You cannot complain about youth and then reject every effort to engage them.
A few years ago, when there were six or seven shootings during the summer of 2021 downtown, young people were heavily involved, and kids were running the streets. So I find it ironic that people are acting like this past weekend, the latest “Teen Takeover” in downtown Detroit suddenly means Detroit is some completely lawless city.
Groups of teenagers have been gathering downtown since March. The first meet-up was coordinated by a group of teens who just wanted to get out of the house.
After the first takeover, I reached out to several of the teens involved, and Mayor Mary Sheffield graciously met with them to have a real conversation about how Detroit can become more welcoming and engaging for young people.
Some business owners have expressed discomfort about the teen gatherings. And let me be honest. I’ve even seen some of our own people talking about how “afraid” they were because groups of young people were downtown last weekend.
Young people need safe spaces
On May 17, a 14-year-old boy was shot in the chest. He is expected to recover, and two other teenaged boys are in custody.
For all the think pieces, in the wake of last weekend’s shooting, about how Sheffield should not have embraced these young people, I think y’all are wrong. You have to show young people the right way.
But we have to keep our young people safe.
I’ve spent over 20 years working with young people as a mentor, educator, youth advocate and community leader, building relationships with some of Detroit’s most vulnerable and at-risk youth.
So here are my solutions:
I watched these groups closely this weekend. The reality is most of these kids are not causing problems. They follow around maybe 50 kids looking for trouble. There were not “500 kids in a massive brawl.” That is simply not true.
There were fights. There was vandalism. And even one incident is too much.
But the real challenge is getting the other 450 kids to safe places, while dealing directly with the smaller group actively creating problems.
I love this city, and I’ve worked closely with young people long enough to understand both the challenges and the potential they carry.
Yes, police can go downtown next weekend and enforce order, and we can continue the cycle of negative headlines about police brutality and confrontations with young people.
Or we can choose a different path, one built on structure, accountability, mentorship, opportunity and adults willing to stop giving up on our kids while still holding them responsible for their actions.
Toson Knight is founder and executive director of Caught Up Mentoring. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters, and we may publish it in print or online.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: After Detroit ‘teen takeover’ shooting is not time to give up | Opinion
Reporting by Toson Knight, Op-ed contributor / Detroit Free Press
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