frank Chillura; Temple Terrace City Manager Gerald See- ber; School Board member Cindy Stuart; School Board member April Griffin; Commissioner Kevin Beckner (Chair); Mayor Bob Buckhorn (Vice-Chair); Assistant State Attorney Karen Stanley; Chief Judge Mann Menendez. Colonel Donna Lusczynski; Plant City Assistant City Manager Bill McDaniel, and Plant City Mayor Mary Thomas Mathis.
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Grant Park Resident Coun- cil President, Desmond Key, said he’s elated over a new ini- tiative called “Safe And Sound Hillsborough.”
On Tuesday, the program came to the Grant Park Com- munity Center, and Key said the mission is to target vio- lence in Hillsborough County.
“They are going park-to- park with tools that can be used to curb the violence in those communities.”
Representatives from “Safe and Sound Hillsborough” (for- merly the Violence Prevention collaborative) discussed the re- sults of a survey. They also shared the results of a brief survey conducted during a mock trial last month in which teens presented court case re- lated to gun violence.
“This program brings attention to the need for our young peo- ple to know and understand what’s happening outside their community,” said Key.
“This is more than a diver- sity program. However, the community can collaborate with “Safe and Sound” with their own initiatives.”
Key said everyone needs to
DESMOND KEY Grant Park Resident Association President
stop taking a race-based ap- proach to the problem of vio- lence with our young people.
“The political climate of this country wants to take a racial approach to the prob- lems of violence, and make everyone believe it’s restricted to specific race groups.”
Key said he believes suc- cess will come with the pursuit of education, and Hillsborough County’s educational system needs to step up.
“People need to know they have a voice, and not be afraid to speak out.
“The residents of Grant Park love this program, espe-
cially the parents. They are very engaged and excited about this community return- ing to a great place to raise a family, and everyone looking out for each other. They are ready to receive what’s being offered for the children, and I say let’s change the way East Tampa does business.”
Safe and Sound Hillsbor- ough was launched by the Board of County Commission- ers after the school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut shocked the nation. It included representatives from govern- ment, schools, law enforce- ment, the judicial system, and several area agencies and or- ganizations that deal with the effects of violence every day.
The group’s goal is to de- velop data-driven, evidence- based strategies that deal with violence as a public health cri- sis.
‘The problem of violence can’t be solved by law enforce- ment alone,” said Commis- sioner Kevin Beckner, Chair of Safe and Sound Hills- borough.
“We have laid a strong foundation by bringing all parts of the community to- gether to address violence as a public health issue.”
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 9-A