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Chief Harteau's Youth Summit Brings Youth, Police Together
The event focused on engaging area youth while addressing concerns with community policing.
Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau’s Youth Leadership Advisory Council hosted its Youth Summit on Tuesday night at Hamilton School in North Minneapolis. The Summit was a collaborative effort between local public, private and nonprofit organizations that hope to engage and support youth throughout the Minneapolis community.
The Youth Summit was an opportunity for Minneapolis youth in grades 8th through 12th to discuss current issues or concerns with community policing, and provide insight into current work and policies related to the Minneapolis Police Department.
Some of the workshops included:
- Police & Body Cameras: How they are used by law enforcement
- Understanding the impact of Social Media and cyberbullying
- MPD Interactive Traffic Stop
- Racial Profiling
Youth had the chance to network with their peers, professionals and Police Chief Harteau. Throughout the sessions, police officers discussed issues that pertained to the workshop’s subject and provided interactive opportunities for the kids to stay engaged and involved. At the traffic stop, kids had the chance to hear what officers are thinking as they approach a stopped vehicle and had the chance to provide input on how they would handle the situation. In other workshops, students asked questions ranging from how they could be involved in helping with the police hiring process to how they can help resolve the issue of racial profiling.
Individuals that took part in the Youth Summit included MPD Chief Harteau, MPD Deputy Chief/Chief of Staff Medaria Arradondo, WCCO-TV’s Reg Chapman and Minneapolis North boys basketball coach Larry McKenzie, among other police officers and community members. The Youth Coordinating Board and YouthLINK, two consistent partners of the Minneapolis DID in their Minneapolis SafeZone Collaborative street outreach efforts, were also part of the event and helped engage the students during the Youth Summit.
Food and prizes were available for those who took part in the event, and Lawrence McKenzie—a former Patrick Henry and Gophers basketball standout who is now known as the rapper Mac Irv—performed songs for the students during the finale that highlighted belief, hope and strength.
