I read with great interest and concern your Op-Ed in the July 7, 2011, issue of The Westchester Guardian

concerning the sad state of affairs in Mount Vernon. Like yourself, I am a native son who was born, raised and educated in the City of Mount Vernon. Of the many points you brought out, you have, in my opinion, let out some items that may restore civility to a once great city. First, parents need to play more of a role in their childrens

Reacting to Pete Sherrills Op-Ed

education; seeing that they are in their residences on school nights and seeing that their assignments are undertaken. In order for part of this to be accomplished a curfew should be established by city hall. Secondly, suspensions by the school district should be established for unruly behavior. Getting back to our once great City of Mount Vernon, did you know there were once twelve car dealerships here? Mount Vernon was also home to the Bordens Milk company, the Dual Turntable company, and scores of small factories. Growing up here, there were three

movie theaters; once, there were five, now there are none. Concerning city hall, Mount Vernon was always full of politicians acting out like small time gangsters, only now the stakes and costs are higher. What is needed is for all citizens to act up and stand up demanding a clean house. Its been stated that a fish rots from the head down; same with a city. Once the head starts to rot the rest will follow. I wish you luck with your future endeavors and will support you while I reside here. Dennis Fishbein Mount Vernon, NY

Reinvest in the Family Structure to Move Mt. Vernon Forward

By DAMON K. JONES
Family is the basic building block of our society and the well being of our children is the most important factor for any community to exist and grow. The overall deterioration of our community is directly linked to the general decline of the family structure. For many young people, the concept of a supportive family life has been considerably damaged due to the significant number of children growing up in very dysfunctional situations. Many negative issues affecting our community can be contained and reversed if there was more of an emphasis on Continued on page 16

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The Westchester Guardian

THURSDAY, JuLY 21, 2011

OPED

Reinvest in the Family Structure to Move Mt. Vernon Forward

Continued from page 15 improving our families. In order for our children to meet the challenges of tomorrow, families must provide children with motivation, morals, encouragement and leadership today. The only way for our community to have thriving neighborhoods, a considerable crime reduction, and better schools is by making an extensive investment in the well being of our youth. Many of our elected officials have failed to rally the community to work on improving the central issues that affect a healthy family. Again, the focus must be on the youth. In helping our youth become well-rounded individuals, elected officials should focus on collaborative programs that promote the value of learning while emphasizing life skills training, conflict resolution, and effective communication. As the New York Representative of Blacks in Law Enforcement of America, I know firsthand that many of these programs can be successfully conducted by utilizing a combination of community volunteers, which includes faith-based collaborations, non-profits and other organizations. To achieve any sustainable reduction in crime, our elected officials must engage in an aggressive plan to identify and promote social service programs that provide meaningful assistance for families in need. This is especially critical to those families with children,

to prevent the youth from growing up being/ feeling neglected and joining on to so-called gangs and engage in criminal actives. The offender of tomorrow is often the at-risk child of today whose needs are not being addressed. As your Councilman, I will utilize my networks and contacts and bring positive results in reaching out to youth to make them better citizens and stake holders for the future of Mt. Vernon. The author is a candidate for the Mount Vernon City Council.