Protecting Our Children: Town Hall addresses youth violence plaguing Baltimore
BALTIMORE - A panel of Baltimore City leaders answered questions and addressed the issue of violence plaguing the city's youth.
The "Protecting Our Children" Town Hall, a collaboration from WJZ and The Baltimore Banner, focused on solutions to youth violence in Baltimore.
The Town Hall, moderated by WJZ's Denise Koch, was a byproduct of a violent 2023, so far, for Baltimore City youth.
City leaders point to decreases this year in homicides and non-fatal shootings but acknowledge the urgency in addressing youth violence.
Baltimore leaders heard first-hand from young people, many who say they are desensitized to violence.
"We see it in social media. We see it in our classrooms, but we don't actually talk about it," said Lilian Green, a Baltimore City College student.
Police say 73 minors have been shot in Baltimore in 2023, and 19 of them have died.
One of these teens was 16-year-old Izaiah Carter, who was killed in March near Patterson High School.
His mother, Michelle Hines, urged Baltimore City Public Schools and police to engage more with parents.
"There are terrible parents. They're not here. Talk to us," Hines said.
Fifteen guns have been recovered in city schools this year, many of which were the result of students coming forward.
"Guns are a problem. Police can't fix it," said Dr. Anna McPhatter, a social worker at Morgan State. "There are some things we know. Violence is in the DNA of this country."
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott urged de-escalation and mediation, saying young people are often thrust into adult responsibilities from a young age.
"We gotta say what it is. Sometimes that 15, 16, 17-year-old is the parent at home," Mayor Scott said.
City schools chief Alison Perkins-Cohen said the district is focusing on mediation moving those sessions to North Avenue instead of the school setting.
She said that changed after the 2019 shooting at Frederick Douglass High School.
"We have increased the number of mediators," Perkins-Cohen said. "Sometimes there is a lot going on in schools so sometimes there are people with strong feelings, we tried to move it to the central office and help them diffuse the situation away from school."
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