Title: July/August 2001 Series: Magazine Author: Executive Office for Weed and Seed Published: August 2001 Subject: youth mentoring, drug abuse prevention and education, crime prevention, conflict resolution 33 pages 69,632 bytes ---------------------------- Captions are not included in this ASCII plain-text file. To view this document in its entirety, download the Adobe Acrobat graphic file available from this Web site or order a print copy from NCJRS at 800-851-3420 (877-712-9279 For TTY users). ---------------------------- U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Executive Office for Weed and Seed July/August 2001 Volume IX, Number 3 Weed & Seed In-Sites MAGAZINE Celebrating a Decade of Weed and Seed ---------------------------- Weed & Seed In-Sites is a publication of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Executive Office for Weed and Seed 810 Seventh Street NW. Washington, DC 20531 Phone: 202-616-1152 Fax: 202-616-1159 www.ojp.usdoj.gov/eows Stephen Rickman, Director Robert M. Samuels, Assistant Director Nancy Ware, Director of Technical Assistance and Training Cheryl Driscoll, Supervisory Grants Manager Paul Casagrande, Special Projects Coordinator Louise Lucas, DEFY Coordinator and Reentry Programs Coordinator Kathleen Severens, Director of Community Dispute Resolution Edison Aponte, Faith Baker, Michael Connor, Jonathan Faley, Sharron Fletcher, Romia Gore, Robert Hendricks, Erin Holbert, Dionne Johnson, Katherine Mera, Andrew Press, Shannon Taitt, Geroma Void, Program Managers Claude Thomas, Chief of Staff Mary Breen, Anita Snyder, Special Assistants to the Director Linda Hawkes, Administrative Officer/Grant Specialist Prince Cummings, Program Analyst Romia Gore, Public Relations Specialist and In-Sites Editor Lisa Huff-Galloway, Secretary Jessica Caldwell, Tracy DaCosta, Special Assistants, Technical Assistance and Training Division Please send all submissions, comments, or address corrections to the above address. ---------------------------- From the Director Operation Weed and Seed was introduced at a time when many other comprehensive inner-city programs were being implemented or created by the Federal Government. Early evaluations of these initiatives rated Weed and Seed as one of the most successful and cost-effective Federal initiatives implemented at the community level. From the beginning, Weed and Seed was successful because it targeted a very specific area, required that local law enforcement work with the community to identify and solve community problems, identified approaches to cleaning up the streets, and helped the community identify prevention, intervention, and treatment options. Finally, the Weed and Seed strategy gave targeted communities and their local law enforcement agencies the support of their district's U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO) for organizational leadership and prosecutorial support. For close to a decade, communities have been working together to form and implement their own Weed and Seed strategy. At Session II of the Accreditation Series training in Phoenix, Arizona, many law enforcement officers stated that once their communities received Official Recognition, weeding activities kicked off very quickly. Coordinators of weeding efforts credited much of their success to the support of task forces and Federal law enforcement agencies and the National Guard. However, keeping criminals off the streets has remained one of local law enforcement's biggest challenges, especially where support from the local district attorney's office is lacking. Communities that work closely with their district attorney's office and their USAO have the most success convicting criminals and keeping them off the street, which helps local authorities keep drugs and guns out of the schools and neighborhoods of Weed and Seed communities. This past June, I welcomed a guest host to the Weed and Seed Community Training Broadcast Series. Cliff Keenan, the Office of Justice Programs' (OJP's) Counsel for Community Prosecution, led a panel of experts in the 1-hour satellite broadcast, "Community Prosecution." Community prosecution offers prosecutors a new way to respond to neighborhood issues by working in partnership with law enforcement and criminal justice agencies, county and city code enforcement agencies, residents, social service providers, and other neighborhood stakeholders. EOWS coordinates this series on a bimonthly basis and broadcasts it live from the Law Enforcement Television Network in Dallas, Texas. Weed and Seed residents, police officers, businesses, schools--in fact, anyone with satellite downlink capacity--can view these broadcasts for free and learn more about partnerships and successful weeding and seeding approaches. I encourage anyone interested in viewing these broadcasts to contact Mary Breen at EOWS or visit the EOWS Web site. Your suggestions for future broadcasts are always welcome. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your positive feedback on In-Sites magazine. For this issue, as well as for planning the upcoming Weed and Seed National Conference, we looked at past issues of In-Sites to collect milestones from the past 10 years. Only some of you will remember the "early years"; however, all of us should be encouraged by the progress we have made. Visit the EOWS conference Web site for updates on A Decade of Weed and Seed . . . Leave No Neighborhood Behind. We look forward to seeing many of you in Philadelphia! Stephen Rickman Director, EOWS ---------------------------- In This Issue Inspiring Change In a Community o In-Sites: Archive for Weed and Seed History o EOWS Director Visits Las Vegas Weed and Seed o Celebrating a Decade of Weed and Seed: 1991-2001 Timeline o The Weed and Seed Accreditation Series o Truancy: A Link to Crime? Police in the Community o Angry Residents Take a Stand With Lemonade o Police Officer Encourages Youth To Succeed in Life Implementation o How To Be an Effective Weed and Seed Coordinator What's Working o Art and Youth Bring Community Together DEFY o A Few Words From DEFY Campers Winners o Youngstown Resident Recognized as a True Hero o U.S. Attorney Honors Site Coordinator in Bridgeport, Connecticut Conflict Resolution Series: Part III o Developments and Trends in Conflict Resolution Departments o Web Sight o Conference Corner o EOWS News o Resources A Decade of Weed and Seed ---------------------------- In-Sites: Archive for Weed and Seed History Since 1993, In-Sites has brought national Weed and Seed news and EOWS resources to thousands of readers. Like the number of communities that have adopted the Weed and Seed strategy in the past 8 years, the number of readers subscribing to In-Sites has grown significantly. With each issue, the number of subscription requests sent to EOWS increases; this month, EOWS has increased the magazine's print run to meet the demands of those people involved or interested in Weed and Seed. The history and growth of Weed and Seed are chronicled in the In-Sites archives. Previously published stories broadcast the triumphs of and challenges to sites across the country. Partnerships formed by EOWS with Federal agencies and nonprofit organizations serve as a compliment to these stories and are covered thoroughly in past issues. This issue of In-Sites features a few milestones that may be of particular significance to readers new to Weed and Seed, as well as to those readers who have subscribed to In-Sites since the very beginning! ---------------------------- EOWS Director Visits Las Vegas Weed and Seed On May 26, 2001, EOWS Director Stephen Rickman visited the Las Vegas Weed and Seed site to participate in a live call-in talk show with City Councilman Lawrence Weekly. The featured topic that day was ex-offender reentry into the community. Councilman Weekly represents the Weed and Seed target area and has promoted reentry programming by sponsoring a series of community forums and town hall meetings. For more information about the Las Vegas Weed and Seed, call site coordinator Franklin Simpson at 702-229-6011. ---------------------------- EOWS and the Urban Family Institute Welcome Nine Weed and Seed Sites to the Kids House Program for 2001! Gary, Indiana Indianapolis, Indiana Baltimore, Maryland Salisbury, Maryland Flint, Michigan Highland Park, Michigan Durham, North Carolina Eugene, Oregon