[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 28 (Monday, February 13, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 AMERICORPS' SUCCESSFUL INVOLVEMENT IN A COMMUNITY POLICING PROGRAM IN 
               THE 7TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS

                                 ______


                          HON. CARDISS COLLINS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, February 13, 1995
  Mrs. COLLINS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge 
the success of a partnership between AmeriCorps and community policing 
efforts in Illinois' Seventh Congressional District. It is a pleasure 
to be able to address the House today on the positive impact that the 
Chicago Alliance for Neighborhood Safety [CANS] and Bethel New Life 
Inc.'s Take Back the Streets Program is having on Chicago's West Side. 
By recognizing the accomplishments of this Take Back The Streets 
Program, I hope to increase awareness and support for successful 
partnerships such as the one forged between AmeriCorps and community 
policing programs in my district.
  Bethel New Life Inc., a community-based development corporation which 
was founded in 1979, is a member and partner organization of CANS. CANS 
has sponsored 21 AmeriCorps-VISTA volunteers who have helped organize 
community policing programs and who have played an essential role in 
the recent take back the streets campaign.
  To implement this campaign, Bethel chose a drug-ridden 6-square-block 
area which included a public elementary school, 3 churches, and a city 
park, as the target area for its 40-day campaign. The key to Bethel's 
plan of cleaning up the target area or neighborhood safety zone was to 
organize high-visibility activities that encouraged residents to come 
out onto the street.
  These community activities, which included anti-drug marches, job 
fairs, drug education and treatment workshops, all night prayer vigils, 
family nights, and cleanup efforts, took place at all hours of the day 
and night. The community leaders and residents worked together to take 
their streets back from drug dealers. In addition to the planned 
activities, the program included two ongoing events. They were setting 
up lemonade stands and organizing outdoor prayer services on corners 
where drugs were sold.
  The community leaders and the residents found that their efforts paid 
off. The drug dealers were pushed out of the area, the cleanup effort 
greatly improved the aesthetic appeal of the neighborhood, and it was 
once again safe for children to play on the streets.
  In addition to these short-term victories, there were significant 
long-term effects. One of the greatest accomplishments of this program 
was that the fear that residents had about getting involved in efforts 
to fight crime were reduced. An estimated 800 residents got involved 
with the program because they could see their efforts were paying off. 
Their community looked and felt safer.
  The success of Bethel's program was a direct result of AmeriCorps 
involvement in the program. CANS' AmeriCorps-VISTA volunteer Charles 
Jackson, the community leader that was assigned to Bethel New Life 
Inc., was essential in developing block clubs, increasing interest in 
community policing, and developing local leaders. The positive effect 
that the AmeriCorp-VISTA volunteer had on the community will last long 
after his leadership is gone.
  The involvement of AmeriCorps made a significant difference in the 
overall effectiveness of the program. Without AmeriCorps volunteers, it 
will likely be difficult for community policing efforts in other 
neighborhoods to experience this degree of success.
  I commend CANS, Bethel New Life, Inc., and AmeriCorps for their hard 
work and success at helping constituents in my district feel safer and 
more confident about their right to live in a drug-free neighborhood. 
As we review Federal programs in the weeks ahead, I hope that this 
success will be remembered by my colleagues who are quick to mislabel 
AmeriCorps and community policing efforts as ineffective and wasteful 
boondoggles and invite them to visit my district to find out what a 
positive impact these programs have had on hundreds of Americans.


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