William
2007-07-24 23:05:26 UTC
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/07/18/youth/?rsssource=1
Minneapolis, Minn. - The pace of the evening's entertainment at North
25th Avenue and North Fourth Street in Minneapolis' Hawthorne
neighborhood on the city's north side quickens just a bit with the
arrival of a reporter holding a microphone.
Teenagers in shorts, T-shirts and flip flops gather around. Younger
children on beat-up bikes skid to a stop and stare. A few feet away at
the intersection, vehicles from beaters to souped up SUV's with flashy
wheel covers outside and thumping sound systems inside glide by.
The young people around the microphone range in age from eight to 14,
and they are satisfied there's plenty of activity to keep them busy
during the summer at nearby Farview park and elsewhere.
"Yeah, we swim, mall shopping, movies, you know, what an ordinary teen
is to do...Summers are the best thing, out of school, get to play
around, go to Farview every day, computer labs and all that," the kids
say.
Larger view
Playing games
But it's not clear how many young people take advantage of the
activities. In any case there's always plenty of down time in summer
for hanging out. That downtown worries adults concerned the kids will
get caught up in the intersection's drug dealing.
In fact, there's no obvious sign of illegal activity at North 25th
Avenue and North Fourth Street -- no fighting, no public drinking, no
overt drug dealing.
The latest police statistics show that here, in the 1st precinct,
crime is up slightly. Over all, crime is down in nearly all
Minneapolis neighborhoods. Some of the adults in this neighborhood
worry young people will get caught up in the drug dealing.
The only hint of suspicious activity is a lot of traffic at a
residential intersection. Young drivers pull up, exchange greetings
with others and then drive off, a pattern police say fits mobile drug
dealing.
An eight-year-old points out where the dealing occurs.
Larger view
Computers
"People be selling weed on that block right there, weed on this block,
weed on that block and weed on this one," he says.
Half a block off North 25th Avenue and North Fourth Street
neighborhood resident Antoinette Phillips sits on the steps of her
house with her young son. She doesn't like what she sees going on and
what it can lead to.
"I've actually had kids, young kids, approach me to buy drugs, and
that's not good, because it's like the parents aren't really doing
nothing," she says
There's nothing unusual in any neighborhood in Minnesota about young
people with time on their hands being outside and out of sight of
parents for a while. But resident Faith Johnson says at 25th and
Fourth there are children out and about for long periods of time with
no sign of any supervision.
"The majority of (the parents are) probably around. What they're
doing, that's a different story. I mean I have my grandbabies out
here, my grandbabies are out here with me, not by themselves. We have
to be accountable for our actions," she says.
Larger view
Hawthorne resident
Johnson says the police do what they can. A few minutes later a patrol
car cruises through the intersection.
The problem is the lack of understanding in our society of how youth
will find activity if adults don't step in to guide them, as
neighborhood resident Georgiana Yantos sees it.
"It's not just here on the north side, the violence has spread across
the city, it's in the suburbs, it's the drugs and the dealing, it's
the people coming in from the suburbs to buy and sell here," she says.
"It affects us all."
Part of the solution is more adult youth workers, Yantos says. She and
other residents applaud the work of groups led by African-American men
and some neighborhood churches as they visit intersections on summer
evenings to talk to the children and adults. However, they are few in
number compared to what residents see as the need.
As for activities, Antoinette Phillips says there are plenty. Schools,
libraries, and social service groups offer classes, computers and
camps. The missing ingredient in too many cases is the presence of a
parent to lead the child to the opportunities, Phillips says.
"Kids are young, if they see all these activities going on and it's
more kids there, they're going to run to it. They're growing up fast
these days so it's going to take everyone not just the parent," she
says.
As evening sunlight fades, Antoinette Phillips, Faith Johnson and
other parents gather up their children for bed time. Lots of other
children and teens are stilling hanging out, watching the parade of
personalities and activities at North 25th Avenue and North Fourth
Street in north Minneapolis.
