Reginald Williams
Special to the AFRO
More than 200 Prince George’s County citizens filled the Bowie State University’s Student Center Ballroom on Nov. 28 to partake in the community forum on rising youth crime. Also in attendance were Prince George’s County law enforcement and local and state representatives.
Sponsored by Councilmember Ingrid Watson (D-Greenbelt-District 4), the forum’s goals, according to the councilwoman, were to hear from the panel experts on crime and learn its impact on communities, share thoughts about solutions, review proposed legislation to address those crimes and connect with members of the community.
“This is an opportunity to create an action plan of how to move forward beyond the forum,” explained Councilmember Watson, who believes the forum is a start to creating solutions.
As in many communities nationwide, there is a rising concern amongst the residents regarding the escalation of violence. According to Circuit Court documents, from Jan 1, 2019-Oct 31, 2023, there were 450 carjackings in Prince George’s County. Violent crimes over the past 12 months increased nine percent to 4163 attacks (murder, sex offenses, robbery, assault and domestic violence) in 2023 from 3,815 in 2022. Sen. Ronald L. Watson (D-PrinceGeorge’s County-23) and panelists introduced some aggressive legislation to address the problem.
Sen. Watson introduced five bills to the audience: The Violent Firearm Offender Act, Illegal and Stolen Firearms, Organized Retail Theft, Protection at the Pump and Maryland Firearm Detection Platform Act. Each bill, divided into five sections, is proposed to address a different aspect of the crime problem.
“When Councilmember Watson asked what could I do, I said, ‘Let me bring Annapolis to Bowie. Let me show you how we get bills done. That’s what we’re going to do tonight. We’re going to get as many done as we can with the time that we have,’” explained Sen. Watson.
Before introducing the bills, Sen. Watson began his PowerPoint presentation by showing media clips and disturbing images of crime victims. “Are we there yet,” Sen. Watson repeatedly asked while sharing his year-in-review of the county’s crime. “Have we reached the point where we are ready to demand action? Have we reached the point where we are ready to go to Annapolis by the busloads and keep the politicians in their seats until we are heard because the squeaky wheel still gets the grease?”
The panel of experts also included District Attorney Aisha Braveboy, Police Chief Malik Aziz, and Prince George’s County School Superintendent Millard House II.
Tiffanie Colvin, a Bowie, Md. resident, attending the forum with a contention of parents from Pointer Ridge Elementary looking for some answers about the scheduled 2024 closure for the Excellence in Gifted and Talented School, found value in the councilwoman’s efforts but had issues with House II’s offering.
“Have we reached the point where we are ready to demand action? Have we reached the point where we are ready to go to Annapolis by the busloads and keep the politicians in their seats until we are heard because the squeaky wheel still gets the grease?”
“I thought the forum was very informative. The ideas presented I did like, but I would like to have more information before I fully say yes, we should move forth,” explained Colvin. “I kind of like the direction, but the superintendent did not say much about school safety.”
Former police officer and Cheltenham Youth Detention Center mentor Richard Beckwith also held mixed feelings about the community discussion.
“I thought the turnout and the response was very good, but I still feel that the projects he’s proposing are programs the government has previously shut down—like Job Corp,” explained the 77-year-old county resident. “The programs we had the government decided wasn’t good anymore. And they instituted restraints that make it difficult to discipline our children.”
Braveboy, a former Maryland House of Delegates member representing the 25th district, shared several initiatives her office is implementing to combat crime. She also demonstrated an empathic understanding that there’s a mental health component that exacerbates the problem and that the violence was more encompassing than just the youth.
“We must hold everyone accountable,” said Braveboy. “The children are getting the guns from somewhere. Who’s putting these guns in children’s hands? This is not all on the children.”
Beckwith believes the problems of violence are greater than just the children.
“We can’t compromise and discount all of the underlying circumstances that created this atmosphere amongst our juveniles,” explained Beckwith. “If we want to reverse these problems, we can’t ignore the trauma that created it.”
In Sen. Watson’s opening, he stated the plan to reduce crime wasn’t rooted in mass incarceration. However, much of what was offered revolved around policy and policing. But Aziz echoed in his presentation the need for more services to address the psychosocial needs of the youth. He ended his presentation by sharing, “You throw away behaviors. We don’t throw away the people.”
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