SUBURBAN STUDENTS, COMMUNITY WALK AGAINST VIOLENCE

Students from District 205 Thornton Township High School brought together parents, community groups, faith leaders and students in surrounding communities in an e ort to stop the violence. "The Walk Against Violence" march took place on October 15th and was sponsored by District 205 Thornton Township High School and Ascension St. Susanna Church in Harvey, Illinois.
Students from District 205 Thornton Township High School brought together parents, community groups, faith leaders and students in surrounding communities in an e ort to stop the violence. "The Walk Against Violence" march took place on October 15th and was sponsored by District 205 Thornton Township High School and Ascension St. Susanna Church in Harvey, Illinois.

SUBURBAN STUDENTS, COMMUNITY WALK AGAINST VIOLENCE

By Safiyyah P. Muhammad

There is a common desire across this nation when it comes to violence—most people want the senseless killings to s top. Students from District 205 Thornton Township High School expressed concerns about the issue of violence and took a proactive stance by uniting students from surrounding communities, faith leaders, and organizations in a walk for peace.

The “Walk Against Violence” march was sponsored by the district’s Student Board more than 600 participants,” Doss said.

Educating children about the reality of gun violence plays a pivotal role in offsetting the ongoing gun violence that often occurs in large populous areas such as Chicago.

Although the City of Harvey and surrounding suburban towns have witnessed its share of gun violence over the years, Doss stressed the point of working in a committed effort to provide safe communities for children. In a press release Doss stated, “It takes a village to educate our children. It also takes a committed village to keep them safe. It’s our responsibility to link efforts with our partners to ensure students can learn and thrive without the stress of fear.”

In 2015, the City of Harvey had 10 murders, which according to the Reboot Illinois website, is rather high for a town of 25,000 residents.

In a District 205 press release, Dr. Leotis Swopes, superintendent for School District 205 agrees that education is the key to curbing the ongoing violence among youth. He believes that arming students with knowledge will keep them away from violent conflicts.

According to Doss, the District offers conflict-resolution methods to deal with peer-to-peer problems. “In the school district, we use what’s called 'restorative justice.' It is a peer-to-peer mediation solution to resolve conflicts. It has been very successful and it is used in all three of the district’s schools,” Doss said.

Doss explained that restorative justice is a procedure whereby students serve as peer jurors and decide whether a student should be issued a form of consequence (for their misdeeds); in lieu of being expelled or suspended from school. Doss added that in such cases, restitution such as staying after school, serves as a form of consequence that is implemented to resolve an issue. He further explained that when conflicts cannot be resolved, the student reports to the dean's office to face further disciplinary actions.

Doss credits the “Walk Against Violence” success to District 205 students and to the Student Board of Education executives, which includes the Reverend Thadeo Mgimba, pastor of Ascension St. Susanna Church inHarvey; Comfort Abuwah, president of the Student Board of Education, and Rachel Caldwell, president of the Planning Committee.

Doss concluded that participants in the “Walk Against Violence” were honored with a barbecue held at Ascension St. Susanna church. He also stated that a portion of the food was provided by Jimboos restaurants. Brett Fickes, curriculum instructor for the District 205, donated 200 t-shirts and the City of Harvey provided police protection for walk participants.

Partners for the “Walk Against Violence” include Jaclyn Davis, executive director for the Southland Juvenile Justice Council; the City of Harvey, the Cook County Juvenile Justice Council, Mayor Eric Kellogg of Harvey, Frank Zuccarelli, Thornton Township Supervisor, Mayor Riley Rogers of Dolton, among others.

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