It seems a lot of attention on youth violence and teen gangs has centered on the metro Atlanta area, but Chatham County leaders and lawmakers have been working on a masterplan “to break the cycle of youth being involved in illegal activities in Savannah.” The Chatham County Legislative Gang Prevention and Intervention Commission has been holding meetings on the issue, and today they will announce their “912 Rescue Mission” initiative.
The committee, chaired by State Rep. Carl Gilliard (D-Garden City) and created by House Bill 750, will introduce the initiative at 9:30 a.m. at the Savannah Youth Regional Detention Center.
“This initiative will act as a ‘street committee’ and will focus on showing teenagers and young adults that they have other options than getting involved in violent and illegal activities,” said Gilliard.
According to Gilliard, the “912 Rescue Mission” initiative was developed by the commission’s subcommittee that focuses on intervention strategies and will feature quarterly events for residents to provide input and ideas for the commission. As part of this, the commission will host community town hall events located in Savannah’s parks, beauty salons and barber shops. Local radio stations will also host “Town Hall Dialogues.”
The initiative will officially launch on Nov. 6, 2021.
Gilliard said the commission hopes to spur collaborative efforts between educational institutions and community organizations in order to implement programs that are designed to prevent and intervene in youth gang participation in Chatham County.
The commission will also provide information and guidance to local organizations that combat criminal gang participation. They will submit an annual report to the Chatham County Legislative Delegation ahead of the 2022 legislative session.
Gilliard was previously quoted in InsiderAdvantage as saying, “We have a problem … 71,000 identified gangs in the state of Georgia, and let’s not talk about what we have right around us, which are our children. These are our children.”
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr stated that a survey by the Georgia Gang Investigators Association shows that 157 counties have reported a rise in gang activity and 155 school districts reported suspected gang activity. “Even more concerning, criminals are now turning social media into a recruitment platform to specifically target younger audiences,” he said.
