STATEMENT OF BLAKE FISCHER My name is Blake Fischer. I am forty years old and have been a resident of Whiteacre Bluffs for the past eight years- I was born and raised in Hyde Park. After completing high school in 1976, I enrolled at Northwestern University and majored in Education and Social Work. I took several courses focusing on the use of drugs among teenagers, the social organization of youth gangs, and community-based responses to socioeconomic problems. As a child, I had watched a dear friend of my older brother become involved in a gang drive-by. He had been purchasing drugs and run afoul of one of the gang members. The effect of such a tragic loss upon his family profoundly affected my career choice. I graduated from Northwestern University in 1980, obtained my Master's degree in Sociology in 1984, and worked in the Chicago Public School System from 1983 to 1990 as a school guidance counselor.
In 1990, Dana, my significant other, was transferred to Whiteacre Bluffs when his/her employer, Gentecho, moved its research and development facilities here. Dana is a chemist and is the lead researcher at the Midwest Gentecho facility. After Dana and I moved to Whiteacre Bluffs, I obtained a job with the Whiteacre Bluffs Public School system. Given my experience in Chicago, I was placed in charge of the system's efforts to combat what was viewed as a significant increase in teenage truancy and drug use It was a wonderful opportunity for me--a chance to utilize my educational background and life experience in a positive and meaningful way.
Research shows that much of the juvenile crime in the country occurs after the school day ends. Once a child leaves the schoolhouse door, he or she may become vulnerable to dangerous influences, including drugs, alcohol, and gangs. After-school 'safe harbors’ have provided children opportunities to continue to learn and grow in safe and drug-free environments, removed from violence, drugs, and lack of supervision. My own personal experience, as well as research in the disciplines of sociology, social work, psychology and political science demonstrates conclusively that problems such as these exist in all communities, not just in large urban centers like Chicago. More importantly, the experience of Whiteacre Bluffs is that these programs, when publicly and fully funded, can be effective tools to reduce the incidence of juvenile delinquency, youth loitering, and other forms of gang activity.
The program I developed at Whiteacre Bluffs is called the "Light in the Window” Program. (LWP). It had both a middle school and high school component. The middle school component provided assistance to those in the sixth through eighth grades. Kids at this level typically range in age from eleven to fifteen years and are particularly susceptible to feelings of isolation and peer pressure. More importantly, many of the kids in this age group. are considered by their parents to be old enough to take care of themselves after school, but are not yet old enough to have employment. They may have a lot of time on their hands and little supervision. LWP kept middle schools open until 10:00 pm. to provide services and activities for approximately 150-400 students in each building. The skills and self esteem developed during this time were instrumental in providing youth the incentive to stay out of trouble once they reached high school. The high school component assisted students in finding employment when they reached the age of sixteen. The drug and alcohol counseling services were also available to both middle and high school students.
Students studying education, psychology, sociology and social work at the local University provided assistance in the program. City recreation staff, local mental health services employees, and concerned parents also provided immeasurable support. The Council on Alcohol and Drugs held meetings each week. Indeed, local judges often referred juveniles with non violent, non-felony offenses, such as truancy, curfew violations and other "at-risk" behaviors to our program for evaluation and treatment.
The LWP provided a number of community services. Many of our students went out into the community under the supervision of our staff and volunteers and performed neighborhood clean-up, tutored elementary students, and assisted in the elementary care-after-school programs. Although many of the students participated in these service activities on a volunteer basis, others, like K.J. Tyler, participated at the instruction of the Court.
It is through the LWP referral unit that I became acquainted with K.J. Tyler. Three years ago, K.J. was picked up for underage possession of alcohol and illegal possession of drugs, specifically marijuana. Prior to convicting her on the possession offense, the judge reviewed a background investigation report which disclosed that K.J. had some connections with the Fuchsia Posse, an organized street gang that had its origins in Gateway City. It appeared, however, that the connection was a weak one, and KJ. had no other mark on her record. The judge decided to give K.J. another chance; she was given 120 hours of community service and required to attend six months at our drug and alcohol abuse "twelve step” counseling services, which were provided by the Council on Alcohol and Drugs.
As a part of her community service, K.J. was required to clean gang graffiti from public buildings and private business establishments. She was also required to participate as a volunteer in setting up and managing sports events like basketball and soccer. Although an average student, K.J. is an accomplished artist and taught some of the students in an art class. K.J. is responsible for the beautiful mural displayed at the entrance to City Park.
K.J. had a very positive experience at LwP and, as a result, became a vocal advocate for the LWP concept. Unfortunately, funding dried up a couple of years ago when successive school levies were defeated--largely through the efforts of Roan Lewis and a few others on City Council who didn't like all of those people who had moved to Whiteacre from Chicago and Gateway City. Roan Lewis is so narrow-minded s/he doesn't even realize that many of the people who came here were from university communities very much like those in Whiteacre Bluffs and that most, if not all, were from fine families.
The LWP had been successful--so successful in fact, that for several years there was no significant increase in juvenile delinquency or juvenile loitering problems. Basically, the School Board decided that since there had not been an increase in juvenile delinquency, there was no reason for the program to continue, especially not the drug and alcohol rehabilitation components that cost a fair amount of money to maintain. They didn't seem to believe that drugs and alcohol were much of a problem for "their" youth. Of course, Roan's answer to everything is to lock kids away if they screw up, rather than attempt to rehabilitate them. At the public hearings this spring, I testified before City Council against the proposed anti-gang loitering statute. Unfortunately, my efforts to convince them that there was a better way to deal with the problem of loitering fell on deaf ears.