Wheeling, West Virginia Kids Houses now operate in homes, churches, schools, and public housing developments in neighborhoods across the country, including 17 Weed and Seed sites. Kids Houses offer children a safe, family-like environment during afterschool hours to learn, create, and grow under the supervision of nurturing volunteer adults. Learn more about Kids House in the Millennium Issue 2000 of In-Sites (page 8). ---------------------------- Police in the Community Angry Residents Take a Stand With Lemonade Eric and Jane Albury had a hard time living in their neighborhood because drug dealers worked the streets and apartment complexes along University Boulevard in Melbourne, Florida. The couple moved from Naples, Florida, to Melbourne in March 2000. They knew living in a new neighborhood would not be easy, but living in Naples had not been easy either. Like the neighborhood in Melbourne, Naples had its fair share of drug problems. "Drugs were everywhere down there," said 62-year-old Eric Albury, "but the community decided to fight back. They marched through known drug neighborhoods, chanting and cheering while frustrated drug dealers sat idly by watching their buyers drive away." Unfortunately, one of those marches ended when a police officer got hurt, so the neighborhood had to come up with another way to stop the drug dealers. "We decided that if you have lemons in your neighborhood, you take a stand-a lemonade stand," said 78-year--old Jane Albury. In November 1997, with a card table and four folding chairs, the couple set up a lemonade stand outside the Naples home of a known drug dealer. They passed out free lemonade and candy to anyone who asked, including the drug dealers. This program was a success from the start. In the first hour alone, three known drug dealers turned around when they saw the bright yellow stand and two uniformed police officers. In March 2000, the Alburys decided to move to Melbourne to manage an apartment complex. They had no idea that they were moving into a drug neighborhood until they arrived. Once again, the Alburys faced the wrath of drug dealers who were taking ownership of the neighborhood. A few of the Alburys' tenants were dealers and several were squatters, but that did not worry the couple. Instead, they brought their lemonade stand concept to the Melbourne Police Department, where they were paired with Community Policing Officer Mark Jennewein. On December 1, 2000, the lemonade stand was up and running in Melbourne. Officer Jennewein named the project Operation Squeeze to symbolize the community's effort to squeeze out the drugs and sour the drug dealers' business. The group had collected donations from local businesses and the Alliance for Neighborhood Restoration Program, a Weed and Seed grantee, and had even received $1,300 from a local Weed and Seed grant. Home Depot donated the generator and lights needed to run the stand in the evening. From 5 to 10 p.m. every Friday, the Alburys and Officer Jennewein--along with some volunteers--set up their stand on University Boulevard, an area in which drug dealing and violence are commonplace. "We're not here to single out anyone," said Officer Jennewein. "This is not a confrontation; it's a community service." "We love having the kids out here because lemonade is not addictive--drugs are," said Eric Albury. "But what we really love to see are those cars turning around. They aren't going to make any money as long as we're here." Officer Jennewein and the Alburys recently took their "stand" to another drug-plagued neighborhood in nearby Palm Bay. Volunteers from the community and staff of the Brevard County State's Attorney's Office provided their services for the evening. "We have been working with the residents to clean the area up," said Sheralyn Blake, neighborhood advocate for the State's Attorney's Office. "The residents live in fear." Blake said residents worry about drug sales and the types of people that hang around street corners and local businesses. Many parents will not allow their children to walk alone to the neighborhood store. The program has proven effective not only as a deterrent to drug dealing, but also as a tool to empower the community. Operation Squeeze has received a lot of media attention; every television station in Orlando, Florida, has reported on the lemonade stand and continues to ask Officer Jennewein for updates. The Brevard County Sheriff's Office, Cocoa Police Department, and Brevard County Housing Authority recently expressed interest in starting their own Operation Squeeze efforts to help gain the support of residents in their communities. Funding will certainly help the program to expand. One of Officer Jennewein's long-term goals is to secure funding for a recreational vehicle so Operation Squeeze can become fully mobile. "I have big dreams and big goals," he said. "But there is a need, and where there's a need there's got to be a way. As word gets out about how successful the program is, funding should become a bit easier." Shakeia and Shakuina Owens, sisters who live in the apartment complex managed by the Alburys, do not care about funding, recreational vehicles, or donations. All that matters to 6-year-old Shakeia is that for those hours in which the lemonade stand is up, her neighborhood is quiet. "Ya'll need to come back every day," said 11-year-old Shakuina. "When we come home, there's a lot of grown men and boys out selling drugs and fighting. They aren't going to do that now that the cops are here." This story was adapted with permission from several articles written by Jennifer Ellis of Florida Today, a local newspaper in Melbourne, Florida. ---------------------------- DEFY A Few Words From DEFY Campers This is perhaps the busiest time of year for sites that participate in the Weed and Seed DEFY (Drug Education for Youth) program. While DEFY planners, mentors, and campers are recovering from Phase I summer camps and activities, let this section of In-Sites serve to remind everyone of the role volunteers play in the lives of DEFY youth. The hours that a mentor, planner, or transportation provider dedicates to the DEFY mission help the youth of Weed and Seed communities follow the path to a positive future. Phase I activities can be demanding and draining, but the voices of DEFY graduates make such efforts worthwhile. At the Phoenix DEFY graduation, two DEFY alumni thanked their mentors and offered words of encouragement to the 2001 DEFY graduates. Here, In-Sites presents a few excerpts from their speeches. "Hello, my name is Jonathan Arrdondo, and I've been with DEFY for 4 years now. DEFY has helped me in many ways, but most important, it has shown me how to be a true leader. A leader should not rely only on himself to do all the work and leave everyone else out. A leader shows others what to do and how to handle the situation so one day these others can become leaders. Because of this lesson I learned from DEFY, I have joined the teen council and sports programs and helped out in community events that show others how to make a difference in the world around them. Now I've decided to join the U.S. Air Force and become a computer programmer. I plan to help others become leaders and achieve their goals." "As you all know, I'm Jessica Rivera. I am 14 years old, and I go to Herrera School for the Arts. I attended DEFY when I was 11 years old in 1997, which was also the very first DEFY camp in our neighborhood. I also had the chance to go to this year's DEFY camp as a junior mentor, which was a privilege. DEFY has impacted my life tremendously. I have learned to respect others and myself, raised my self-esteem, and learned to walk away from bad things, such as drugs. Oh, yes, drugs. I have been offered drugs. I crack a joke about drugs, and it makes the dealers look like fools. The joke is on them! I know a lot of people look up to me, and it's important that I'm a good role model and a leader at all times. . . . I know it can be difficult to talk to your parents, so talk to someone else that you know will listen. Just get it all out of your system, and I guarantee you'll feel much better. Thanks for letting me speak this evening, and thanks for listening." Send In-Sites Your Phase I DEFY Photos! This summer, 103 Weed and Seed sites coordinated Phase I camps to kick off their 2001-02 Drug Education for Youth (DEFY) programs. DEFY youth participate in activities throughout the year; however, positive relationships between the youth and their mentors most often begin to take hold during summer camp. Nearly 2,983 youth participated in residential and nonresidential Phase I camps this summer, and 1,313 mentors--including police officers, military staff, U.S. Attorney's Office personnel, neighborhood volunteers, and college students--deterred kids from getting involved in drugs and gangs. In-Sites is looking for photographs that capture each Weed and Seed site's summer DEFY activities! In-Sites will publish photos that are clear, taken in color or black and white, and taken with 35 mm film. Mail photos to EOWS, In-Sites Editor, 810 Seventh Street NW., Room 6131, Washington, DC 20531. Digital photos are also welcome! Visit www.ojp.usdoj. gov/eows/defy.htm to submit your digital photos or to learn more about DEFY! EOWS will post these photos on the DEFY Web page. Whenever possible, please include captions that identify subjects in the photo, where and at what event the photo was taken, and when the photo was taken. ---------------------------- Winners Youngstown Resident Recognized as a True Hero While law enforcement and city agencies conduct abatement efforts that help Weed and Seed sites increase the quality of life in their target neighborhoods, sites are always looking for residents who go out of their way to coordinate efforts at the neighborhood level. The Weed and Seed site in Youngstown, Ohio, feels blessed to have the dedication and vision of resident Frances Gray. Since 1984, Gray has served as resident council president of Victory Estates Housing Development on Youngstown's East Side. Because of her determination to help the residents of Victory Estates achieve their goals and improve their lives, she was honored with the first Mahoning Valley True Hero Award. In support of the Weed and Seed strategy, Gray's contributions include coordinating an afterschool program to help children with their homework and prepare them for proficiency testing, creating a recognition program to honor Victory Estates children who graduate from high school, working with the Youngstown Community Action Center and the Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Authority (YMHA) to help promote drug elimination programs, and assisting in establishing a resident patrol program--the only one of its kind in YMHA--to make sure children get on and off their school buses safely and seniors are accompanied when running errands. Eddie DeBartolo, owner of the DeBartolo Property Group, created the award to recognize Mahoning Valley's true heroes--people who take time out of their lives to give to others in the community. Gray was selected in March to be the first recipient of the Mahoning Valley True Hero Award; this award will continue to honor a community hero every month. Recently, Gray's dedication was further recognized by Youngstown Mayor McKelvey, who appointed Gray to be the first resident representative on the Board of Commissioners of YMHA. As the first Mahoning Valley True Hero, Gray received a $2,500 gift certificate to local stores. In addition, $1,000 will be donated on her behalf to the Youngstown/Mahoning Valley United Way. U.S. Attorney Honors Site Coordinator in Bridgeport, Connecticut Thomas Flynn was appointed to serve as the Weed and Seed Coordinator for Bridgeport, Connecticut, in February 2000, filling a position that had been vacant for more than 6 months. His appointment came at a time critical to the continued success of the Bridgeport Weed and Seed program. Flynn had to quickly master the policies, procedures, and regulations that govern the funding of the site's Weed and Seed activities. Flynn organized the files and met with the local Weed and Seed task force and representatives of partnering Federal investigative agencies to review all outstanding invoices. He also assisted in preparing and processing the documents needed to fund various Weed and Seed activities. Flynn was instrumental in bringing new life to the mentoring component of the Drug Education for Youth (DEFY) program and organizing trips for the DEFY youth to see the launching of the Amistad sailing ship and the artwork of the Peabody Museum in Bridgeport. On May 1, 2001, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut presented Flynn with the 2001 U.S. Attorney's Award. Flynn, along with Drug Enforcement Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation agents from the Bridgeport Weed and Seed Task Force, was recognized for his tireless dedication to the local Weed and Seed initiative. ---------------------------- Implementation How To Be an Effective Weed and Seed Coordinator Charles Eduardos Those of us who work as site coordinators soon realize that the position offers a unique opportunity to work with all types of people and to be involved in some pretty incredible activities. The possible rewards are endless. However, anyone who has served in this position for more than 1 month knows that this job can be physically, mentally, and emotionally draining. There are certain telltale signs a person is suited for the position. Foremost, the site coordinator position requires that the individual be a visionary--a person with a broad picture in his or her mind of what the local Weed and Seed site can look like in 5, 10, or 15 years. The role of the site coordinator is to help develop the refined vision and mission that come from the Steering Committee. Several character traits are necessary to facilitate this level of support. Great Communicator Site coordinators should be able to speak to people and tell them about Weed and Seed in a way that connects with self-interests; this encourages involvement. The best way to speak to the self-interest of others is through effective listening. Coordinators should listen to the concerns of potential stakeholders, then identify how the Weed and Seed effort can address these concerns. Before coordinators meet with people, they should have clearly in mind what information or assistance they need from them. If these people represent an organization, coordinators must research the organization before meeting with them. Bridge Builder Coordinators should constantly scan their environment and look for opportunities to establish new relationships and strengthen existing ones. It is very rewarding to see organizations and institutions that have previously not worked together come together for a common purpose. Facilitator Weed and Seed coordinators cannot fix neighborhood problems in isolation. They should involve community members at every turn, encouraging them to want change and convincing them that they can change their neighborhood. The paradigm shift from fixer to facilitator is particularly challenging for individuals who have a background in law enforcement. A good site coordinator's daily mission is to empower all people in the community, including nonprofit executives and the community volunteers that support their causes, businesses and the customers they serve, school boards and teachers in the target area, and city council members and the city mayor. The site coordinator can be compared to a door-to-door salesman. The ability to talk to a diverse group of people is mandatory to "sell" the local Weed and Seed strategy. The site coordinator's greatest challenge is to teach residents and business owners how to effectively solve problems. Innovator The effective site coordinator is flexible and not only has the ability but also the will to adapt, improvise, and overcome. The person who fills the site coordinator position must have a can-do attitude. Rarely does one hear an effective coordinator say, "It's never been done before." More often, one will hear, "Let's discuss ways we can make it happen." Skilled Organizer The ability to juggle many things simultaneously is a must! An effective site coordinator is skilled in time management and setting priorities and has the ability to forecast upcoming duties. From intricate computer databases at the Weed and Seed office to notes on their car dashboards, site coordinators know what works best to keep them organized. The position requires an intricate working knowledge of a vast number of programs, city and community resources, and a network of community stakeholders. An organized coordinator can