by KYW's Karin Phillips
The latest initiative by the Philadelphia Anti-Drug/ Anti-Violence Network (PAAN) can be seen at the Gallery at Market East, where a holiday tree peace ornament is on sale.
PAAN has been working since 1989 to keep Philadelphia's kids out of drugs and violence by offering alternatives. However, Karim Lewis, the Network's director of special projects, says adults must take more responsibility.
He believes an overly casual attitude about violence from adults -- like the toy manufacturer who has created a toy gun as a holiday tree ornament (see related news story) -- is echoed in children:
"These guys got into a riff with some boys in that neighborhood and decided to go back in that neighborhood and randomly shoot -- not at the people they had the riff with, but just any group of young people in that neighborhood. Where this irresponsible business (selling the gun-shaped ornament) said, 'This is dark humor,' that's what those kids said -- 'Let's go have a few laughs.' "
Those boys shot Lewis' niece in the knee this summer while she sat on her South Philadelphia stoop. She has since recovered.
Meanwhile, Lewis also says that adults must embrace, not shun, neighborhood troublemakers:
"If we take our kids to the movies or if we take them on an outing, we want to take the kid who's not getting that same type of positive family behavior with us when we go on these family outings."
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