Fourth-and-Johnson
In their first session after the June 24 Fourth Street “block party” gone wrong between Johnson and Tuscola streets, City Council members this week agreed on one point.
Whatever the causes and challenges may be, it’s not true that Saginaw is devoid of programs and activities to keep young people occupied.
Councilman Reggie Williams led the way with his assertion that “there’s less to do in Saginaw, but there’s not ‘nothing to do,’ ” with options ranging from communitywide events to individual church functions.
Earlier, public speakers implored the council to do more, one saying, “that’s why they hang out on the streets.”
The June party involving hundreds concluded after midnight with an incident that led to dozens of gunshots and the deaths of Ryan Clemons, 19, and Pamela Whitson, 51.
Other council members chimed in behind Williams.
If there supposedly is nothing to do, said Mayor Brenda Moore, “We’ve got jobs (in city and county parks and rec). When are you going to apply for the jobs?”
She walked a few blocks from her home near Houghton School to the Fourth-and-Johnson gathering three weekends ago, and said she felt no clue of a tragic ending because folks were having a good time in a cooperative spirit.
“They were feeding the seniors (citizens) and playing with the children,” the mayor noted.
Councilman Michael Flores took a similar outlook.
“This was actually a positive event that was going on in our community,” he said, until a handful of troublemakers ignited the mayhem.
First-year Councilwoman Priscilla Garcia displayed a Community Enrichment Center newsletter of summer activities and joined Mayor Pro-Tem Annie Boensch in asserting that more publicity is needed to build awareness of local activities.
Boensch pointed out that Saginaw was home to an array of other gatherings during spring and early summer without incident, including three major Juneteenth holiday events.
The difference? They all went through the basic process for following permit guidelines for security.
City Manager Tim Morales cited scouting as an example of something to do, based on his youthful experience as a Boy Scout. He also suggested downtown’s Friday Night Live and Old Town’s Lawn Chair Film Festival on Sunday nights as examples that “every weekend, there is something to do.”
Councilman Michael Balls said no matter what activities are offered, some young adults and teens still will be drawn to spontaneous late-night outdoor assemblies. He proposed that maybe a “certain place” should be designated, instead of police breaking up the parties, only to see the gatherings move elsewhere.
Balls said “gun checks” should be mandated for any outdoor parties, while Flores asked to explore “gun-free zones,” mostly in downtown and along the riverfront.
No final conclusions were reached, but Morales and Balls noted that federal dollars from ARPA, the American Rescue Plan Act, finally are being processed through such noted community centers as First Ward, Neighborhood House and the Mexican-American Council. FWCC oversees an established youth employment program in parks cleanup through the state Department of Natural Resources, and a fast-starting ARPA first-year initiative through local clergy is Project YEARN, Youth Employment And Recreation Network.
Still, these efforts may reach several hundred teens and young adults, nowhere near the peak of 2,000 annual summer jobs provided by what elders may recall as SYETP, Summer Youth Employment and Training Program, under the school district’s Marv Turner, which formerly drew lines of applicants that surrounded the old Ruben Daniels Lifelong Learning Center.
With Mayor Moore’s emphasis on volunteerism, a City Council with discord on procedures is unanimous in asserting that local businesses are urged to step forward as sponsors and part-time job providers, while individuals may serve as mentors or as school tutors.
All ‘young people?’
Public dialogue concentrates on the youth aspect to the point where one may perceive that moonlight street parties are mostly age 18-to-24 happenings. In fact, this is not totally the case. We asked Police Chief Robert Ruth, who wrote:
“Most of the gatherings are with younger people from teens to twenties and thirties. However, older people participate also.”
In general, the chief also explained:
“This has been going on for years, just in a different form. The pandemic has increased the activity and unruly crowds. Anyone who wants to start a party puts it out on social media. Etc. The latest party was started by someone out of Lansing wanting to make money by having an illegal concert/party in a city park (Unity Park on the far northeast end, before police broke it up, leading to the Fourth Street re-assembly) without the proper permits. People need to make smart decisions about what, where and when they attend an event for safety reasons. Any time we have a large gathering someone acts out in violence. It usually starts with a fight or disagreement then the guns come out. They occur anywhere there are open parking lots. When we break them up. They move to another lot. The events usually end in gun fire. These parties are dangerous when alcohol and drugs are mixed with guns!”
