[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 139 (Wednesday, October 8, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1975]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING SHERMAN SPEARS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. RONALD V. DELLUMS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 8, 1997

  Mr. DELLUMS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the achievement of one 
of my constituents, Mr. Sherman Spears. He will be honored on October 
14, 1997 as a recipient of the Ameritech Award of Excellence in Crime 
Prevention on behalf of the National Crime Prevention Council. Out of 
140 nominations, Mr. Spears was selected along with eight extraordinary 
individuals who are fighting crime and building community.
  Mr. Spears was shot at the age of 19 and fortunate to have survived. 
The incident, which left him a paraplegic, motivated him to dedicate 
his life to doing what he can to help at-risk young people make choices 
to keep themselves and others alive, and to teach them how to build 
safer communities. Since 1993, he has been the coordinator of Teens on 
Target, a youth violence prevention program in my hometown of Oakland, 
CA. He began the Caught in the Crossfire hospital peer visitation 
program in 1994.
  Mr. Spears used his experience and understanding to develop the 
Caught in the Crossfire program. This program provides adolescents, who 
are recovering from violent injuries in the Highland Hospital trauma 
center, with educational materials about violent crime to dissuade 
victims and their friends from retaliating against their attackers. 
Upon discharge, Mr. Spears contacts the patients to see if they have 
used the referrals given to them, such as joining a program to help 
them get their GED, changing friendship groups, or joining and 
attending a physical rehabilitation program.
  Caught in the Crossfire provides visitation to all recovering 
adolescents who are referred by the Highland Hospital staff. This 
averages 50 visits per year. The average length of hospital stay of 
each patient is 2-3 days; Mr. Spears responds to the call for help 
within 24 hours.
  Teens on Target approaches at-risk youth in an attempt to reform 
their perspectives and to help them understand the repercussions of 
violence. The program trains multiethnic urban youth to educate their 
peers about the causes of violence and how to prevent it at home, in 
their neighborhood, and in their city. Each year, 25 youth from two 
high schools in Oakland are trained by Mr. Spears to: First, provide 
peer violence prevention education at schools, conferences and 
community events; second, educate professionals on the impact of 
violence on youth and strategies for prevention that will work; third, 
provide an informed voice to the media about how youth can be leaders 
in preventing violence; fourth, provide positive role models for youth; 
and fifth, provoke policy makers to take action to prevent violence. 
The youth, at risk for dropping out of school themselves, are referred 
to Teens on Target by probation officers, principals, counselors, and 
teachers. They provide four interactive violence prevention workshops 
to approximately 2,000 youth per year addressing the issues of gun 
violence, street and gang violence, alcohol and drug violence, and 
family violence. Over 5,000 youth have received this training since Mr. 
Spears has coordinated the project.
  I would like to thank the National Crime Prevention Council and 
Ameritech for their commitment in helping individuals fight crime and 
build community, and for recognizing and honoring the work of Mr. 
Spears and others.
  Sherman Spears did not let his experience with violence become an 
excuse for defeat. He has not allowed the physical difficulties 
resulting from that incident to keep him from making a contribution to 
his community. Instead, he has used his unique insight to create 
programs to address crime throughout Oakland. We, in Oakland, are 
fortunate and proud to have Mr. Spears working on the front lines, to 
help break the vicious cycle of violence. Thank you so much for your 
commitment and work on our behalf. I also ask my colleagues to join me 
in congratulating Sherman Spears and hardworking individuals like him 
who make a difference in their communities.

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