At Tuesday’s city commission meeting, several residents spoke during the public forum in regard to the increased violence that they feel has overtaken the community. Resident Tim Collier, has been holding meetings at Dugan Best Park over the past two weeks in an effort to alleviate acts of violence and, instead, encourage Owensboro youth. Collier discussed several ideas and concerns that he felt the City should acknowledge before the problems get worse.
Collier said one of the biggest issues facing those closely affected by the violence is a lack of resources, stability and awareness — an issue that often affects the parents of children who tend to act out violently.
“We want to be that medium to the people who don’t know where help is at — as far as a single parent mother or a young father who doesn’t know how to raise his kids,” Collier said. “We’re just trying to come up with solutions and ideas and put it all together so we can try to help our community — not only our community, but our city and our county.”
Collier and members of the community who’ve begun working together to address the crime and violence in Owensboro, now identify themselves as a group called “My Brother’s Keeper.” Together, they’ve come up with several proposals in two weeks’ time, which they presented to city commissioners on Tuesday.
“My Brother’s Keeper was formed as a grassroots community organization to give a voice of concern for parents, families, friends and also the children,” Collier said. “The group has a desire to invest in our communities and advocate for needful changes that will reduce violence, encourage community involvement and promote positive development among the youth of Owensboro and Daviess County.”
By extending the hours of operation at Dugan Best Recreational Center, Collier believes the youth of Owensboro will benefit from having a safe, family-friendly place where they can play basketball, find encouragement through mentors and activities offered.
Currently, Dugan Best Recreational Center operates from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., even when school is not in session. Collier would like to see the rec center operate until 1 a.m., he said and has been working with the City’s Parks and Recreation department to make that happen.
“We are asking the City to change the operation hours, which is aligned with the current curfew hours set by the City of Owensboro’s ordinance,” Collier said. “Extended hours will provide a setting for youth that offers supervised activities. The center provides a wholesome, quality, clean and safe environment. It provides activities that can enhance the youth.”
The rec center offers a gym, stage, teen room, kitchen, fitness room and computer stations, and Collier believes the rec center could have a stabilizing effect on the community it serves, adding that all activities would be supervised as well.
“Community centers create the perfect setting for pick-up basketball games, to establish healthy exercise habits, provide internships, programs and offer other creative outlets,” Collier said. “The role of the community recreation center is especially crucial for communities that lack the necessary facilities to keep their children in safe environments. After-school programs provide a refuge for at-risk youth, helping to reduce crime rates and court costs to the community.”
Parks and Rec has set a goal with the intent to use grant funding to improve the fitness center at Dugan Best, Collier said.
Resident Breanna Greer told commissioners that, while some of the youth in the community have made poor decisions, there are many ways local government officials can lend a helping hand to these children.
“Something as simple as asking these young men, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ can go a long way,” Greer said.
Greer said the group came up with the idea of a sporting event where coaches, fathers, mentors and City leaders go to Dugan Best and form a relationship with the community in an effort to bring positive encouragement to the area where much of the crime and violence occurs.
Even more, Greer proposed the idea of holding a day in the park with law enforcement because, as she stated, a relationship with Owensboro Police Department and Daviess County Sheriff’s Office is important for the young generations.
“After forming a relationship comes respect,” Greer said. “If we can respect them, we would listen to them. It would help decrease the crime and help kids stay out of trouble.”
Greer told commissioners she will be holding a nonprofit event on July 14 at Dugan Best called “Breaking the Cycle,” which will focus on kids with incarcerated parents.
“It’s for the community to realize, ‘You’re more than what you think you are.’ Even though your parents may be incarcerated, you can still do something with your life,” Greer said.
Collier said he’s hoping the City can use its funding to create more resources for the west side of Owensboro. As of now, the Dugan Best Recreation Center is one of the only places of encouragement for the youth in these areas to access.
“I know I break up when I talk but that’s because I really care,” Collier told commissioners. “There’s a lot of those kids that don’t even have food to eat. There’s a lot of those kids who don’t have both parents from home. I’m just asking that the City provide something. Of course, they’re going to go to violence and do things that aren’t quality things for their life. We need to educate these kids while they’re young. The schools teach them how to read and write, but we need to educate these young men and young ladies of our community because they represent Owensboro.”
Mayor Tom Watson said he would check out some options for Collier and his group, noting that City Manager Nate Pagan and Parks and Rec Director Amanda Rogers were already working to come up with some ideas.
“The City can only do so much,” Watson said. “And we’re willing to partner with you and your group so we can have a better outcome for the young people — there’s no question about that. We feel you — what you’re saying and understand it. Government moves slow, I hate it. We’ll get together and see what we can do to help this situation.”
The last proposal Collier made to commissioners was a City-sponsored youth employment program -something that Collier and several others present said they participated in as high-schoolers.
“A lot of these kids that are out here doing these crimes — they don’t have an outlet. They’re trying to provide for their families and some of them are trying to provide just to eat,” Collier said. “If somebody puts something in their hands and says, ‘Hey, you can make some money this way,’ then the kid’s going to go that direction if he doesn’t have another direction to go.”
Collier said the City could sponsor the program, and kids would make around $8 an hour, with the ability to choose from a lineup of jobs and internships that would give them stability and encouragement on financial, mental and emotional levels.
