Operation Ceasefire
Thursday, October 19 2006
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Operation Ceasefire
In cities and rural areas around the country, gang violence is increasing. Some police departments are turning to a program that helped stop gang violence in Boston ten years ago.Â
Inspector Matt Simeone, Task Force Against Gangs Coordinator, Nassau County Police Department
In 1990, gang and drug-related violence was an overwhelming social problem for Boston. With 152 homicides and 1,000 aggravated assaults in one year, the police department acknowledged that what it was doing was not working. They looked for a new approach, forming partnerships with groups throughout the city.
The program had incredible results: a year and a half passed before the city lost one young person to violence. The approach has been widely called "The Boston Miracle", and it was lauded by President Clinton. Known also as Operation Ceasefire, the program is a combination of scolding, intimidation, and offers of help.
Nassau County in New York state is in the beginning stages of replicating the program. The county has formed key partnerships, and has held its first "call-in" days for gang members.
Hykiem and his mentor, Bishop J. Raymond Mackey
The star speaker at the first call-in was Hykiem Coney. At age thirteen, Hykiem was dealing drugs and carrying guns. Before his twenty-fifth birthday he had been in prison. Twice. Hykiem told his story to current gang members, many his former friends and associates, at an Operation Ceasefire event in the spring, and the following summer was one of the most peaceful in recent years.Â
Dick talks with Hykiem Coney and police inspector Matt Simeone about the program.
- Find out more about the Boston strategy to prevent youth violence
- Review the findings of a Harvard University study on Operation Ceasefire
YOUR STORY - Brooke Porter Juneau
Brooke's son Riley Juneau
Brooke's son, Riley, was diagnosed with autism. Reeling with shock on the way home from the diagnosis, she stopped by the hospital to check in on her best friend Jennifer, whose daughter has just undergone surgery for a brain tumor. What she experienced that day changed her life.
- Read Brooke's e-mail to The Story
- What's new in autism research?
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