North Texas
(2008-05-30)
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Goodman: "Like people getting into it, and somebody just dislike you. So, they'll be like uh at the end of the school day they'll want to fight you."
McCally: "It's a pattern. Like at the beginning of school we fight hard. It's fighting on. Then in the middle of school, things cool down. But then, like now, school's fixin' to be out. People fixin' to start fighting, cause I know I'm fixin' to start fightin'."
That's just what has DISD Police concerned, and that's why Lt. Calvin Howard placed a call to the Reverend Peter Johnson a month ago.
Johnson: "And we got a crisis, and unless we get involved in this, I'm going to be doing somebody's funeral."
Johnson says Lt. Howard wanted to know if there was something the community might do to help keep a lid on things. So, the Reverend organized a series of weekly meetings with DISD officials, clergy, and community volunteers to formulate a strategy. Dallas School Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa attended one of the early planning sessions welcoming the involvement.
Hinojosa: "One of our vision rings of the Dallas Achieves initiatives is to have a supportive community. And ah we'll certainly appreciate your support and visibility the rest of this school year."
Dr. Hinojosa says this is the first year on the new state-mandated schedule - which keeps classes going into JUNE. He says that's apt to make students more restless than usual.
The plan is to station the community volunteers on corners around the targeted schools and at the nearby DART stations. Lincoln High School's DeKaestron McCally says that's where trouble frequently breaks out.
McCally: "So, you know what when we catch em out on the street it's like what's up dude? You know you was talking all that trash in class. Now, what's up"
Peter Johnson believes the adults' presence in the mornings and afternoons each day through the final bell June 4th will be a deterrent. Dale Kaiser taught in High School before becoming president of a teachers' association.
Kaiser: "The last day of school, another coach and I had to pull a student off another teacher. And there's constantly student on student fights going on. You know, I applaud the community groups for wanting to be involved."
Reverend Johnson, and the others, say this is just the start of a new involvement with the DISD and the students. He says the call from DISD police about end-of-school violence is a wake up call for everyone.
Johnson: "We realize that there's a tremendous cloud hanging over this city of the potential between African American street gangs and Hispanic street gangs going to war. And we've got to a hold of this and get ahead of this."
Ray De Los Santos, with the League of United Latin American Citizens, Lulac, says it's time for adults to lead by example.
De Los Santos: "They need to see us working together. If we can do it, then we can break the barriers in their minds that separate them."
De Los Santos says that would go a long way toward ending the violence. But, for these Lincoln High School students, fighting seems to be a rite of passage into summer.
Group: "I'm not worried that much, but I know that I might be involved in it. But I don't think I'm gonna be hurt or anything, but I know I might probably be in it. Cause they gonna do what they gotta do, and we gonna do what we have to do. And what I'm gonna do is watch."
Dallas School District officials have agreed to talk with the new community organization about implementing UMOJA. It's a successful, non-profit program for at-risk and violent students that's been in the Fort Worth School District for the past 14 years. © Copyright 2009, KERA
