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PARTNERS | HEALTHY CITY | HOW HEALTHY | VISION | SUMMIT | PRIORITIES | FUNCTIONS | CITY OF FALL RIVER |
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The Charles Shannon Community Safety Initiative or “Shannon Initiative” is a collaborative group composed of community organizations, city agencies, and local law enforcement dedicated to addressing gang and youth violence in the City of Fall River. Using a collaborative and comprehensive approach, the group actively addresses prevention, intervention, and gang suppression strategies to attempt to address all components of gang involvement and youth violence. The collaborative held a forum on April 4, 2008, to highlight its accomplishments to-date. As one of sixteen communities receiving a statewide Shannon Grant Fall River’s Strategic Approach to Reduce Gang Engagement (“SARGE”) is a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach to decreasing gang-related violent street crime in the City of Fall River. SARGE uses a youth development approach that focuses on developmental outcomes, such as becoming employable or building intellectual ability; achievement outcomes, such as graduating from high school or getting a job; and problem-free (prevention) outcomes, such as being alcohol- and drug-free or not engaging in violent behavior. Click here for the Channel 10 news story about the forum. For more information about the project, contact Health and Human Services Director Michael Coughlin at 508-324-2404 or Police Chief John M. Souza at 508-324-2787. |
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(Top row, left) Fall River Health and Human Services Director Michael Coughlin opens the forum by describing the combination of approaches that comprise the Shannon Initiative in Fall River. (Top row, right) Mayor Robert Correia welcomes the participants to the forum at the Boys and Girls Club on Bedford Street. (Middle row, left) Officer John Lapointe of the Special Operations Unit describes the approach that the Fall River Police Department uses to reduce gang activity. (Middle row, right) Fall River Police Chief John M. Souza praises the work of his officers in gathering intelligence and taking action that has resulted in hundreds of actions against gang activity in the City. (Bottom row, left) Boys and Girls Club Director Peter McCarthy describes the activities that have begun to turn gang members around. (Bottom row, center) Mike Coughlin chats with Peter McCarthy following the forum as Peaceful Coalition advisor Paul Leite, Housing Authority Youth Director Joseph DaSilva, Youth Outreach Worker Korin Pensao and Jordohn Bileau, and Fall River Youth Services Coordinator Christian McCloskey talk in the background. (Bottom row, right) Youth Outreach Worker Jordohn Bileau talks about what he has learned in over two years of working with youth at risk for gang membership. |
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