The staff of the Friends of Yates Inc. in Kansas City, Kan., recently issued a news release to address events of violence against youth.
The goal of this statement was to make sure the community knew about resources that are available from Friends of Yates to address violence, according to a staff member.
The Friends of Yates news release:
As an organization rooted in Wyandotte County for over 100 years and working with victims of abuse and violence for over 36 years, Friends of Yates, Inc. finds it necessary to address recent events of violence against youth within our community and our nation. We do not condone violence or abuse of any person on any level and believe it is our responsibility to speak out against all forms of abuse within our families, communities and systems.
Nationally, the recent events involving law enforcements misuse of power and force against African-American youth has us outraged and we would like to see more systems speak out against these issues. Watching the recent incident in McKinney Texas, involving yet another black teen and a police officer’s perceived racist actions and abuse of authority, we consider this to be an example of issues our government should further address in systems accountability. According to The Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) (42 U.S.C.A. § 5106g), had this been an issue between a parent or caregiver and a youth, this would have been considered child abuse. We believe law enforcement should be held to the same standard of conduct and laws they are sworn to enforce in our society to protect citizens. Who are policing the police and what laws are put in place to protect our youth against systemic abuse?
Locally, we are dealing with the total disregard of the lives of our young people. The tragic violence that has taken the lives of so many youth in our community has to stop. The recent shooting of 16-year-old Jamie Zubia- Hernandez in Kansas City, Kan., who had been missing since 2012 from the foster care system, is yet another example of our youth falling through the cracks in our society. From our stand point, missing youth are vulnerable to being exploited and becoming victims of human trafficking. Perpetrators often prey on these at-risk youth and offer to meet their basic needs in exchange for them being trafficked. As an agency who assists victims of domestic and sexual violence and human trafficking, we are in position to provide education to the community on how to recognize and address possible victims of abuse.
We, feel the need to speak out to advocate for the lives and safety of all persons. We invite other families, members and systems of all communities to join us and do the same to prevent yet another tragic incident from harming or taking the life of another youth. The youth are our future and need to be protected. The violence has to stop and it starts with us.
Friends of Yates, Inc. and Della Gill-Joyce Williams Center provides a comprehensive list of services for all victims of domestic and sexual violence, human trafficking and teen dating violence including but not limited to, safety planning, case management, court advocacy, job coaching, substance abuse counseling, economic empowerment, parenting education and domestic violence education and support groups. If you or someone you know is a victim of abuse, there is help available. The 24-hour crisis hotline is 913-321-0951 or 855-232-0252 or visit our website, www.friendsofyates.org.