JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Violent crime involving youth is a problem in Jacksonville with parts of the city riddled with gun violence and poverty.
That’s why Mayor Donna Deegan’s proposed $5.8 million budget will pay for literacy programs, youth artist programs, public city pool plans and youth employment programs, designed to help steer younger people away from crime.
Renita Turner is a business owner in the 32208 zip code, one of Florida’s most underserved areas.
“I think anything that can show a child something other than what they see every day is good, but I also think culturally, we have to ask ourselves if these things will work,” she said.
Turner said spending money on programs that help the youth find employment is a great opportunity because it helps them become productive members of society. However, she also believes there could be a disconnect between city leadership and the people they are trying to reach.
“Sometimes we are disconnected,” Turner said. “I think we need to sit down with our youth and ask them what they need and what they think will help them shift their life.”
Nathan Meddler and Dethae Paige are under the age of 21 years old and live in the Ken Knight Drive area in Northwest Jacksonville, which has a history of gun violence.
Both agreed that education programs are good to have but argued that kids don’t want to feel like they’re in school all day, every day.
“I feel $5 million should go towards something where the kids can go somewhere and have fun, so they don’t have to go towards the streets. That’s the reason why we’re down here in the streets because we have nothing else to do besides go out here,” Meddler said.
Turner suggests programs that focus on highlighting skillsets would be a better option.
“Trades. Let’s focus on trades for children. What can they do? What talent do they have? Let’s put the money into trade schools. Not just the two schools we offer here now. But programs outside of school. When they go home, are they just going home? Are they hungry? What do they need?” she said.
“We used to go to school but there was no fun in school. You go home and have nothing but go outside and be in the streets. If we have something outside of school, an outside activity is better because you’re keeping this person from dying. You might keep him from going to jail.,” Paige said.
Meddler and Paige both agree that city leaders should take the time to directly consult with the youth in underserved communities to understand what they need to avoid a life of crime.
“We’re the ones going through it. Older folks are not going through it. They have already done what they did in life and put their opinion on how we feel, but they don’t know how we feel because they never came to us personally. So yes, I feel like they should talk to every single youth. In communities like this, the youth is most important,” Meddler said.
One suggestion that was presented was for city leaders to have direct conversations with kids while they are at school to host group sessions and get a better feel for what kids need.