PEACE Community Center opens in Danville to bridge gap between youth, law enforcement - WSET

DANVILLE, Va. (WSET) — In Danville, police are trying to steer young people away from crime and into something more positive.

The goal of the PEACE Community Center is to add a safe place for teens and youth to meet, and build positive relationships between teens and the local law enforcement community.

The center has arcade games, a pool table, video games and even a place to get homework done.

Education is a strong focus at the center. Tutoring will be provided on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Danville Mayor Alonzo Jones says reaching kids early in their development is key.

"People oftentimes ask what are you all doing for our young people...what are you doing? We took a police precinct, and turned it back into a youth center," said Jones.

The center will be police led. They want officers to build positive relationships with youngsters as a way to help reduce crime.

"One thing I hear constantly is our youth saying that they feel like they have nothing to do in Danville, and due to that we see a lot of youth committing crimes," said Ashtyn Foddrell with Danville Police Department Community Relations.

Children will even have the opportunity to grow their own food in the center's gardens.

In the '90s, the center was a community center, but the city turned it into a police precinct. Now, it's a bridge between police and young people in the area.

source: https://wset.com/news/local/peace-community-center-opens-in-danville-to-bridge-gap-between-youth-law-enforcement

Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.