obtain help from these sources to make an idea for a program or initiative become a reality. Distance Runner Finally, an effective coordinator knows how to keep a steady pace. Implementing a strategy is not a sprint. New coordinators may get frustrated because they do not see immediate results, but historical data indicate that it takes approximately 5 years to see significant change. While the success of some weeding efforts is apparent very early in the Weed and Seed strategy, it takes a bit of time to see the results of seeding efforts. Like a distance runner, site coordinators must always remember to keep pace and not give up. ---------------------------- Conflict Resolution Series: Part III Developments and Trends in Conflict Resolution Kathleen Severens The late Daniel McGillis, author of four of the U.S. Department of Justice's dispute resolution reports (including Community Mediation Programs: Developments and Challenges), was recognized in May at the National Conference on Peace- making and Conflict Resolution by the National Association for Community Mediation for his invaluable contributions to the field during his 25 years of research and reporting. His work has contributed to the realization that many of society's problems can be and are being resolved efficiently and peacefully through dispute resolution and the services of community mediation programs. The McGillis reports chronicle the emerging trends in the dispute resolution field within the past quarter century, especially those in the past decade. In many ways, conflict resolution as used by Weed and Seed sites leads and exemplifies those trends. The McGillis reports also illustrate that dispute resolution programming and partnerships with community mediation programs can help to build and strengthen neighborhoods by encouraging sites to work together to resolve problems on a personal and communitywide level. These programs resolve a full range of problems, including everyday neighbor-to-neighbor problems, potentially violent conflicts between gangs, and important public policy issues that involve entire neighborhoods. Problems such as these can be resolved when sites combine local initiative, voluntarism, and common-sense approaches to address pressing national problems. Listed below are some of the emerging trends in the field of community dispute resolution that directly relate to Weed and Seed sites: Diversification. An extraordinary array of dispute resolution approaches, techniques, and applications continue to emerge. Communities and programs confront the problems and situations unique to their areas to create dispute resolution programs that address their particular needs. Such dispute resolution programs can include afterschool truancy mediation for students, teachers, and parents; public housing mediation for tenants and landlords; and antibullying programs for students. Institutional settings. Institutions and community programs are developing a variety of dispute resolution programs. Many of these programs exist within the justice system and law enforcement and are used by prosecutors, courts, schools, and housing authorities. While many institutions work independently to provide such programs, others partner with community organizations to offer case referrals, technical assistance, and training. ---------------------------- The greatest community success stories come about when people with varying ideas and interests join forces to reach a common goal. Partners often experience the greatest success when they weave dispute resolution solutions into their work plan. Throughout the years, Weed and Seed sites have learned to incorporate such plans into their strategies to ensure the success of their partnerships. ---------------------------- Training resources. Most community mediation programs offer training services that include conflict resolution and mediation training and strategies for designing specialized programs. General community members, students and teachers, government agencies, and public and private organizations typically request such services. Training programs can be tailored to the specific needs of the requesting organization. For example, a school may ask for conflict resolution training for staff and parents and schedule a peer mediation program for students. Public and intergroup conflicts. Many community problems require communitywide solutions. A growing number of community mediation programs now handle public and intergroup disputes such as citizen and law enforcement issues, environmental and health issues, and prisoner reentry issues. These particular cases may require multiple meetings and large numbers of people and may have a significant impact on the community. The Independence Weed and Seed site in Missouri exemplifies how sites benefit from integrating conflict resolution practices and approaches into their community strategies. The local Community Mediation Center (affiliated with the Community of Christ church) is represented on the Weed and Seed Steering Committee and is involved in both weeding and seeding activities, especially those that involve the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program. A COPS officer is a member of the mediation center's board of directors. The center has participated in the Neighborhood Walks program, which gives citizens a direct introduction to the community services available to them, and has developed plans to provide training in conflict resolution skills to local law enforcement. Recently, law enforcement referred an ongoing neighborhood dispute that had festered and become disruptive to the mediation center; the case was successfully resolved. Both the Weed and Seed Director, Grace Grado, and the Community Mediation Center Executive Director, Diane Kyser, believe this partnership has been very valuable and has great potential for the future. In fact, the mediation center was just awarded a Community Development Block Grant, with which it will further develop its partnership with the Weed and Seed site. Multifaceted partnerships such as this are strengthening communities through problem solving and peacemaking. ---------------------------- Police in the Community Police Officer Encourages Youth To Succeed in Life Mary Louise Smith On April 25, 122 young residents of the Greensboro Housing Authority's (GHA's) public housing communities heard an inspiring message about how to succeed in life while avoiding the traps of drugs or gangs. The event, the 2001 Youth Empowerment Seminar, was sponsored by the Police Neighborhood Resource Center at Morningside Homes, a Weed and Seed program, in collaboration with the Salvation Army, the local Boys & Girls Club, and GHA. Detective Ernest Cuthbertson of the Greensboro Police Department was the featured speaker. It was a kind of homecoming for Officer Cuthbertson, 32, who grew up in Morningside Homes and Ray Warren Homes--public housing communities owned by GHA. "I saw drugs sold and used when I was growing up, and I wanted to escape," said Officer Cuthbertson. "You can escape from such a life, too," he told the youth. "We've taught kids to 'Just say no.' We ought to teach them to say 'yes' to love and respect." Officer Cuthbertson believes that today's media teach young men to be disrespectful toward their mothers and other women. "I grew up watching I Love Lucy and The Real McCoys," he said. "What do you watch?" Officer Cuthbertson also fears that music is encouraging drug use. To illustrate his point, he played brief recordings by popular rappers. "You think this is okay, but is it really okay?" he asked the kids. For example, he played a few lines from a song by rapper Emminem, who raps about getting satisfaction from blue and yellow pills. "That was ecstasy," Officer Cuthbertson told the group. "Side effects include dehydration, heart failure, and possibly permanent brain damage." Perhaps of even greater concern is the amount of violence in movies. Officer Cuthbertson read from a list of popular movies with titles such as Robo Cop and Total Recall. He noted that these movies were extremely violent and that kids need to recognize that movies are not representative of real life. He also spoke of the threat that gangs pose to children. Gangs lure kids in through peer pressure, promise them material wealth, and make them feel like they are part