[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 86 (Thursday, June 17, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1303]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              A NATIONAL MODEL FOR REDUCING YOUTH VIOLENCE

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                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 16, 1999

  Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, sex, drugs and rock and roll 
were condemned thirty years ago and here we are today talking about 
trying to legislate morality when we should really be talking about are 
education and prevention programs to stop youth violence.
  I want to show my colleagues what one of my communities has done * * 
* the City of Salinas has just published their Strategic Framework to 
reduce youth violence in their community. It is the result of a 
community collaborative planning process involving core group members 
from the schools, social services, faith community, education, health 
and law enforcement, and the private sector. The intent of the 
Strategic Framework is to provide a snapshot of community assets and 
needs, and to chart out the kinds of long-term efforts needed to 
prevent and reduce violence.
  I want to quote from the Mayor's letter, ``The root causes of 
violence are varied and complex * * * We can no longer afford a 
fragmented and uncoordinated approach to youth violence. This community 
needs to create multi-disciplinary partnerships, which share resources 
and transcend the compartmentalization and organizational limitations 
of the status quo.''
  Salinas' ``Framework for Violence Prevention'' is really a ``one size 
fits all'' approach that any community in the country can follow to 
find their own solutions for youth violence.
  If we truly want to have an impact on reducing youth violence, I urge 
my colleagues to work with their local communities to initiate the kind 
of grass-roots assessment that Salinas did because we won't find the 
solutions to youth violence here in Washington.

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