WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A summit focused on empowering youth and fostering positive change in the community took place today, organized by Love, Hope, and Healing Inc. The event featured speakers who provided children with guidance on how to avoid trouble.
"We just wanted everybody to come out so we can all come together to stop this crime that's going on in our community. We see a lot of it; in 2023, we had 3,800 kids get arrested from the ages 10 to 17," said Donte Bates, co-founder and executive director of Love, Hope, and Healing Inc.
The seminar, titled "Stop Throwing Rocks at the Chain Gang," addressed the issue of youth involvement in crime. The title serves as a metaphor for the choices young people encounter: "rocks" symbolize criminal acts, while the "chain gang" represents the repercussions of incarceration.
Partnering with the West Palm Beach and Riviera Beach police, the summit aimed to educate and inspire kids to make the right choices. "I'm someone that went away to prison in 2004 to 2006, so this is my way of giving back to the youth in the community to make sure they don't make the same mistakes," Bates added.
The summit was free and open to the public and consisted of two panel discussions and interactive sessions. Panelists for the event include Circuit Court Judge Bradley Harper, Riviera Beach Police Chief Michael Coleman, Deputy Assistant State Attorney Cheo Reid, and West Palm Beach Police Chief Antonio Araujo.
The event ran from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, and Bates plans to host more summits in the future.