I knew what was going to happen if the kids were left to fend for themselves. The problems often seen in Gateway City, Chicago, and other cities would begin to flourish in Whiteacre Bluffs. As my grandmother always said, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop."
Fortunately, with Reagan Locksdale's assistance, I was able to convince the CEOs of Gentecho and several other corporations to provide some start-up funds for a private effort to continue, in a greatly diminished fashion, the programs offered by LWP. With their assistance, I obtained permits to use local facilities for the program and was able to continue getting volunteers from the University and the community. The City Recreation Department had some staff members who were willing to continue as unpaid volunteers, but the mental health and other drug rehab programs could no longer be provided. Currently, I work as a paid consultant to the LWP program. Because of these funding difficulties, our efforts now are more focused on providing safe harbors for kids when they are lonely, for encouraging positive interactions between peers, and for getting the message out that there are alternatives to the gang lifestyle.
At a hearing held before the School Board on the future of LWP, K.J., the defendant, spoke eloquently of what the program had meant in her life When the LWP was discontinued, K.J. was devastated. It was further evidence to her that most people really didn't care about her or other kids like her. Her faith was renewed, somewhat, when I was able to restore LWP in a limited manner as a privately-funded, non-profit organization. K.J. is an instrumental part of those efforts. She has finished her community service hours required by the Court and now works as a volunteer. She does what she enjoys doing most - going out to where the kids are, talking to them, sharing her story, and attempting to convince them to try the LWP, at least once.
In my interactions with K.J., I have observed that her main problem is a marked propensity for rebelling against authority. She instantly reacts in a defensive manner to any attempt by an adult, especially one in an established position of authority, to tell her what to do. If you ask K.J. to go to the moon, she will; if you tell her to go across the room she is likely, not only to ignore you, but also to act aggressively to challenge your authority to tell her anything. To some extent this rebellion is typical of some teenagers. However, in K.J.'s case, the rebellion is more deeply rooted. In her mind, she has had to take care of herself for a very long time and has been making her own decisions about what she wants and needs since third grade. Both of her parents work and often need to put in a lot of over time just to make ends meet- Therefore, K.J. has been a "latch key" kid. While she knows that her parents love her, there are five younger siblings and an ill grandmother who reside in the home. K.J. has been taking care of her younger siblings and her grandmother for some time. K.J.’s parents were shocked when K.J. was arrested for drug and alcohol possession. They were unaware of K.J.’s drinking, and drug abuse. They also knew nothing about her growing involvement with the Fuchsia Posse.
Although I trust K.J. and have encouraged her efforts to attract gang members to the LWP, I have to admit that there Is one thing that has worried me about K.J. She has always been on the periphery of the Double Deuce. She shunned the Fuchsia Posse and had, in effect, "dissed" them when she embraced the LWP. You have to realize, the Double Deuce have not fully acquired all of the violent practices of its Chicago counterpart. For the most part Double Deuce members just enjoy frequenting downtown Whiteacre Bluffs, particularly Worldwide Pizza Palace. Because the Double Deuce doesn't have the same history of violence and drug trafficking as the Fuchsia Posse (in Whiteacre Bluffs anyway), K.J. doesn't seem to think they're that bad and doesn't mind hanging out with them.
I know that she has learned some of their gang signals so that she can communicate with Double Deuce members. She has also taught some of them "graffiti art” techniques. I really think she is drawn to them mostly because she enjoys being around other kids her age who can identify with some of the things she has been through. Also, there are two members, Baby G and Lee Sullivan, who K.J. believes would benefit from LWP. To the best of my knowledge, K.J. has never become involved in the more serious aspects of gang life. Just to be on the safe side, however, I asked Reagan Locksdale to keep an eye out for K.J. whenever she is around WWP. As you may know, Reagan is the owner of WWP and, interestingly enough, president of the Chamber of Commerce. Locksdale is a good friend, and was instrumental in getting private funding for LWP. The Double Deuce is not a hard-core organized crime gang -- at least they didn't stan out that way. Unfortunately, however, after the Light in the Window Program closed down in the schools, the incidents of violence increased. Other gangs have moved into Whiteacre Bluffs in the last year or two and competition for "turf” has increased dramatically. I admit that K.J. is one of my most ardent supporters and that she is an effective success story that helps my hind-raising efforts. Her conviction certainly would not look good for the program. However, I can't see how she can be convicted for talking to gang members in order to get them to leave behind the gang lifestyle. K.J. is often out at Worldwide and other places trying to talk some of the kids on the periphery of the gang, and even some who are actively involved in the gang, to consider coming to our Light in the Window Program. In fact, I spoke with K.J. early on the 25th of September and she told me she planned to go out that night with some friends, get some pizza, and try to persuade them to come to a basketball tournament we were having the following day.  I don't believe for a minute that K.J. was involved in any of the gang activity which happened the evening preceding her arrest, or that she was doing anything wrong when she was arrested. Roan Lewis' pet ordinance was supposed to affect only kids who were involved in gang activity, not those who were merely out for an evening of fun, or, as in K.J.15 case, trying to reach out to youth, to advocate the benefits of the LWP program, and to draw them away from the gangs. I realize that she was with a group that included Double Deuce members at the time she was arrested. It is, however, difficult to reach out to gang members unless you go where they can be found. If Roan Lewis pointed K.J. out to the police, it had nothing to do with what KS. was doing at the time.