St. Pete Police Walk Neighborhood To Promote 'Not My Son'

ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- In a society in which the No. 1 killer of black men age 15 to 34 is homicide, a grassroots movement in St. Petersburg is taking action to reduce those statistics.

On Friday night, June 1, St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway joined clergy, concerned parents and other members of the community in canvassing the Childs Park neighborhood to raise awareness of the "Not My Son" campaign to end the cycle of gangs, drugs and violence that lead to the premature deaths of an inordinate number of black teens and young adult men, ages 12 to 24.

Holloway and St. Petersburg Police officers spent the evening walking the neighborhood, asking parents and black teens to take the Not My Son pledge and demonstrate their support for the campaign by displaying yard signs with the "Not My Son" logo.

The walks will continue every Friday during the summer in different neighborhoods throughout St. Petersburg.

This is the third year of the campaign. Holloway said it isn't simply an effort to build positive relationships between the police and residents. It's also a chance tor police officers to talk one-on-one with the parents of black youth about ways to help their sons "rise above adversity." It's also an opportunity to exchange ideas with residents on ways to prevent crime and lift young black men up. And, most importantly, it's a way to encourage positive actions and achievements among black male youths and young adults.

In neighborhoods like Childs Park where 82 percent of the population is black and the median income is $29,363, crime and gangs often become part of a cycle that continues into the next generation, according to the Rev. Eddie Robinson of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance.

Therefore, a successful campaign also depends on providing the youth with positive alternatives.

No one knows this better than St. Petersburg councilwoman Lisa Wheeler-Bowman. Her son died from gun violence nine years ago. She was among the first to get behind the "Not My Son" initiative.

In conjunction with canvassing low-income neighborhoods, the "Not My Son" campaign works hand-in-hand with city programs such as the Cohorts of Champions Initiative, a training program that involves educational, entrepreneurial, workforce and enrichment training opportunities to prepare young black men to enter the workforce.

Additionally, the city's Youth Program Development Grant provides funds to nonprofit organizations dedicated to the education, workforce participation and enrichment of at-risk youth in St. Petersburg.

The city of St. Petersburg distributes more than $2 million in grant funds annually for youth development programs and other neighborhood initiatives designed to promote positive achievements among youth and neighborhood pride.

Funds go to such projects as establishing a youth-led urban farm at the Enoch Davis Recreation Center, mentoring programs, scholarships for low-income students and the My Brother's and Sister's Keeper Initiative, which provides mentoring, tutoring and support networks to enable at-risk youth to go on to college and work their way out of poverty.

In 2016 when "Not My Son" launched, the Rev. Kenny Irby, a pastor at Historic Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, was appointed as the first community intervention director for the St. Petersburg Police Department. He also chairs St. Petersburg My Brother's and Sister's Keep Initiative.

"We wanted to create a movement of folks who are actually taking parenting and reduction of violence seriously," he said.

Images via St. Pete Police