East Point police hold free summer camp to prevent youth violence

EAST POINT, Ga. — There is a new program to fight youth crime in one local city just days after East Point Police investigated a deadly shooting that killed a 9-year-old.

East Point Police Chief Shawn Buchanan said his city has seen an increase in juvenile crime and shootings over the last few months.

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Chief Buchanan said it’s a harsh and sad reality.

“You can’t go a week without seeing a juvenile killed or shot,” he said.

Channel 2 Action News recently reported that 9-year-old King Javier Black was shot on June 3, in East Point and he died from his injuries.

“I’m very concerned. I don’t like what I’ve seen so far. In the summertime, there’s no school,” said Buchanan.

That’s why Chief Buchanan and the East Point Police are holding a summer youth camp. The camp’s focus is to provide teens with positive outlets during the summer.

“We wanted to have a way to reduce juvenile crime in the city of East Point and the Metropolitan area. What we chose to do is focus on age groups 10-15 and have a camp sponsored and ran by police. I don’t know any other police departments around that’s doing a camp, sponsored and run by police officers to help engage our youth,” said Buchanan.

But they’re not stopping there.

They’re also producing videos that highlight different scenarios, from how to deal with peer pressure to gun violence.

This year, they’re tag-teaming with Rapper Killer Mike.

“We really want children to make better decisions and have a better outcome in life. By shooting these videos, it’s something they can watch on their phones. All teenagers are involved in social media, so that’s why we’re pushing out on social media platforms. We’re going to end up interacting with these juveniles, one way or the other. Either through the criminal justice system or through preventive methods. I choose to interact with them through preventive methods.”

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It’s a free summer camp for East Point and Fulton County Youth for ages 6-16.

It’s June 2-July 10, Monday-Thursday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Open to the first 50 youth to apply.

Call Eastpoint Police Department at 404-559-6226.

Here are other programs across Metro Atlanta:

• Midnight Basketball League
• Police Athletic League (PAL)

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