Fort Myers City Council meeting calls for help with youth crime

Reporter: Taylor Wirtz Writer: Rachel Murphy
Published: Updated:
Kid with their hands behind their back (CREDIT: WINK News)

A new program discouraging crime among Lee County’s youth population is underway.

Many expressed concern at the Fort Myers Council meeting on Monday night. City Council Member Johnny Streets said a lack of mentoring and absence of parents in specific communities has left many kids throughout Fort Myers at risk.

“As of today, there are approximately 1,400 kids that have been killed because of firearms this year, and it’s probably going to increase,” said Streets.

Streets hopes to change that by working with law enforcement, the Lee County School District and community specialists to take a closer look at the school-to-prison pipeline and what youth arrests look like here.

“What we would do is get a list of arrests, and what areas they come by– young folk are coming from– whether it be black, white, whatever. Then we can track that area, so what are we not doing in that area that will perhaps help these youth get more involved with mentoring, boy scouting other things,” Streets said.

“We need to do things to stem that tide, so prevention is definitely a good approach to combat juvenile crime,” said Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson.

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