of something important, he said. To combat gangs and other dangers, Officer Cuthbertson suggested how the youth could make better lives for themselves. One way is through education. "When does education end?" he asked the group. "After high school!" they responded. "I'm 32, and I'm still in school," he said. "It's exciting to keep learning new things." Officer Cuthbertson also urged the children to take advantage of the many activities GHA offers and to look for adults in their lives who can be positive role models. As a child, he himself had a role model-a police officer who used to sit on the porch and talk with him. "Officer McDonald was the missing link for me when I was growing up in a single parent home," Officer Cuthbertson said. "And I have about six men in my life who in some way I think of as a father." "I don't like the term 'at risk,'" he concluded. "All kids are 'at risk.' I prefer the term 'at promise.' All young people have the potential to succeed." ---------------------------- An officer in Greensboro, North Carolina, teaches youth about the truth behind media "hype," encourages them to get involved in positive youth activities, and stresses the importance of mentoring. ---------------------------- Celebrating a Decade of Weed and Seed The past decade has seen much success and many triumphs for communities that have adopted the Weed and Seed strategy. As more communities committed resources to support their own local Weed and Seed initiative, EOWS and the U.S. Department of Justice adapted to best serve the Weed and Seed movement at the national level. Here, In-Sites features a few milestones from the past 10 years. June 20, 1992 EOWS is created within the Office of the Deputy Attorney General. Deborah J. Daniels, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, is selected to serve as its Director. 1991 The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) launches the Weed and Seed initiative as a comprehensive, coordinated effort to control crime and improve the quality of life in targeted high-crime neighborhoods. Three pilot sites are chosen to participate in this initiative: Kansas City, Missouri; Trenton, New Jersey; and Omaha, Nebraska. August 1993 EOWS officially names the Weed and Seed monthly newsletter, first published in December 1992, In-Sites. Two thousand copies of the newsletter are distributed to Federal, State, and local agencies and community leaders. September 21, 1994 DOJ announces that 15 sites are selected from 46 applications, bringing the total number of funded sites to 36. EOWS remains a component of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General. December 13-15, 1994 The official Weed and Seed logo is revealed at the Weed and Seed National Training Conference in San Antonio, Texas, which is sponsored by EOWS and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). July 13, 1995 Nearly 100 people attend the 1-day Weed and Seed Mini Conference in Washington, D.C. Gun reduction programs in Kansas City, Missouri, and Washington, D.C., are on the agenda, as well as sessions about grant monitoring and management. May 13, 1996 Assistant Attorney General Laurie Robinson selects Stephen Rickman, Director of BJA's Crime Act Support Division, to serve as Director of EOWS. June 1996 Drug Education for Youth (DEFY) is initiated in three pilot sites: Atlanta, Georgia; New Orleans, Louisiana; and San Antonio, Texas. (Today, 102 Weed and Seed sites participate in the DEFY program.) Summer 1997 OJP moves to its new headquarters at 810 Seventh Street NW., Washington, D.C. January 5-7, 1998 "What Can the Federal Government Do To Decrease Crime and Revitalize Communities?," a symposium sponsored by the National Institute of Justice and EOWS, is held in Washington, D.C. The symposium invites a wide variety of experts to exchange ideas about what the Federal Government's role should be in decreasing crime, revitalizing communities, and addressing the needs of communities. April 1999 EOWS releases its first edition of Best Practices, a quarterly publication that features the extraordinary efforts that specific Weed and Seed sites have made to develop and implement effective strategies. September 2000 EOWS introduces the Weed and Seed Reentry Initiative; six Weed and Seed sites become pilot sites for the project. The initiative comes on the heels of statistics which report that more than 500,000 ex-offenders will reintegrate into America's communities in 2001. March 2001 EOWS announces that "A Decade of Weed and Seed . . . Leave No Neighborhood Behind" is the theme for the 2001 Weed and Seed National Conference to be held August 26-29 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Additional Highlights From the Past 10Years . . . October 29, 1992 EOWS publishes the first Weed and Seed Implementation Manual. 1993 The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) initiates a national process evaluation of the 19 original demonstration sites to gather and assess information about program implementation activities through the end of the year. January 3, 1995 The Attorney General approves the transfer of EOWS from the Office of the Deputy Attorney General to the Office of Justice Programs (OJP). EOWS now reports to the Office of the Assistant Attorney General for OJP, Laurie Robinson, and is directly supervised by Deputy Assistant Attorney General Noel Brennan. August 26-28, 1997 St. Louis, Missouri, hosts the 1997 Weed and Seed National Training Conference; 750 representatives from 115 Officially Recognized sites and 20 sites in the Weed and Seed strategy planning stages attend. Plenary sessions and 54 workshops provide community police officers, community leaders, city agency staff, and community residents involved in Weed and Seed with training and networking opportunities. September 17, 1998 Assistant Attorney General Laurie Robinson unveils the first Mobile Community Outreach Police Station (MCOPS) vehicle at the Indianapolis, Indiana, Weed and Seed site. The event follows the EOWS purchase of six MCOPS vehicles for police use at six different Weed and Seed sites. October 29-31, 1998 EOWS hosts "Empowering Communities Through Technology" in Fort Worth, Texas. The meeting invites sites that have Internet experience and host Web pages to share their expertise with nearly 180 of their Weed and Seed peers. The conference provides a casual, interactive learning environment, and sites learn that they, too, can use technology to further their strategies. July 1999 NIJ and Abt Associates, Inc., release the National Evaluation of Weed and Seed, a cross-site report that provides evaluations of eight Weed and Seed sites. August 1-4, 1999 More than 1,400 people from Weed and Seed communities across the country are invited to the third Weed and Seed National Conference, "Communities of the New Millennium," in Houston, Texas. Site visits, Learning Labs, 100 exhibitors, and more than 60 breakout sessions make this the single largest Weed and Seed national event to date. February 17, 2000 EOWS airs live via satellite "Domestic Abuse and Family Violence," part of the Weed and Seed Community Training Broadcast Series. The show receives a prestigious 1999 Telly Award for its outstanding film and video production. May 30-June 2, 2000 EOWS coordinates the "Weed and Seed Law Enforcement and Prosecutor Conference." More than 500 site coordinators and law enforcement officers participate in plenary discussions and breakout sessions on topics such as effective gun abatement strategies, police-community relations, and drug prevention and intervention issues in Weed and Seed communities. February 13-16, 2001 EOWS begins the Weed and Seed Accreditation Series training in Los Angeles, California. More than 170 site coordinators, residents, and law enforcement officers attend the 4-day intensive training. For the remainder of the year, each Weed and Seed Officially Recognized site will send site teams to regionally held training sessions for site accreditation. (See page 16 for more information.) Weed and Seed At a Glance Fiscal Year--Number of Funded Sites 1991--3 1992--20 1993--21 1994--36 1995--36 1996--88 1997--118 1998--176 1999--200 2000--232 ---------------------------- What's Working Art and Youth Bring Community Together Dana Johnson and Roberto Frietz On March 15, 2001, at 8:40 p.m., Yeong Gil Seo's life was cut