ANAHEIM : Meeting to Focus on Diversion for Youth
Concerns about a “growing youth crisis” in central Anaheim will be expressed to Mayor Tom Daly when he meets tonight with about 500 members of the interfaith Orange County Congregation Community Organization.
Father John Lenihan, pastor of St. Boniface Catholic Church in downtown Anaheim, said the mayor will be asked to take the lead in supporting programs aimed at diverting youth away from drug use and gang activities.
Based on comments from 54 community meetings and a survey with more than 3,000 responses, OCCCO is calling for the city to offer additional sports and recreational opportunities for youth, along with summer jobs, a computer lab, family support programs and other services.
Gang activities and drug use are “getting worse rather than better” in central Anaheim, Lenihan said. He attributes part of the problem to cuts in city recreational programs in recent years.
The OCCCO meeting with Daly is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at St. Boniface Catholic Church, 120 N. Janss St. near Lincoln Avenue and Harbor Boulevard.
Boniface describes the OCCCO as “a voice of the people, particularly the poorer people and the Hispanic folks.”
The group was founded in 1985 and now represents 50,000 families in six Orange County cities.
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