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No easy answers: Joint governmental session brings realization of complexity of gangs, economic opportunity

Albany Herald - 3/11/2021

Mar. 11—ALBANY — In a wide-ranging conversation that touched on ideas from night sports to youth apprenticeship programs, members from three Dougherty County elected bodies broke the ice Thursday on tackling tough issues collectively.

During the two-hour session, which was described as the first of its kind for elected officials in the county, participants barely made a dent in moving through an ambitious agenda.

However, they said the gathering that included the Albany City Commission, Dougherty County Commission and Dougherty School Board was an initial meeting that will lead to others.

"Today was introductory," Dougherty County Commissioner Clinton Johnson said during a telephone interview after the session. "It's never been done, so I think this was important. We all needed to get together, and I think this first meeting shows the needs are great."

Johnson and fellow County Commissioner Victor Edwards spearheaded the effort to bring elected officials with an agenda that included gang violence, youth opportunity work programs, nuisance properties, economic development and sidewalks for east Albany. Talk on Thursday touched on the first two items for the most part.

Among the participants were County Commissioners Edwards, Gloria Gaines, Johnson, Anthony Jones and Ed Newsome. City participants included Mayor Bo Dorough and Commissioners Jon Howard and Demetrious Young; and from the School Board Velvet Poole was on hand.

Several attended the meeting in person, while a number participated online and via telephone.

While discussion barely scratched the surface considering the difficulty of the issues outlined in the agenda, Johnson said it will give officials the opportunity to give feedback and set a more concrete outline for subsequent meetings.

"We did not look at all the issues I thought we would, but it helped us see the issues we all face," he said. "We'll come back together, hopefully before the end of the quarter or next quarter."

One proposal discussed at length was the potential for a youth apprenticeship program for teenagers, with Dorough and Warbington referencing a similar effort in Savannah. They identified transportation and cost as possible roadblocks.

Savannah's program costs about $1 million a year, Dorough said.

"That's an awful lot of money to have 300 kids (working) for eight weeks," he said. "I don't have an answer."

Other participants suggested enlisting area companies and Albany Technical College to participate in a program, while others said there was the need to reach children at a younger age than their teen years with instruction on parenting and values.

"If you have several generations of failed parenting, it just gets carried from one generation after another," Gaines said. "(The school system) can you talk to them at some point about parenting and teach what does work and what doesn't work?"

Poole said that the school system does offer some instruction in parenting, adding that she will bring back a list of some of the programs available that touched on that issue and others raised during the session.

Addressing a remark that gang members tend to be most active at night, Gaines suggested looking at recreational programs to provide something constructive to do.

"If that is when they are out there, perhaps see if we can (involve) them in some activities," she said. "Most of our facilities are closed at night."

Dorough said that the city, which provides recreational programs for the entire county, needs to do a better job of upkeep and operation of facilities.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, recreational programs have been at times suspended or limited for the past year.

While there was little concrete laid at the joint meeting, considering the complexity of the issues and scope of the agenda Edwards and Johnson said the meeting was a success.

"All of us have to buy in," Edwards told the group. "The buy-in is you show up and then we (see) where we're going."

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