short. He was senselessly shot and killed while working at a neighborhood market in Garfield, a Weed and Seed community in central Phoenix, Arizona. Two men stepped into the store, took a customer hostage, shot Yeong, and then turned and ran out of the store. No one was robbed, and no theft took place. The community was shocked, saddened, and concerned. In response to this senseless act of violence, the Garfield Youth and Leadership Group (GYLG)--supported by the Alwun House Foundation, a local Weed and Seed Safe Haven--decided to lead the community on a march for nonviolence. To prepare for the march, GYLG members attended workshops held by El Zarco Guerrero, an internationally known maskmaker, sculptor, and musician. Guerrero taught the youth how to play percussion rhythms they could march to. The youth also made doves out of paper mache as symbols of peace, and Guerrero sculpted a large white dove that would "fly" above the marchers' banners. The march took place on March 31 at 10 a.m. at Garfield Elementary School. While previous marches held by the community's youth had garnered much publicity as a result of local media coverage, this march greatly affected neighborhood youth because it commemorated Yeong's life. Many of Garfield's children had known Yeong for years because they purchased candy and other treats from him. More than 200 residents--including parents with baby strollers, teachers, and elected officials--banned together for this march to pay respect to the memory of Yeong Gil Seo: a father, brother, neighbor, and friend. The march left the school--complete with police vehicles and fire trucks that turned on their lights and sirens--and proceeded down familiar streets. GYLG members played the drums, tambourines, and maracas and carried the doves they had made. Residents carried banners and placards with antiviolence messages and chanted, "We want peace, and we want it now!" GYLG members also passed out hundreds of whistles to residents so residents could show their support. The march continued until they reached the scene of the crime: Foodway Market. The marchers paused to reflect and make comments, and Helen Trujillo--President of the Garfield Organization and Neighborhood Alliance in Phoenix--sang a moving rendition of "Amazing Grace." The marchers then proceeded to a reception at the Alwun House. At the reception, the community listened to comments from the Foodway Market owner, who was also Yeong's brother-in-law. He thanked the community for the outpouring of support and said, "I may have lost a brother-in-law, but I gained a family." Three days after the march, one of the murder suspects was arrested; the suspect lived just one block from the march route. Photos of the two other suspects are being circulated around the community. Five years ago, GYLG members decided they could make their Weed and Seed neighborhood safer and friendlier if they demonstrated in the streets in a creative way. Over the years, the community has embraced the group's "signature" marches, which have made positive artistic statements. In the face of this recent tragedy, the Alwun House Foundation and GYLG once again have demonstrated how art and youth can bring communities together. ---------------------------- The Weed and Seed Accreditation Series This summer, Weed and Seed sites throughout the country have been attending Accreditation Series training sessions coordinated by the Technical Assistance and Training Division of EOWS. To date, 684 representatives from 188 sites have participated in the 8-day curriculum. An EOWS-conducted survey of technical assistance requests made in 1998 and 1999 revealed that key elements of the Weed and Seed implementation process needed to be reviewed and taught to site teams via a more intensive training. Site participants often felt blinded by the complexities of the Weed and Seed strategy. To remedy this problem, a curriculum was developed to focus on the key concepts that reflect the Weed and Seed philosophy. These concepts are reinforced throughout the training session to ensure that all sites are provided with uniform information and techniques that will help them realize goals and objectives relative to their Weed and Seed strategies. Accreditation training for sites located in the East and Northeast regions of the country will take place in September and October. In 2002, EOWS will coordinate Accreditation Series sessions for sites interested in certifying new or additional coordinators, residents, or police officers; stay tuned for more information as it becomes available! To obtain details about the Weed and Seed Accreditation Series, contact Nancy Ware, Director of Technical Assistance and Training, or visit the EOWS Web site (www.ojp.usdoj.gov/eows/certif.htm). ---------------------------- As a new Weed and Seeder (I have been involved for only 5 months), I found the training extremely beneficial. Our class facilitator was very knowledgeable, and the participatory style of the training allowed me the opportunity to interact and learn from other sites as well. It also allowed our site's team the chance to brainstorm and think creatively about how we can maintain our current strategy and make it even more effective for our target-area residents. I look forward to another positive experience at the second session. --Eldridge Gunn, East Point (Georgia) Police Department City of East Point Weed and Seed ---------------------------- The training in Dallas was exceptional. I received a lot of good information and now know where, how, when, what, why, and who. Thank you for helping me understand my place in this wonderful thing called Weed and Seed. I look forward, with relish, to Atlanta because I know that we will learn new things, rework old things, and gather information for different things. Again, thank you. --Rose L. Evans-Coleman, Executive Director Homestead/Florida City Weed and Seed ---------------------------- WEB Sight The 1990s will surely go down in history as the "Age of the Internet." Today, typing the keywords "Weed and Seed" into any World Wide Web search engine will yield thousands of hits. Here are a few online resources that not only go beyond modern day technological standards, but, more important, also do a very good job of promoting their initiatives and educating the public in a user-friendly way. Miami Weed and Seed's Virtual Community Many Weed and Seed sites celebrate simply getting an online presence; however, Miami/Miami-Dade Weed and Seed has raised the bar by putting together an online resource for its community that uses the most modern advances in technology. Its Web site, www.weedandseed.com, uses animation and video streamlining to create a virtual community. Web users are greeted by the site's Executive Director, Wayne Rawlins, via a movie clip. The site uses attention-grabbing graphics to organize valuable resources for the Weed and Seed community, includes its strategic plans, and posts copies of its locally produced newsletter. The "Town Hall" section of the Web site provides a platform for people to submit their views on topics in the community. The Weed and Seed site has also tested an online discussion forum that should become a very popular resource as the Web site develops further. Bookmark this site; it is sure to be at the forefront of any advancements in technology the future will bring to Weed and Seed. Your Key to a Great City Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been a part of the Weed and Seed movement since April 1992. Since that time, the city has expanded its Weed and Seed strategy to serve several other neighborhoods throughout Pittsburgh. The city has successfully implemented computer learning centers in churches, schools, senior centers, and police stations in its Weed and Seed neighborhoods. It is no surprise, therefore, that the Mayor's Office of Pittsburgh supports a Web site that puts every Weed and Seed neighborhood in Pittsburgh on the World Wide Web. Web users can go to www.city.pittsburgh.pa. us/weed&seed, which boasts an online slide show, to "visit" each Weed and Seed neighborhood. The Weed and Seed Data Center Do you ever wonder what happens to the site reports that EOWS collects throughout the year? Data are collected to outline the geographic and demographic makeup of every Weed and Seed site in the country. Until now, the data were