IS OUR SAN FRANCISCO JUVENILE SYSTEM BROKEN?

The San Francisco Juvenile system has not lived up to its mission objective. In simple terms the mission objective of the San Francisco Juvenile system is to bring about progress among all incarcerated youth and their parents or the support system that supports them. An example youth living in the foster care system or some rehab facility. It is essential that the victims linked to the CRIMES of the incarcerated youth are supported and taken care of. Further the mission objective should bring progress to the community at large. The last objective is to bring about safety to the community to enhance Quality of Life issues. As much as our previous Mayors Dianne Feinstein, Art Agnos, Frank Jordon, Willie L. Brown would like to shove the blame on others but not on their administration and the plight of the San Francisco Juvenile Department — each one of them have harmed thousands of youth by not addressing the pertinent and salient programs that should have been in place to fulfill the mission objective of the San Francisco Juvenile Department and its commitment to the youth and society at large. There has been a tendency at this very moment to create a rosy picture to placate those advocates, supporters and those parents that are worried about how our youth are treated and handled. There really has not been a model in the San Francisco Juvenile Department (SFJD) to help our youth — moving with the times and one that brings together the best training, support, care, and nurturing of our incarcerated youth. In order to understand the situation at hand we first must have a deep sense of understanding, compassion, good education and most importantly access to the situations that our youth in San Francisco face in their homes, their neighborhoods, their turfs, unique area like our Public Housing and other salient and up front factors that our Probation Officers and the SFJD are not exposed to because of their tunnel vision and close minded situation facing the real world in which we all live. San Francisco has always been an unique city but it has been a city of compassion — Saint Francis Assissi. Very few Probation Officers have free access to understand and learn the situations facing our youth from Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and other Middle Eastern and South Asian countries. This situation is all the more apparent when it comes to the Polynesian youth and especially the Samoan youth. African American youth are treated in a manner that defies logic. It is critical that psychologists and psychiatrist are invited into the SFJD to study the manner in which African American and other youth are handled. Right now the trend it to keep the Juvenile System below the maximum level of those that can be incarcerated around 78. To do this and project a rosy picture — some youth that should held back and treated are let go. Recently a number of youth were arrested a few days after being released. This should not happen. This in and out and round about system — rotating youth and musical chairs must stop. A study of the incident reports clearly show that some youth are not treated for their mental illness. Others have been thrown into a situation where they cannot get help outside so they bring attention to themselves by committing crime — thinking that they can get out as this has happen before to them. They system counts their crimes as befitting to send youth into the Adult System and incarceration. Many a time the decision made is to send them out of State and treat the youth as adults. Any recent study of the incident reports will reveal to any person that cares much less a Probation Officer or any administrator within the Probation System that this is totally wrong. Of course Mayor Gavin Newsom and the Board of Supervisors know little or nothing much about the system. While Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi has asked some questions before he has not visited the SFJD to study the situation first hand. Supervisor Sophie Maxwell could not care less that a lot of the incarcerated youth are from her district. Ignorant as she is of the real facts — she does not care for our youth. If she did she should explain why she has not visited the SFJD and why she has no measures in place to care for our youth? It is a shame that Mayor Gavin Newsom chose to get politics involved with our youth and the SFJD. We have had serious problems in Public Housing and the Mayor thinks little of making some drastic changes and uplifting the constituents that stay in Public Housing. One important element that can be infused training and jobs. It is so sad to see so many waste their precious time in Public Housing. The millions of dollars given to she and he thugs should be put to use. The Community Based Organization that are fleecing the City and County of San Francisco should go to Public Housing and offer creative lesson and training in — photography, screen printing, recording music, writing skills, fashion design, film editing and other such programs that the youth are interested in. The Federal government through Housing and Urban Department (HUD) has relegated its responsibilities to the San Francisco Housing Department. That is like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. One organization worse then the other. For years thugs have exploited Section 8 and other such programs giving some thugs the license to prey upon other. The present San Francisco Housing Commission is