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Open Letter to Residents Who Met to Talk about Violence in Norristown

Greetings residents,

I'm sorry I cannot attend your meeting at Norris Hose Firehouse on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 28. I work as Christian clergy and I was obligated to conduct a worship service this afternoon at 3:30pm in Philadelphia.

I'm glad residents are mobilizing to express their concerns and to demand action. I fully support that effort.

I know full well all of us in Norristown have strong opinions and strong views about what the problems are, and from where the solutions ought to come. I won't spend my brief letter trying to disagree about problems or solutions.

I want to say a few things however.

First, if the full municipal council is asked to do something, to take some action, then I will first follow the proposals of the council president Gary Simpson and vice president William Caldwell. It is well known that I can express my own opinions, and will continue to do so, but any ordinance or funding action you want from council, I will start with their direction.

Second, I one thousand percent support a faith-based strategy to tackle youth violence. I am a true believer in the TenPoint model. Research the model for yourself. Do a background check for yourself.

http://www.sasnet.com/bostonstrategy/default.html

http://www.law.berkeley.edu/9740.htm


It will never work in Norristown unless some churches embrace it and I really hope they will embrace it.

Finally, grassroots organizations and grassroots leaders must effectively, positively and consistently engage county and state elected and appointed officials and find ways to work with business corporations and foundations. Being authentically grassroots will not necessarily lead to long-term viability and evidence of improved outcomes in the lives of youth.

http://www.justicepolicy.org/research/category/38

http://stoneleighfoundation.org/solutions

As I walked the streets late at night in Norristown, I actually saw kids who were part of grassroots groups, who went to churches, and who did well in school. We have to know the factors that will truly move the needle and address them.

We won't agree on everything, or every method. But I agree and stand with you that residents must act and speak up and make their voices heard.

Thank you and I look forward to working with you where you deem appropriate.

Winning the “fight” on youth violence

Over the past several weeks, youth violence has grabbed the headlines in Norristown. We haven’t had a dramatic incident, like the cold-blooded and calculated murder of a 16-year-old girl in an alley, like we had last year. On the other hand, it has been chilling to read about 12- and 14-year-olds getting into fights resulting in a stabbing.

I have remained silent, until now because I thought it was important to hear other voices on youth violence. I believe in Norristown, so-called leaders cannot compete for the microphone, or at least we should not. We need to amplify each other’s voices, and magnify each other’s efforts.

Police Can’t Do It All

I want to commend Norristown Police Chief Russell Bono for speaking out. His comments in a recent Times Herald column relay the position that the police cannot do it all, they need the community. As one expert said last year, communities are learning we cannot arrest our way out of this situation of violence.

Partners Must Build and Sustain Programs

Unlike some leaders, I have promoted what experts call evidence-based programming. In brief, the rates of contact with the criminal justice system among minority youth dictate we do more than demand parents raise kids, or kids should go to church. Research has shown even when a kid is not religious, or comes from a broken home, tutoring or mentoring programs, done consistently and over time, has positive outcomes on at-risk youth. Norristown has lacked capacity and or consistency with such programs. We know now, better than ever, how to target the kids most at-risk of getting caught in the criminal justice system. We can help them avoid incarceration with proven programs that work. But we can’t wait for the government grant or the big donor’s gift. We have to be willing to start now, with what we have and prove we can stick with it.

We Have to Try All Ideas Now

This year, Unity Day – held annually at MLK Park – reached more youth than it has in years. We have to keep up doing such activities. Weed & Seed just hosted a community forum to talk about really tackling the tensions between youth and police. And the Weed & Seed Chair, Rochelle Culbreath, has challenged other institutions to join Weed & Seed in this work. The Police Athletic League remains a consistent place of youth after-school programming. And there are volunteers who are willing to open it up late at night. We still need church, school, and business leaders to offer their ideas and programs. And we need our police department to redouble its efforts.

Let’s get every program doing everything it can do right now.

Rather than fighting over money, or who gets to do what, if everyone will do what they can, and share ideas, information and even resources, we can focus on the real enemy – the violence that claims too many young people in Norristown.

The Art of Economic Growth

There is a new painting in town – on a wall.

This mural – Norristown’s first – is designed to be a sign of a gateway to the municipality. But we hope it will be a gateway to economic growth in town through the arts as well.

Creativity and Capital Go Together

According to a study by the National Governors’ Association, the non-profit arts industry is a $36.8 billion business that supports 1.3 million jobs. That economic impact for civic good is magnified when you consider the benefits to governments: an estimated $790 million in revenue at the local level, $1.2 billion at the state level, and $3.4 billion at the federal level. Beyond the dollars and cents, the study also points out three important areas the arts impact.

The arts:

• Leverage human capital and cultural resources;
• Restore and revitalize communities
• Create vibrant public spaces
• Contribute to a region’s ability to innovate and attract those who are innovators

This impact has been demonstrated locally as well. The Avenue of the Arts in Philadelphia estimated that in 2006 arts in Philadelphia supported almost 6,000 jobs. And an estimated 1.9 million people supported the area, spending about $46 per person for meals, gifts, parking and more in a recent study.

 

Norristown Has Arts Impact Too! 

