Mayor launching task force to address youth gun violence

Hamilton's mayor is launchinga task force to addressthe city's recent rash of youth gun violence.

Fred Eisenbergeris invitinglocal groups to meet with himon Sept. 29 to talk about putting together a formal effort. The goal is to develop a youth strategy after anumber of high-profileshootings in Hamilton this year.

"At this stage, it's just a conversation," said Amanda Kinnaird, Eisenberger's spokesperson, of the meeting.

But the goal is to get politicians and community agencies in a room to figure out what services are available for youth, and how they can be used to prevent incidents such as the one at a crowdedTim Hortons on Saturday.

Two teenagers both under the age of 16 were involved. One shot the other in a corridor at the Barton and Chapple Street restaurant with a modified flare gun, causing minor injuries, police say. Hours earlier, police were called to a gun-related incident at Queen Street North and York Boulevard. But police say the people there aren't cooperating with theinvestigation, and no gun-related charges have been laid.

Series of gun incidents

Those are just the latest in a series of alarming violent incidents over the past year involving teens, and in some cases raising concerns about youth gangs.

Last month, 18-year-old Shariek Douse was shot and killed in the North End. That same week, the 18-year-old charged in last year'sstabbing death of 14-year Jesse Clarke appeared in court, and Clarke's stepmother said gangs are bullying youth and have "led to our family's destruction." Clarke, she added, was not a member of a gang.

Also in August, a 14-year-old was charged with 22 crimes after a central Hamilton gun bust. And in May, two people fired at each other at a busy central Hamilton intersection. After the latterincident, Eisenbergercalled for a ban on handguns in Hamilton.

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The John Howard Society will be one of the agenciesparticipatingin the meeting, said executive director David Lane. HisHamilton, Burlington and area chapterruns a specific youth program aimed at gang violence prevention.

Finding the most at-risk

Any strategy has to take into account the most at-risk youth in Hamilton youth who have completely disengaged, he said.

Youth recreation programs reach a certain segment, Lane said. Pre-employment programs are useful, but don't reach everybody.

"All of those initiatives are very important and need to be in place in every community. But from our perspective, what we understand is with a lot of the populations we work with, it requires more."

One of the task force's first orders of business in October will be to hear from Jooyoung Lee, a University of Toronto sociologist who has studied gangs and gun violence in Philadelphia and south central Los Angeles.

Lee said he's been invited to present what he's learned, and he's looking forward to it.

He wonders if incidents such as the one at Tim Hortons, a place many go to during a routine work day, will bring even more attention to the issue.

"It's really when they happen in places that are supposed to feel sacred and safe that people take notice," he said.