The idea began in discussions with Police District 19 about the possibility of LAC leaders doing a training for police sergeants to assist them in working with homeless youth and LGBT youth on the streets in Lakeview. In January, after Sergeants from both the 19^th and 23^rd districts and LAC leaders devoted hours to develop a training, we brought the idea to Police Superintendent Cline. He like the concept, and sent it to the CPD Legal Department. They didn’t like the concept.

At that point it evolved to a series of forums, targeting local sergeants (because they oversee the cops on the street), in which the community could speak about their hopes that the police treat everyone in the community with dignity and respect, and where stories about how youth are actually being treated could be related. In the end, the District Commanders and other high level CPD officials would relay their expectations on how the sergeants deal with cases of police misconduct and abuse day to day.

The first forum was held on July 10^th, after the police committed that 20 sergeants would attend at the convention. About 40 community leaders where present. While the community members were clear that the youth should be treated and respected in the same way any other Lakeview resident is treated, the police officials did not clearly speak to the sergeants about their expectations. And though the collaborative process was a good way to build relationships between the police and community leaders, many feel that the police did not keep up their end of the bargain. One very positive outcome: since the forum, LAC leaders have been meeting regularly with Area 3 Chief Caluris (area 3 includes both local police districts).

LAC leaders are strategizing about future plans for discussions with the police.

YOUTH ALLIES CALL TO ACTION
OCTOBER 2006 Update

The LAC Homeless Youth/Police Relations Task Force is calling on our 20 Youth Allies to suport a youth at several upcoming court dates.
It has been reliably reported that this young person was assaulted by several police officers in front of witnesses, and we are attending
court dates in solidarity with this youth. Please contact LAC for the upcoming court dates, and for further information.

Homeless Youth and Police Relations
Task Force
Updated March 10, 2006

Sergeant Training: At the end of January, LAC representatives met with Superintendent Cline to seek his approval for the Sergeant Training on Understanding Youth Homelessness that we have created in partnership with the 23^rd and 19^th police districts. We won his approval but it had to go through legal affairs. After four weeks of hearing nothing and numerous unreturned phone calls, we were starting to wonder how real that approval was.

Our task force decided that the community had to voice their support, so our members asked their congregations, non-profits and others to send letters of support. In one week, we pulled in over 150 letters of support, many of which letters were on behalf of a whole congregation or agency. We got a call back that afternoon! The letters clearly had an impact. We are meeting with legal affairs on Monday, March 13^th to work out the details of the training and ensure their commitment to the full implementation of the training as soon as possible.

Youth Allies: St. Peter’s Episcopal, St. Alphonsus Catholic, Holy Covenant Methodist, Holy Trinity Lutheran, Bethlehem UCC, Broadway United Methodist, Youth Pride Center, The Night Ministry, Counseling Center of Lakeview, and Alderman Tom Tunney are all officially signed on as Youth Allies! Several other congregations and non-profits are in the process of becoming a Youth Ally. Congregations, businesses and non-profits are becoming Youth Allies in order to build a network of groups who are working together to address youth homelessness and prevent abuse or harassment of youth.

Incident Reports: We continue to collect between 10 and 20 reports of police misconduct every month from homeless and other vulnerable youth, including incidents of racial profiling, illegal searches, verbal abuse, threats of having drugs planted or of physical violence.

Homeless Youth and Police Relations - background information

At the 2004 LAC October Convention, most of you heard for the first time about the work of LAC’s newest task force – Homeless Youth and Police Relations. Our Homeless Youth Task Force is a developing group made up of youth, service providers, congregation members, and partnering community organizations.

Over the course of a year, approximately 26,000 youth in Illinois, and between 12,000 and 15,000 in Chicago, experience homelessness. Lakeview has long been a gathering place for many of these youth from around the city and the Midwest.

Youth experiencing homelessness are between the ages of 8 and 21 and have often left home or been forced out of their homes because of serious family problems. Youth often become homeless because of a constellation of family and personal issues that coalesce, making them particularly vulnerable to exploitation and victimization. Pregnant and parenting teens, former and current wards, and youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, or questioning (LGBTQ) are a disproportionately high segment of the population. Homeless youth, particularly those with persistent experiences, have difficulty garnering the resources to meet their basic needs, and have a high likelihood of being physically or sexually victimized. They are also particularly susceptible to harmful activities, such as engaging in substance abuse, unprotected sexual activity, and delinquency, in part because of insufficient alternative resources and their consequent survival strategies on the streets.

