1,000-man march to converge on Germantown High

by MICHAEL J. MISHAK

In the wake of recent school violence, a coalition of local clergy and faith-based organizations plan to march on Germantown High School next week, hoping to draw at least 1,000 men, especially fathers, in an effort to squash rising tensions between neighborhood gangs, according to the Rev. LeRoi Simmons, executive director of Central Germantown Council.

The tension came to a head on Oct. 25 when Samuel Evans, 15, was shot in the back during a melee that involved scores of neighborhood youth just blocks from Germantown High School.

The march, scheduled for Nov. 16, is one in a series of recent youth outreach efforts, many of which were coordinated by local elected officials, including Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller and State Rep. John Meyers, Philadelphia Police and the School District of Philadelphia.

On Nov. 1, a community meeting at First United Methodist Church of Germantown served as a sounding board for parents, teachers and community activists as school and law enforcement officials listened, took notes and responded.

"The children that are causing the problems are not being bused in," said Larry Simmons, administrative assistant to State Rep. Meyers. "They're your children," he said, pleading with parents to voice their concerns.

While the school district accepted responsibility for some security shortcomings and pledged to purchase the necessary equipment to better protect its students, most attendees nodded in agreement as they were repeatedly told the best defense was parental discipline.

"We're losing the focus at home," said one parent. "We're turning it over to [the schools], but there are things we could have been doing. Nobody else is going to do what you should be doing for yourself."

March organizers said a group would gather in Vernon Park, Germantown and Chelten avenues, at 7 a.m. next Tuesday for a "prayer walk" to Germantown High, where they plan to surround the school. The demonstration, organizers hope, is the first step to a continuous adult presence near the school.

For more information, contact Central Germantown Council at 215-849-5800.