The head of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, Guy Mitchell, is planning a mentoring program for troubled adolescents. The program, "Hoops Brothers," will be patterned after a similar initiative based in New York City.
Mitchell told Rotarians on Wednesday that the program, aimed at steering young people away from violence and crime to a more responsible and stable lifestyle, was created after the Million Man March in Washington, D.C.
"The march highlighted several of the problems facing young black males," Mitchell said.
The program was started in Harlem, he said, and "now it is spreading to other sections of New York City." Hoops Brothers meets once a week at a local high school. They play basketball and "attempt to exemplify the principles of good behavior," said Mitchell.
"When I came here to head up the criminal division at Justice," he said, "I quickly noticed the same concerns affecting the youths in New York were affecting those here in paradise." He estimated that 90 percent of violent crimes committed in the V.I. involve young black males.
Guidance counselors and other mentors have noted similar trends of untoward behavior in teen-aged girls, he said, and are starting a similar program, called "Sister Net."
"The girls now get together over a volleyball match and exemplify their own non-violent principles," Mitchell said.
Guy Mitchell can be reached at the Justice Department at 774-5666 for additional information on the mentoring programs, "Hoops Brothers" and "Sister Net."