There are many service agencies that work with youth in the area to meet their basic needs, including some of our members and partners – The Night Ministry, Counseling Center of Lakeview, Center on Halsted, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, and Chicago Gay Youth. However, available resources for homeless youth do not come close to meeting the need for housing, mental health services, medical care, material and emotional support, and education or employment opportunities. There is a great deal of room for increased community involvement, especially from Lakeview Action Coalition members, who are so dedicated to seeking justice in our community.

Unfortunately, in the past few years, there has been an increasing verbal and physical effort to sweep youth and other people experiencing homelessness out of Lakeview. This climate has led to a heightened amount of scrutiny, harassment and abuse against the homeless, especially homeless youth. In particular, as homeless youth work to create more stable lives, we have seen and heard from youth that their relationship with the police is often a hindrance rather than a boon to success.

In light of this, LAC’s homeless youth task force is working collaboratively with our police commanders, Alderman Tunney, city offices and other legislators to address the issue of how police relate to our community and in particular homeless youth. Our goals include ensuring the safety and human rights of homeless youth and bridging youth to services and resources by building a network of relationships within the community and police department.

Through education forums at congregations, we are building relationships between agencies and congregations and promoting increased awareness and volunteerism. We have already done six education forums - at Broadway United Methodist, St. Peter's Episcopalian, Holy Trinity Lutheran, Holy Covenant Methodist, St. Alphonsus Catholic, and Resurrection Lutheran Church. With community leaders from these institutions and others, we will build a united group to develop strategies and tactics to work with police to decrease abuse and increase referrals to services. In addition, we are creating a space where a core group of youth can feel empowered to be a part of making change, because they are a part of this larger group.

What you can do to get involved:

· Read the report on homeless youth recently released by The Center for Impact Research to learn more – find it at www.impactresearch.org (click on publications)

· Join other Lakeview congregations, non-profits and businesses who are taking action:

Ask your congregation, non-profit or business to become a Youth Ally, making a public statement of commitment and affirmation:

· “We affirm that youth deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and be safe from abuse”

· “We are committed to working to address youth homelessness and prevent/stop abuse or harassment of youth”

When your institution becomes a Youth Ally you will receive a poster that will display the statements above, which you can hang in a window or visible space. LAC will provide training, resource packets, and support for your congregation taking action to support homeless youth and educating its members about this issue.

· Volunteer at local non-profits and service agencies to learn more and provide direct service. It’s also a great way to build community - do it with a group of friends or people from your congregation! (Some volunteer opportunities listed below)

· Host an education forum at your congregation or institution – we’ll provide speakers and you provide the people! Learn more about homeless youth issues in our community and what you can do to help.

Call Alyssa Siegel at LAC for more information and to see how you can get involved! (773) 549-1947 x385 or asiegel@lakeviewaction.org

Volunteer Opportunities:

· Watch for Action Alerts from LAC’s Homeless Youth and Police Relations Task Force to know how you can be part of systemically addressing these issues

· Designate a representative or a team of lay leaders to be involved with LAC’s Homeless Youth and Police Relations Task Force

· Direct Service: Cook a meal, help distribute food and supplies, and get to know the youth of our community. Contact Joan McPherson, (773) 784-9000 x6004, joan@thenightministry.org

· Youth education and help with social events: contact Jeff Souva, (773) 472-6469, jsouva@centeronhalsted.org or Frank Walker, youthpridecenter@hotmail.com

· Participate in recreational and artistic group activities with youth: contact Lisa Thompson, Blue Sky Inn, (773) 710-7346, info@blueskyinn.org, http://www.blueskyinn.org

Donation Opportunities:

· Bring donations of supplies to 4711 N. Ravenswood, the Night Ministry administrative office. We especially appreciate socks, toiletries and battery-operated alarm clocks. Items such as furniture, housewares or clothing should be dropped off at the Brown Elephant Thrift Store at 3651 N. Halsted St., or call (773) 549-5943 for a free pick-up. The Night Ministry works with the Brown Elephant to meet the clothing and household setup needs of our homeless youth.

· Make financial donations to the Lakeview Action Coalition to help us continue the work of our Homeless Youth and Police Relations Task Force! Send checks to Lakeview Action Coalition, 3225 N. Sheffield, Chicago, IL 60640, with a note marking it for the Homeless Youth/Police Relations Task Force.

· Organize donations: Run a drive for donations, or host a party to collect them. Contact Alyssa Siegel at LAC for support.