[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 21735]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         SAFE STREETS CAMPAIGN

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I wish to commemorate the 20th 
anniversary of the Safe Streets Campaign of Pierce County, WA.
  Twenty years ago, Pierce County residents from all walks of life 
banded together to form the Safe Streets Campaign and to demonstrate 
the willpower and strength needed to take back their streets from a 
plague of drug- and gang-related violence and to improve the quality of 
life in Pierce County.
  Over the next two decades, the Safe Streets Campaign has shown itself 
to be an effective citizen-led initiative to pressing community 
problems. It has organized over 250,000 residents throughout Pierce 
County to fight crime, substance abuse, and youth violence in 
partnership with local law enforcement, State and local government, 
community-based organizations, faith-based groups, businesses, Native 
American Tribes, schools, and youth.
  For example, Safe Streets established the Youth Leading Change 
Initiative in Pierce County high schools to empower young people to 
lead efforts to address the problems of youth substance abuse and 
violence. These young people engage their peers and community members 
in a number of valuable ways. They march against violence. They work to 
reduce blight in high-risk communities. They engage in peer education 
on the dangers of youth substance abuse. And they work with Washington 
State lawmakers to craft innovative solutions to these social problems. 
I have met with many of these young leaders and been impressed with the 
work that they do.
  The proactive community and neighborhood involvement by the Safe 
Streets Campaign and similar organizations improves the quality of life 
for families and helps provide a safe environment to raise and educate 
our children. Its work has led to lower crime rates, reduced 911 
emergency calls, helped close thousands of drug houses, sustained 
ongoing graffiti removal, supported recovering addicts and healthy 
neighborhoods, and helped youth involved with gangs choose a life of 
hope rather than a life of crime.
  Safe Streets is a shining example of citizen initiative where 
communities stand up for themselves and take their neighborhoods back 
from the control of drug pushers, gang members, and associated 
violence. It has been sustained over the past 20 years through a mix of 
State, Federal, and local government funding and corporate and 
individual donor support.
  I commend the staff, founders, board of directors, and volunteers of 
the Safe Streets Campaign of Pierce County for the dedication that has 
fueled this community initiative from the beginning, and I congratulate 
them as they celebrate 20 years of commitment to safe communities.

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