School Leaders, Community Discuss Gang Violence

School and community leaders, parents and students met on Tue., Feb. 15 to decry bullying, youth violence and gang activity in and around Prince George's County schools and pledged to take definitive actions against activities that they say are tied to the recent spate of homicides.

District 3 Board of Education member Amber Waller organized the two-hour forum and declared in an interview with The Washington Informer that "the community call to action was a success."

More than 100 students, parents, family members, public school employees, and members of the community attended the forum at Northwestern High School. One important reason for the success, said Waller is that there was "a great vari-ety of participation from our community," including students who took advantage of the opportunity to voice their experi-ences and concerns to the officials present.