kept in each site's files at EOWS; this year, however, EOWS and the Justice Research and Statistics Association worked tirelessly to launch an online data center that allows the public to access this information. Web users can click on the drop-down menu or a map of the United States to choose a State and select a Weed and Seed site. Visitors then learn about that particular site's community policing and Safe Haven characteristics, residential income and education levels, and demographic trends and view a detailed map of the target area! Visit www.weedandseeddatacenter. org to access neighborhood statistics on individual Weed and Seed sites. SeedTech In October 1997, before the term "digital divide" made national headlines, EOWS partnered with Urban Technologies in New York City to form SeedTech. SeedTech's mission is to provide Weed and Seed sites with the resources they need to set up computer learning centers to prepare the residents of their communities for the 21st century job market. Today, 32 Weed and Seed sites have SeedTech learning centers. Through SeedTech, communities are building computer and literacy skills and setting up Web sites about their Weed and Seed target area. ---------------------------- In-Sites, January/February 1996 Several sites now have their own home pages, including North Charleston, South Carolina; the Macatawa Area (Holland/Holland Township), Michigan; Pittsburgh, --Pennsylvania; and Seattle, Washington. Soon you will be able to access the Executive Office for Weed and Seed home page as well. ---------------------------- In fact, the Miami/Miami-Dade Weed and Seed Virtual Community was born out of a SeedTech learning center! Urban Technologies' Web site, www.urbantech.org/seedtech.html, provides links to the 32 SeedTech labs that are up and running across the country. Link to other Weed and Seed Web sites by visiting the EOWS Web site at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/eows/neighborhoods.htm. Site Sightings Although many Weed and Seed communities host Web sites, Web sites with "information that matters" often stand out because they have the most utility. Web Sight found several Web sites that provide information about upcoming events, evaluations of efforts by local Weed and Seed sites, steering committee meeting schedules, crime statistics, online newsletters, maps of target areas, and photos of communities in action. These Web sites may not offer the latest in flashy technology, but they do a phenomenal job of getting the most useful information out to the public. Aloha! U.S. Attorneys' Offices (USAO) have promoted Weed and Seed activities in their districts by dedicating a portion of their Web sites to Weed and Seed. For example, the USAO for the District of Hawaii (www.usdoj.gov/usao/hi) highlights the activities of its two Officially Recognized sites. Information about Weed and Seed Court--a local court fully dedicated to hearing cases that come from the Weed and Seed target area--and law enforcement weeding efforts also are featured. Most important, the Web site offers visitors a clean layout with colorful photos and links to various points of interest. Grand Rapids Keeps It Simple Westside Operation Weed and Seed, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, makes accessing information on its Web site, simple for any Web user! The material it offers is concise and tells the visitor about local Weed and Seed activities. The Web site also offers the site's eye-catching newsletter, a map of the target area, an illustrated drawing of the Steering Committee's neighborhood strategy, and links to the Web sites of community partners, making this Web site a very useful communications tool. Friends of Palm Beach County Weed and Seed, Inc. Friends of Palm Beach County Weed and Seed, Inc., was organized to maintain an association of people interested in reducing crime and revitalizing neighborhoods in Palm Beach County, Florida. The organization supports Weed and Seed programs throughout the county and seeks to enhance the existing funding for its current sites. This Web site, www.gopbi.com/community/groups/weedseed, is a great resource for the Weed and Seed sites of Palm Beach County. Links provide the visitor with information about local initiatives, a photo gallery that illustrates the site's activities, information about their partners, and a bulletin board that allows users to read about and discuss issues that concern the community. ---------------------------- Many online resources help organizations create a plan to establish a presence on the World Wide Web. Whether using the resources of your police department, U.S. Attorney's Office, or local nonprofit organization, locating a server to host your Weed and Seed Web page is half the challenge. Creating a Web site also requires a lot of planning, research, and writing. Here are two great Web resources that will help get any Internet "newbie" started: o The Benton Foundation offers "Building the Communications Capacity of Nonprofits" at www.benton.org. o The organization Action Without Borders recently launched its new Web page, "Resources for Organizations," at www.idealist.org/tools.html. ---------------------------- CONFERENCE CORNER EOWS Methamphetamine Workshop On July 20, 2001, EOWS hosted a 1-day workshop in Washington, D.C., for Weed and Seed sites that practice Methamphetamine Lab Cleanup or Anti-Drug/Alcohol Abuse Strategies. The workshop kicked off with a welcome from EOWS Director Stephen Rickman, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary Lou Leary, and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Tracy Henke. EOWS was honored to introduce U.S. Congressman Asa Hutchinson, President George W. Bush's nominee to head the Drug Enforcement Administration. (Congressman Hutchinson's nomination was approved on July 26, 2001, by the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 19-0). Known for his experience with the national antidrug effort and the methamphetamine and clandestine lab cleanup in his home State of Arkansas, Congressman Hutchinson served as guest keynote speaker. The day was packed with sessions led by representatives from OJP bureaus and other organizations including the National Crime Prevention Council, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy. During lunch, attendees participated in roundtable discussions to exchange their working knowledge on a range of methamphetamine issues as they apply to law enforcement and the media. The afternoon was dedicated to identifying reduction strategies, policy considerations, and prosecutorial approaches to preventing the spread of methamphetamine use and production. At the end of the day, attendees broke into small groups to network and discuss ways to apply the knowledge gained at the workshop to their own Weed and Seed strategies. To further this discussion, the upcoming Weed and Seed National Conference will include a breakout session that addresses modern drug trends in Weed and Seed communities. EOWS Program Manager Andrew Press coordinated the workshop. Please call him at 202-307-5965 for more information. ---------------------------- Truancy: A Link to Crime? Students shall be classified as truant if absent from school without a valid excuse 3 full days in 1 school year or tardy or absent for more than any 30-minute period during the school day without a valid excuse on 3 occasions in 1 school year, or any combination thereof. Such students shall be reported to the superintendent or designee. --Oxnard, California, Education Code 48260 In the past year, the rate of truancy in this country has increased by approximately 67 percent. To respond to growing community needs, EOWS produced and broadcast "Truancy: A Link to Crime?," which aired on April 19, 2001, from LETN studios in Dallas, Texas. The 1-hour show--part of the Weed and Seed Community Training Series--invited guests practiced in truancy research and truancy-reduction programs to take an indepth look at the modern-day causes of truancy, its link to crime, and the best approaches to keeping kids in school. The panel discussed factors, such as socioeconomic disparity and the inflexibility of school policy, that cause many children to skip school--especially children who live in low-income neighborhoods. For example, panelist Ken Seeley, President of the Colorado Foundation for