FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
State Rep. Kenyatta Johnson D-Philadelphia www.pahouse.com/johnson

Hundreds attend Johnson town hall meeting for Philadelphia youth

HARRISBURG, Jan. 6 – State Rep. Kenyatta Johnson, D-Phila., recently hosted a unique event designed to bring young people from throughout the 186^th District together for a panel discussion that engaged them in dialogue with a group of premier panelists to address youth violence in the Philadelphia region.

More than 250 people attended the first Peace Not Guns Youth Town Hall Meeting, which was designed to provide youth with a voice and encourage them to address issues plaguing their community and seek answers to resolve the senseless acts of violence and murders in Philadelphia. In 2008, 333 homicides occurred in Philadelphia with 145 of them involving youth between the ages of 17 and 25.

The discussion was moderated by Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, professor at the Teachers College, Columbia University. Panelists included such well-known community leaders as Court of Common Pleas Judge Renee Cardwell-Hughes, Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams and Teri Woods, author of "True to the Game."

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