SOUTH-CENTRAL : Teens Question Leaders on Violence

The lights on stage were glaring, but most of the heat in the auditorium was generated by a group of high school students who were questioning politicians, educators and other professionals about how well--or how poorly--they’ve been addressing the issue of violence among youth.

The informal daylong hearing last week at Manual Arts High School brought together nearly 500 students from 15 schools to hear the testimony of guest panelists from the media, politics, education, public safety, substance abuse prevention, education and health care.

Rows of students flanked the various panels Monday and took issue with everything from the negative portrayal of inner-city youth in movies to the sluggish national response to AIDS, particularly among teen-agers.

The event, part of the Bringing Everybody’s Strength Together foundation’s “Spring for Peace” anti-violence campaign, was conceived by BEST volunteer Daniel Tabor, who is also Southern California project liaison with the U.S. Commerce Department.

“Adults are never held accountable by young people,” said Tabor. “This gives them the opportunity to force adults to explain exactly what they’re going to do to improve the community.”

Throughout the day, City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, RLA attorney Linda Wong and about 18 other guests found themselves defending the sincerity of their efforts to stop acts of violence among young people.

One of the liveliest sessions was on media and entertainment, which sparked a debate about whether the media mines urban violence for profit at the expense of impressionable youth.

Manual Arts student Lourdes Valdes questioned producer Daniel Haro about one of his company’s films, Edward James Olmos’ “American Me.” “Why did it portray just Latinos as gang members?” she asked as fellow students applauded. “Why weren’t other kinds of people represented? It’s not balanced.”

Samantha Cooper of Grant High asked why television news continues to distort the incidence of crime by continually leading their newscasts with crime stories. “Violent movies have been shown to increase violent reactions in people,” she said, citing a national study. “But TV doesn’t really seem to care.”

KCOP-TV Channel 13 reporter Brian Jenkins conceded that “body-bag journalism” is prevalent, but that young viewers have the choice of turning off offending programs and writing letters of complaint. “You have more power than you think,” he said to students. “TV likes to push buttons, particularly with crime and race issues, and then they don’t have to address issues. You can force the issue.”

The student examiners were comprised of leaders from participating high schools and continuation programs, including the Center for Enriched Studies, the Hollenbeck Youth Center and Manual Arts, Grant, Alhambra, Van Nuys, Reseda and Lincoln high schools.

The hearings were coordinated by the BEST Foundation for a Drug-Free Tomorrow, a Sherman Oaks-based organization that works with schools and community coalitions to prevent substance abuse. The event was co-sponsored by Friday Night Live of Los Angeles County, the USC Jesse Unruh Institute of Politics and the Commerce Department’s California Task Force.