Community Conversation Themes:

• Too many children suffer anxiety about their safety - a sentiment expressed consistently in Latino communities.
  
  "I don't feel safe letting my children play outside."
  
  "Just a few blocks from here, the police were chasing some young people through the neighborhood and crashed into a corner, where moments before a little girl was playing. It was but for the grace of God that she wasn't killed."
  
  "In front of my house they sell drugs. We complain but the police response is not good. Sometimes they come – sometimes it is hours later. I have to keep my kids captive in our own house. It shouldn't be that way."
  
  "The police refuse to respond to my complaint about drugs being sold out of a house in my neighborhood because I won't make a formal report. I'm afraid to make a report because they will know who did it and I'm afraid. The police say without a report, they can do nothing."
  
  "Nine year olds are being recruited to be in gangs. It's happened at my son's school. He's been approached"
  
  "Another issue with the gang warfare - I have to be always aware of the colors I dress my kids in. If they're wearing red and black they could be shot by the rival gang. If they're wearing blue, they could be shot by someone else. This is a real issue. We've had kids shot."
  
  "We had a family that tried to stand up to the gangs in their community and their house was burned down. These fears are not unfounded."
  
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• Where we go from here: Continuing the Journey.
  
   
• Return to Main Children of Color page.