Acting U.S. Attorney Cohen to Host Fifth Annual Youth Summit At Friendship Collegiate Academy in Northeast Washington

            WASHINGTON – Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent H. Cohen, Jr., the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force, and a wide variety of law enforcement and community partners are teaming up to sponsor a Youth Summit on Friday, June 26, 2015, at Friendship Collegiate Academy.

            The fifth annual summit is themed “Breaking the Silence on Youth Violence” and will focus on teaching young people about their rights and how to interact with law enforcement. The event will include a line-up of dynamic speakers, entertainment, and resources. The guest emcee is DJ Flava of WKYS Radio (93.9 FM), and entertainment will be provided by performers such as Motive, KRU3H, Young Motive, D.O.P.E. Jam, DAWeapon01, and Chi Chi Monet.

            Youths from the District of Columbia are invited to the program, which runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is free of charge. Doors open at 10 a.m. Friendship Collegiate Academy, 4095 Minnesota Avenue NE, is conveniently located directly across the street from the Minnesota Avenue Metro station in order to provide accessibility for students to attend.

            This is one of the largest events sponsored by the U.S. Attorney’s Office each year, typically drawing hundreds of youths. The fast-paced program assembles young people from under-served neighborhoods in the District of Columbia to discuss the most pressing public safety challenges facing their communities.  The goal of the program is to reach out to area youth on current public safety topics in an informative and inspiring way.

            This year, given recent national events, organizers decided to equip young people with the information that they need about interacting with the police and give them more insight into the important role of law enforcement in their communities.  Acting U.S. Attorney Cohen is expected to be joined in panel discussions by District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser, District of Columbia Attorney General Karl A. Racine, and others.

            In addition to the panels and performers, this year’s event also features a skit, poetry reading, and discussion of topics including Internet safety. The summit also will include an information fair where non-profit organizations provide information on youth development programs, mentoring, and education activities.

            Several partners will be coming together to present the day’s programs, including the  East of the River Family Support Collaborative, Collaborative Solutions for Communities, Friendship Collegiate Academy Public Charter School, District of Columbia Youth Advisory Council, Metropolitan Police Department and our various other partners.. The effort is supported by Project Safe Neighborhoods, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at reducing gun and gang crimes. People with questions or interest in bringing a youth group to the Youth Summit may contact Lenney Lowe at the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (202)-698-1452 or Lenney.Lowe@usdoj.gov.

            Follow the event on Twitter: @DCNews1 or @YouthSummitDC.