Leave no neighborhood behind

Dear Editor: “Leave no neighborhood behind”

Published 11/07 Florida Today

I am very pleased that we are starting to get focused

on more of the root causes of Brevard’s poverty and

crime. Adapting a theme from the education world, I

would urge us to “Leave no neighborhood behind”.

According to data compiled by the Justice Mapping

Center, the majority of people convicted of crimes

come from very few and very concentrated

neighborhoods. With all the focus on schools, it is

easy to forget that children are even more influenced

by what is going on in and around their homes.

Rehabilitating neighborhoods is an effective and less

costly approach to empowering youth to break the cycle

of despair, anger, and violence.

Specifically, we could take abandoned homes and turn

them into police substations, recruiting new police

from the tough neighborhoods, partner them with

veterans, pay them family wages, and provide solid

role models.

Weed and Seed programs, faith-based justice and

charity non-profits, vibrant community centers, sports

leagues, and beautification projects should all be

funded generously by the state and feds- pinpointing

areas where the most criminals are produced. Low

property values in the hoods either entrap people who

can’t afford to move, or they get pushed away through

gentrification. Let’s go with the research and win the

hearts and minds of the at-risk youth.

Yours, Tim Shipe

Back 11.29.2007.