NEWS COVERAGE

Portland youth paint street mural, plan library boxes and peace poles to counter violence

Maxine Bernstein, The Oregonian, July 21, 2014

Teens and young adults involved in a Multnomah County violence prevention program got down on their hands and knees over the weekend to paint a street mural at a North Portland intersection.

The site, where North Borthwick Avenue meets Killingsworth Court, sits beside the alternative Rosemary High School and just blocks from Portland Community College's Cascade campus and Jefferson High School. It's part of an effort by local youths to take back their community and foster neighborhood partnerships.

Additional coverage on this project from KPTV , The Skanner, and KXL

Five Quadrants of Portland

Jenn Chavez, XRAY.FM, July 18, 2014

Community health worker Abdullah Hafeedh with the Multnomah County Health Department's violence prevention project STRYVE (Striving To Reduce Youth Violence Everywhere) on gang violence as a public health issue, socioeconomic contributors to gang affiliation and recent youth organizing around community outreach, in the wake of several recent gang-related homicides and shootings.

Youth Protest Violence As Police Beef Up Patrols In Response To Gang Incidents

Oregon Public Broadcasting, July 12, 2014

Portland police have responded to 52 violent crimes this year that were gang-related, sharply up from last year. Friday in a North Portland park, dozens of young people protested the violence.

It was a hot day and children as children ran through the fountain at McCoy park. Nearby the Rosa Parks Elementary youth orchestra is putting on a concert.

Additional coverage of this event from The Oregonian and KOIN

Portland Youth Lead Effort to Heal Community and Build Peace

Helen Silvis, The Skanner, July 11, 2014

This summer a federal anti-violence program will send groups of teens into four Portland neighborhoods to create projects that build community. The Youth Empowerment Solutions program, or YES, will be working in four focus neighborhoods in North, Northeast and East Portland. They are: New Columbia; Cully; Rockwood and Rosewood; and Albina at Killingsworth. Some of the teens will be armed with pens and clipboards. Others will have cameras or paint brushes. Their shared goal? To create unique projects that unite neighbors and help heal the community.