Positive alternatives offered to youths in West Central

Two community programs are trying to confront many of the problems associated with gang activity in the West Central neighborhood.

Project HOPE (Helping Our young People Excel) is an organization geared toward giving gang members positive role models and getting them involved in positive activities.

They offer such programs as God’s Gym, a midnight basketball outreach program that meets Fridays at Salem Lutheran Church, 1428 W. Broadway Ave. There is Jobs Not Jails which has three purposes: raising community awareness of gangs and youth violence, raising money for Project HOPE and creating silkscreen printing and embroidery skills for youths looking for long-term employment options.

Project HOPE is also now offering Riverfront Farms, an urban farming project geared toward beautifying the neighborhood, providing activity and positive role models for the youth in the community and producing food for the food banks and for consumption.

“It honors the neighborhood and gives meaning and significance to the place,” said Patrick Malone of Project HOPE.

The farm project is in conjunction with the Faith and Environment Network and many faith-based communities in the neighborhood such as Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 1832 W. Dean Ave.

Many small plots of land have been donated to the project, as well as a small house which will serve as housing for an urban farmer who will oversee the production of the gardens.

Malone said that abandoned patches of the neighborhood create a sense of disrespect for the community. Buildings with broken windows and litter along the road suggest that no one cares about the area.

He wants to create a sense of pride and ownership in West Central.

He also believes interaction between the young people and the older generation was important, since every generation has something to teach the others.

He wanted to engage the two generations and knew that the older folks weren’t going to come out for a midnight basketball game.

Lynda Maraby, outreach coordinator for the Faith and Environment Network, said that right now the organizations are planning to plant a winter cover crop on a plot of land at Holy Trinity. The project is still studying the best models for the farms and is looking to see what will grow best in the area.

They are planning to break ground sometime in October.

The West Central Community Center, 1603 N. Belt St., also is doing its part to reduce gang activity.

Rick Harris, the executive director of the center, noticed there were gang meetings and recruitment taking place at neighboring AM Cannon Park out in the open and during the day.

Harris was pretty upset that the gangs were targeting kids that he had worked with throughout the years.

“They were recruited right out from under me,” Harris said.

His plan was to become a large presence in the park. He started the Park Program soon after.

The center, which provides breakfast and lunch to low-income children, began organizing free activities for the children of the neighborhood, such as crafts, sports and games.

He wanted to provide a safe environment where the kids could have fun.

On a recent day in the park, over 80 kids were there making tie-dye t-shirts.

Not only does the program take over the park, Harris said that it is vital to provide positive role models for the kids involved.

“An important aspect in any kid’s life is someone to mentor them,” he said.

The program is funded through a variety of grants and donations. The volunteers who run the activities are from ESD 101 and AmeriCorps.

Harris said the center accepts donations for the Park Program, and hopes to continue it next year.

“We haven’t seen any gangsters,” he said.

The program ended last week, since school will start on Tuesday.

Harris said that Spokane Parks and Recreation has been a big help to them, providing water and are there in a moment’s notice when graffiti needs to be removed or the restrooms need toilet paper.

The center also is busy providing many other services to neighborhood residents such as GED classes, dance classes and a learning skills center.