On Dec. 22, I saw my neighbor’s son being stopped and frisked by the police. In New York City, police stop and frisk hundreds of thousands of young men of color in poor communities. Of the 686,000 stop-and-frisks last year, 84 percent were of blacks and Latinos. I have five sons, and my sons have been stopped and frisked so many times.
That December day, I asked the police, “What’s going on? … Read More
My son’s problems started in high school. My son had always done well at small schools but he wound up in a school with more than 3,000kids. There were too many kids getting into trouble and the school did too much policing. I knew from the beginning there was too much for my son to explore. I met with the principal, the parent coordinator, and the guidance counselor. They all assured me that … Read More
New York City teens convicted of crimes have usually been sent to facilities upstate, far from their families. Now an initiative called Closeto Home will change that—these teens will receive services at home or go to city residences where they can stay more connected to their families and communities. Reverend Emma Jordan-Simpson, executive director of the Children’s Defense Fund of New York and chair of the Office of Children and Families Brooklyn for … Read More
My story begins with my marriage, when I was 19. He was 36 andseemed older and wiser. My father was abusive, my mother had died, and I felt lost. But this man abused me. When he wasn’t calling me names, he was out in the streets getting drunk and having affairs. When my son and my daughter were still small, I had had enough. I let go of my anchor and sent … Read More
This spring, New York City’s Children’s Services (ACS) announced a new initiative to keep teens safe at home and out of foster care. The“Teen Preventive Initiative” will expand access to two intensive, short-term supports—Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST) and Family Functional Therapy (FFT). Both focus on supporting the whole family and have been proven to help families of teens during a crisis.
Here, Sara Hemmeter, NYC Children’s Services Associate Commissioner of Family and … Read More
