On the one year anniversary of one of D.C.’s most violent killings, the families of those killed stood with D.C. Councilman David Catania at the Wilson Building to introduce legislation addressing youth behavioral health services.
The bill, titled the South Capitol Street Tragedy Memorial Act of 2011, would create a comprehensive multi-age city approach to screening and services for mental health in D.C. schools. Catania said the bill will create a program that replaces a “patchwork” of existing programs that address truancy, behavioral problems, and juvenile delinquency.
The progam, outlined on Catania’s website at www.SouthCapitolAct.com, “is the most ambitious that this country has seen,” Catania said.
The bill is co-authored with Chariman Kwame Brown and councilmen Sekou Bidle and Tommy Wells.
It was created due to the advocacy efforts of Nardyne Jeffries, the mother of Brishell Jones.
Jones was one of five young people killed in a week of violence last year, starting with Jordan Howe’s shooting death on March 22, 2010 over a missing bracelet. Jones, 16; DaVaughn Boyd, 18; William Jones III, 19; and Tavon Nelson, 17 were killed March 30, 2010 following Howe’s funeral.
“Years of failure cascaded into horrific violence,” Catania said of that day. “We’ve allowed this violence to become acceptable. I know that we can do better.”
A series of community events are planned to mark the anniversary this evening, beginning with a march starting at 5:00 PM at the corner of 4th Street SE and Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. SE, followed by a vigil at 6:30 p.m. beginning at Brandywine Street and South Capitol Street Southeast. A community dialogue at Faith Presbyterian Church will follow the outdoor events.
