** YOUTH & COMMUNITY OPEN MIC NIGHT **

WASHINGTON, DC – On Thursday, June 16, community stakeholders will join with residents in the 37th Street area of Stoddert Terrace for a Youth and Community Open Mic Night event with the goal of addressing some of the issues surrounding youth violence. The Public Safety Committee -- which is comprised of the DC Metropolitan Police Department, Family Court Social Services Division (juvenile probation), East River Family Strengthening Collaborative, Department of Parks and Recreation, Collaborative Solutions for Communities, Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (adult probation), Mayor’s Office of Safe and Stronger DC, Greater Washington Islamic Community, J & J Monitoring, and community residents -- has been meeting every Tuesday for the past two months to stem the recent tide of violence, with a focus on the sixth police district (Ward 7) as well as broader areas within the city. The Committee has identified the primary causes of local violence as: territorialism within neighborhoods, folklore regarding historical beefs, and exposure to trauma.

The Youth & Community Open Mic Night is expected to bring together between 200-300 residents for an evening of dance, music, poetry, dialogue, information sharing, resources and food. The goal is to facilitate an atmosphere that is safe, uplifting and inspiring in order to enable youth, parents and families to express themselves while, at the same time, acknowledging that violence affects three groups: victims, communities and perpetrators. According to ANC Chair Karen Settles, “We know that one of the best ways to get the youth out is to have an event with music, microphones, and food, so I am confident that they will come out and let their voices be heard.” The Youth & Community Open Mic Night will take place from 3:00pm to 7:00pm in the Fort Dupont Ice Skating Arena/Nationals Academy Parking Lot located at 3779 Ely Place, SE, DC and is free and open to the public.

For more information about the event, please call (202) 937-7300 or visit www.erfsc.org.