Evening star., 1953-12-08
Meeting on Anocostio Plan
Gives Juveniles Their Soy

juveniles
The Anacostia plan-"Opera-
ton Co-operation"-w h ereby
that area hopes to fight juvenile
delinquency with every available
facility. was in full swing today,
a pattern for other areas to
follow
The first community meeting
of the Youth Committee for the
Co-ordinating Committee of
Anacostia met last night in the
auditorium Of Birney School,
Nichols avenue and Sumner road
Sc, and examined it's capabili-
ties one by one. Several hum
dred persons attended.
The parents, school teachers,
police officers and churchmen
are not altogether relying on
what they think should be done
about delinquency, however.
They asked boys and girls them
selves for advice and received
some pretty good answers. That,
as the neighborhood now puts it,
is the cooperation in the opera
tion.
Progress Reported.
There were lots of speakers.
The basic problem was outlined
by Miss Winifred Thompson,
staff aide to the Commissioners
Youth Council. She told of the
new groups work and basic prog
ress to date.
This was not, in a sense, an or
ganizational meeting of the Ana
costa residents. But it was
meeting that sought to pin
point. more accurately, some of
the things that should be ex-
plored A discussion panel, COM
posed of adults and youngsters
of the community, had several
questions and answers along this
line.
Young Michael Beasley of
Turner Elementary School asked
why his parents frowned on him
if he asked to stay out a bit late
now and then, say until 9 or
10 pm.
Capt. Murphy Answered.
Police Capt. William Murphy
of No. IL precinct carefully ex-
planned there was such a thing
as obedience to the rule of par
ents, and moreover, they prob
ably knew what was best for
him. Michael seemed to be sat-
iSfied.
Barbara Barnes, young girl
from the Barry Farms Recrea-
tion Center, said that, if a young
person was correctly brought up
and made good use of time for
such things as study and recre-
alton, he or she would not be
adversely influenced by lurid
and comic books and
television programs.
Concurring with her was Mrs.
Edna E. Gordon, president of
the Turner Elementary School
PTA. She said that a child,
trained from infancy in the right
way. with the proper guidance
in the home, would not be in
f1uenced by the magazines or
programs.
Frederick Saunders, another
teen-ager from Barry Farms,
suggested that, when adults are
assigned to recreation centers,
they should be chosen because
they really have interest and en-
thusiasm for the work and not
just be made subject to routine
assignment.
Some Parents Too Busy.
June Stewart of Douglas Ju-
nior High School was critical of
parents who are too busy or in
different toward their growing
children.
Supervision over public dances
and social affairs would make
the children-participantS behave
better, contended Joan Patter-
son, who introduced Miss
Thompson.
Cynthia Sealey of Birney
School, also was on the junior
side of the panel. Other adults
were Mrs. Alice Bell Finlayson,
principal of Birney; Mrs. May
McBridge Knight, a parent;
Veoda Williams, president of the
Southeast Business and Profess
sional League. and Mrs. F. R.
Dorsey. principal of Douglas
Junior High School.