Minneapolis, Minn. - The pace of the evening's entertainment at North
25th Avenue and North Fourth Street in Minneapolis' Hawthorne
neighborhood on the city's north side quickens just a bit with the
arrival of a reporter holding a microphone.
Teenagers in shorts, T-shirts and flip flops gather around. Younger
children on beat-up bikes skid to a stop and stare. A few feet away at
the intersection, vehicles from beaters to souped up SUV's with flashy
wheel covers outside and thumping sound systems inside glide by.
The young people around the microphone range in age from eight to 14,
and they are satisfied there's plenty of activity to keep them busy
during the summer at nearby Farview park and elsewhere.
"Yeah, we swim, mall shopping, movies, you know, what an ordinary teen
is to do...Summers are the best thing, out of school, get to play
around, go to Farview every day, computer labs and all that," the kids
say.
Larger view
Playing games
But it's not clear how many young people take advantage of the
activities. In any case there's always plenty of down time in summer
for hanging out. That downtown worries adults concerned the kids will
get caught up in the intersection's drug dealing.
In fact, there's no obvious sign of illegal activity at North 25th
Avenue and North Fourth Street -- no fighting, no public drinking, no
overt drug dealing.
The latest police statistics show that here, in the 1st precinct,
crime is up slightly. Over all, crime is down in nearly all
Minneapolis neighborhoods. Some of the adults in this neighborhood
worry young people will get caught up in the drug dealing.
The only hint of suspicious activity is a lot of traffic at a
residential intersection. Young drivers pull up, exchange greetings
with others and then drive off, a pattern police say fits mobile drug
dealing.
An eight-year-old points out where the dealing occurs.
Larger view
Computers
"People be selling weed on that block right there, weed on this block,
weed on that block and weed on this one," he says.
Half a block off North 25th Avenue and North Fourth Street
neighborhood resident Antoinette Phillips sits on the steps of her
house with her young son. She doesn't like what she sees going on and
what it can lead to.
"I've actually had kids, young kids, approach me to buy drugs, and
that's not good, because it's like the parents aren't really doing
nothing," she says
There's nothing unusual in any neighborhood in Minnesota about young
people with time on their hands being outside and out of sight of
parents for a while. But resident Faith Johnson says at 25th and
Fourth there are children out and about for long periods of time with
no sign of any supervision.
"The majority of (the parents are) probably around. What they're
doing, that's a different story. I mean I have my grandbabies out
here, my grandbabies are out here with me, not by themselves. We have
to be accountable for our actions," she says.
Larger view
Hawthorne resident
Johnson says the police do what they can. A few minutes later a patrol
car cruises through the intersection.
The problem is the lack of understanding in our society of how youth
will find activity if adults don't step in to guide them, as
neighborhood resident Georgiana Yantos sees it.
"It's not just here on the north side, the violence has spread across
the city, it's in the suburbs, it's the drugs and the dealing, it's
the people coming in from the suburbs to buy and sell here," she says.
"It affects us all."
Part of the solution is more adult youth workers, Yantos says. She and
other residents applaud the work of groups led by African-American men
and some neighborhood churches as they visit intersections on summer
evenings to talk to the children and adults. However, they are few in
number compared to what residents see as the need.
As for activities, Antoinette Phillips says there are plenty. Schools,
libraries, and social service groups offer classes, computers and
camps. The missing ingredient in too many cases is the presence of a
parent to lead the child to the opportunities, Phillips says.
"Kids are young, if they see all these activities going on and it's
more kids there, they're going to run to it. They're growing up fast
these days so it's going to take everyone not just the parent," she
says.
As evening sunlight fades, Antoinette Phillips, Faith Johnson and
other parents gather up their children for bed time. Lots of other
children and teens are stilling hanging out, watching the parade of
personalities and activities at North 25th Avenue and North Fourth
Street in north Minneapolis.