In Norristown, we have started to see the kind of impact the studies have demonstrated in Philadelphia and across the nation. In 2011, Theatre Horizon, which has shared space with another theater in the Montgomery County Cultural Center, launched plans to build a new theater in downtown Norristown. Located in the former Bell Telelphone Building at 401 Dekalb Street, the project generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in public and private investment, and the new 120-theater, will be our second venue downtown for the arts, launching in October. Theatre Horizon estimates they bring 1,000 to 1,200 visitors into Norristown for performances, and those people also spend money on other things, such as gifts, meals and parking. I have written before about what a night on the town in Norristown can look like because of the arts.

 

Art Reproduces Positive Results

 

Investment in the Arts enables more creativity and innovation, which in turn sparks more investment. Right after Theatre Horizon launched its bid to expand, the Cultural Center, also home to the Centre Theater, won funding to put a new set of lighted signs on its front façade.

And State Senator Daylin Leach won a state grant to produce the mural.

The County has also received funding from the William Penn Foundation to launch Creative Montco, which will help Norristown too.

The mural, which brought the town together for community planning and even painting, will only spark more creativity and more investment.

You can participate too.

Attend a show.

Support the Arts Festival.

Join the Arts Council!

Paint the town green, by spending leisure time and dollars in our Arts community!

If you can read this blog, you can get a job

We are in a presidential election cycle in 2012 and I heard someone say it is all about JOBS, JOBS, JOBS!

Indeed, economic issues are at the top of the list, and finding or keeping a good job is important to most Americans, and folks in Norristown. However, many people lack the skills they need to find a good job.

INTERNET? What’s That?

One of the biggest hurdles a person may have to overcome today to find a job is lack of knowledge about, or access to, the Internet. Now, if you are reading this blog, you are already way ahead of the game. But, let’s say someone had to type the address for you to find this blog, or if you could not follow me on Facebook or Twitter, then you might not know everything you need to know about using the Internet to find a job.

Looking for a job? Go online!

According to research, 90 percent of all jobs advertised, may be found online. This means websites like Monster and CareerBuilder are the go-to places to find a job in today’s world. In fact, in the state of Pennsylvania, if you unfortunately are unemployed, you must register with CareerLink. And to use CareerLink, you must go online. You must be able to type and fill out forms and questionnaires online. Many people are intimidated about this – and maybe you are too! But you don’t have to be.

Digital Job Training is Available

I presently work for a program -- KEYSPOT -- that helps bridge the digital divide. I work to help people learn basic skills to use computers and navigate the Internet. The goal, empower them to do basic things like create a resume online, or yes, apply for a job at the millions of websites that list work openings. On July 30, 2012, I hosted more than 700 people at the Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library for a digital job fair. Many people, for the first time, sat down at a computer and completed an application for a job.

Our job center for this fair was the new Einstein Medical Center – Montgomery, where they have pledged to hire up to 250 new positions. Obviously, we had more people than we had jobs. But they recommend two things that I recommend to you in order to use their jobs website.

You need:

Internet Access

An Email Address

If you lack those two things, consider going to the public library, where classes are offered for computers. You can learn how to use the Internet on a computer, and you can learn how to create and use an email address. 

There is no turning back. Now is the time. You can do it!

Hope and History

Norristown celebrates being 200 years young this year! Established in 1812, Norristown has been through many ups and down the past two centuries. But it is rare that people live in a place so rich with history. As we celebrate our bicentennial, everyone in Norristown should take a moment to remember and reflect on several things.

People of importance

Norristown’s theme is “Always busy.” And certainly, there is a long list of accomplished persons who demonstrate how busy the municipality has been. From former governors, like David Rittenhouse Porter of the 19^th century, to 2012 London Olympic medalist Lisa Raymond to jazz musician Jimmy Smith, Norristown has produced women and men of significance. Norristown is a small town, but we have made a big impact in the world of the arts, in the realm of politics and on the athletic field with numerous accomplished people.

Places of significance

Norristown is not only one of the oldest municipalities in Pennsylvania it is also the county seat of Montgomery County. Montgomery County is the third-largest county in the state behind Philadelphia and Allegheny Counties. It is also one of the wealthiest in the state and in the nation. As the center of county government and political life, Norristown plays an important role in the day-to-day lives of thousands directly who do not live within our borders and tens of thousands indirectly. Norristown is old enough to witness Democrats come to power in the County Courthouse in more than 140 years, and it not be the first time. Norristown was there the first time it happened!

Rich past, promising future

Every day I learn something new about Norristown. That new information might be that retired Los Angeles Dodges manager Tommy Lasorda was born here, or that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., frequently visited a local Baptist church in town while a seminary student in the region, or that in downtown at One Montgomery Plaza, the seat of county government, there was located a church which had housed African Americans fleeing slavery down south for freedom in the north through the underground railroad. Norristownians should express pride in those accomplishments. These milestones often took place during difficult times, or in less-than-ideal circumstances. That simply means, right now, Norristown can and will still accomplish many great things in spite of challenging times and difficult circumstances.

Norristown has hosted several enjoyable and meaningful events to celebrate its bicentennial, and there are more events to come this year! We can look back with a renewed sense of purpose, with a commitment to get busy making Norristown the place we want it to be in the future.