riddled with corruption and the past Housing Commissions have nothing much of worth to show. The worst crime is preying upon those that are poor and disenfranchised. How can people live in filthy conditions in Public Housing? How can people live in an area where over 50% of the homes are boarded? Just go take a look at the Public Housing at Potrero Hill? A higher percentage of youth in Public Housing spend time at the San Francisco Probation Department. When you talk to them — that is if you are not a ³snitch² they will tell you everything and more. The picture is not pretty and I leave it to your imagination to feel the situation in which our youth have to carry on living with scars that have been inflicted on them by those that are supposed to take care of our youth. Recently some community members have tried their best to make inroads and work with the San Francisco Juvenile Department. Progress has been very slow but the community leaders are not giving up. Now several community leaders are talking to one another and the second phase will be to visit Mayor Gavin Newsom and his uneducated cronies. Many of these officials are responsible for the sufferings of our youth. Let this be a warning to all concerned. Do not treat our San Francisco youth as adults. If you do you will bring the worse in the community that is fed up with the present system. The next thing — you will have a law suit that you will lose — for the simple reason on our side we have the living proof and on the other side all they have are fabrications with some little documentation of shady facts. The San Francisco Juvenile Department gives little money to community groups that encourage parents, advocates, and experts such as lawyers, psychologists, sociologists, teachers, youth, parents, judges, to work with the community and incarcerated youth. Little money for cultural programs where youth from various communities are encouraged to visit the incarcerated youth and show case their talents. Right now most incarcerated youth are treated like pariah dogs. A recent document that cost the San Francisco Juvenile Department thousands of dollars is faulty. I have stated this before and will state it again. No Community Based Organization (CBO) should be funded that does not submit the required evaluation documents one month before the end of the fiscal year. It is a shame to fund she and he thugs that use the money and have No Accountability and Transparency. The Controller Office of the City and County of San Francisco has guideline materials ³Finance Guide for Nonprofit Organizations². This guideline must be incorporated when any grant money is doled out. It is a shame when from the 40 plus organization only 24 or so give some feed back and the rest are given liberty to do as they please. Why should these CBOs not be incarcerated? Why do we permit such crooks to deal with our youth when they indeed need some rehabilitation and education themselves? Call (415) 554-7500 and request for the book and then make sure you read and follow the advice given in the book. Under Mayor Gavin Newsom Spin and Media hype has been his forte. Mayor Gavin Newsom does not have the fortitude to delve into serious issues and one glaring example in the San Francisco Juvenile Department. This is not the time for stinking politics but the time to face our youth, look them in the eye and address their concerns. I am not for pandering and accommodating those that have broken the law. I am also going to call a spade a spade. Most of all I am for educating one on issues. In the case of the youth and juvenile system we have to sit down as a community, as concerned constituents and have a San Francisco home grown solution to home grown issues. Address the Mission Objective of the San Francisco Juvenile Department. I challenge anyone to fully understand the San Francisco Juvenile System and the youth from the various sites that they come from in a couple of months — it takes years to understand the real ground zero issues. It is wrong to by pass experience and talent and accommodate politics to cater to the whims of some uneducated politicians or may I say so naïve that they fail our youth and penalize them for no fault or their own. Of course cowards cannot tell the truth. Uneducated fools cannot explain the situation at hand. Crooks want the money and care not about love and sacrifice. Remember there can be no love without sacrifice. Our Samoans, Cambodians, Laotians, Middle Eatern, South Asian, African American youth and others are real part of the diversity. They all pay taxes but why are they treated like second class citizens? Within the Probation System there is too much infighting. Again and again too many issues are out in the public. Try washing the dirty linen within the system and bringing about resolutions. Stop washing dirty linen in the public. Our Juvenile System should be turned around on a war footing. Much time has been lost and too many youth have had to suffer for no fault of there own. We have trained and educated community leaders that have been kept out of the loop. Our youth shunned and often incarcerated and put in worse situations. I have seen, heard, verified, and studied case after case. The time has come for drastic solutions and those that want to take us backwards better jump ship and forever hold your peace. >p> This is San Francisco and the good people can make great stuff happen. The crooks and she and he thugs beware!

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