Families and Children, explained that many older kids carry parental responsibilities for their households. Some truants in this situation explained that because high school starts so early in the morning, by the time they finished their household tasks--like getting their siblings ready for school--they had already been marked absent for their first two classes. "Truancy: A Link to Crime?" featured Oxnard, California, Midtown Weed and Seed's Student Truancy Offender Program (S.T.O.P.). David Walker, a community police officer with the Oxnard Police Department, is heavily involved in S.T.O.P. and was a panelist featured on the broadcast. The department's systematic approach to truancy reduction has had a direct impact on crime in the target area. "Since the program started last September, we have seen a reduction in daytime burglaries by 13 percent, and attendance in our schools has increased 20 percent," stated Walker. The broadcast featured a video tour of the Oxnard program, which operates its truancy center out of the Police Athletic League facility. In the video, Officer Karl Dyer of the Oxnard Police Department explained that in 2000, Oxnard officers cited 436 children for skipping school. When midtown Oxnard was awarded Official Recognition by EOWS in 1999, the truancy project started moving forward quickly. The site was recently granted additional Special Emphasis grant dollars through EOWS to further support the S.T.O.P. effort. So far this year, S.T.O.P. has cited 2,061 children for truancy and continues to reach out to youth before their truancy becomes a more serious problem. By reaching the youth of their community before their truancy problem gets out of control, the collaborative efforts of midtown Oxnard's parents, schools, law enforcement officers, and community-based organizations help youth stay in school and on the path to a healthier future. Officially Recognized sites and U.S. Attorney's Offices can call EOWS at 202-616-1152 to order copies of this 1-hour training video. Any Weed and Seed community experiencing a truancy problem should order this video and consider incorporating truancy reduction into its strategy as a Special Emphasis Initiative. (Special Emphasis Initiatives are designed to provide Weed and Seed sites with additional financial support to address specific issues within a given community. Contact your EOWS Program Manager for more information.) ---------------------------- In-Sites, July 1995 Last December, the Executive Office for Weed and Seed unveiled its new Weed and Seed logo at the national conference in San Antonio, Texas. Because many of you commented on it and requested copies, we want to clarify its meaning and use. The combination of a house with the business district of a city represents the partnerships formed in the Weed and Seed strategy between communities, law enforcement, government, and businesses. The logo is frequently printed in bright green, a color long associated with growth, which we hope to see within each community that implements a Weed and Seed strategy. The words "weed" and "seed" indicate the program's balance of punishment and prevention, law enforcement, and revitalization. ---------------------------- EOWS NEWS FBI Executive Fellow Program In May 2001, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Fellow Lt. Kevin Yorke bid farewell to EOWS to return to his position as Commanding Officer with the New York Police Department's Brooklyn North Gang Unit. Also, in August 2001, FBI Fellow Lt. C.D. Dye left EOWS to continue to serve as a member of the Virginia State Police Department. Lieutenant Dye, who has served the Virginia State Police for 25 years, was recently promoted to Captain of the Drug Enforcement Division. He will relocate from Wytheville, Virginia, to Richmond, Virginia, and will oversee a division of more than 170 officers responsible for statewide drug enforcement. Both Fellows contributed their extensive working knowledge of local and national gang and drug enforcement trends, community law enforcement, and community corrections to further the efforts of EOWS. They also participated in various EOWS workshops and helped plan and coordinate two law enforcement workshops: the EOWS I-95 Weeding Workshop held on March 2, 2001, and the Methamphetamine Workshop held on June 20, 2001. As EOWS bid farewell to Lieutenants Yorke and Dye, a warm welcome was extended to Lt. Dennis Lane, who joined EOWS as an FBI Fellow on June 1, 2001; he will serve his fellowship until December 2001. Born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, Lieutenant Lane has served the Raleigh Police Department for 25 years. He will assist Program Manager Andrew Press by monitoring and tracking Weed and Seed asset forfeiture spending. As a fellow, a portion of Lieutenant Lane's time will be spent working on SafeStreets initiatives at FBI headquarters. New and Improved Weed and Seed Implementation Manual For the past year, the EOWS Training and Technical Assistance Division has worked tirelessly to improve the Weed and Seed Implementation Manual. The newly improved 140-page publication is an easy-to-read guide for communities attempting to implement a Weed and Seed strategy and features photos of Officially Recognized sites' activities from around the country. Existing sites should use this resource to enhance their current efforts and direct initiatives for achieving the goals of their local Weed and Seed strategy. Visit www.ncjrs.org/puborder to order copies of the manual (NCJ 187193). FY 2001 Official Recognition Process EOWS has updated the procedures for Weed and Seed Official Recognition (OR) applications. Copies of the updated guides were distributed to sites and U.S. Attorneys' Offices in June. The application kit and guidelines are available in their entirety on the EOWS Web site, but In-Sites would like to highlight these important facts: o Beginning in FY 2001, sites whose Official Recognition expires must apply for OR recertification. (OR expires after 5 calendar years.) o By August 31, 2001, every OR applicant must submit a letter of intent to EOWS that is cosigned by the applicant and its respective U.S. Attorney before submitting the full application (which is due on October 31, 2001). To order a print copy of the Official Recognition guidelines, call EOWS at 202-616-1152, or visit the EOWS Web site. ---------------------------- For More Information Contact these organizations for information about articles featured in In-Sites, or visit the EOWS Web site for related links at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/eows/publications.htm. Angry Residents Take a Stand With Lemonade Jennifer Ellis Reporter, Florida Today Melbourne, Florida 321-242-3668 jellis@flatoday.net Mark Jennewein Community Policing Officer Melbourne Weed and Seed Melbourne, Florida 312mpd@bellsouth.net A Few Words From DEFY Campers Dan Drake Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona Phoenix, Arizona dan.drake@usdoj.gov Youngstown Resident Recognized as a True Hero Geri Cobbin Executive Administrative Assistant Youngstown Weed and Seed Youngstown, Ohio Gericobbin@aol.com U.S. Attorney Honors Site Coordinator in Bridgeport, Connecticut Thomas Flynn Weed and Seed Coordinator Bridgeport Weed and Seed Bridgeport, Connecticut 203-576-8278 Delcie Thibault Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee Coordinator U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut New Haven, Connecticut 203-821-3700 delcie.thibault@usdoj.gov How To Be an Effective Weed and Seed Coordinator Charles Eduardos Weed and Seed Project Coordinator Community Policing Specialist Euchlid, Ohio 216-289-2733 eduardos@apk.net Developments and Trends in Conflict Resolution Kathleen Severens Director, Community Dispute Resolution Office of Justice Programs Washington, D.C. 202-514-8827 kseverens@ojp.usdoj.gov Police Officer Encourages Youth To Succeed in Life Mary Louise Smith Community Relations Coordinator Greensboro Housing Authority Greensboro, North Carolina mlsmith@gha-nc.org Art and Youth Bring Community Together Roberto Frietz Weed and Seed Coordinator Phoenix-Garfield Weed and Seed Phoenix, Arizona 602-261-8154 rfrietz@ci.phoenix.az.us Truancy: A Link to Crime? David Walker Oxnard Police Department Midtown Oxnard II Weed and Seed Oxnard, California 805-385-8211 davidwalker@oxnardpd.org LT 000436