CONFERENCE TO HELP AT-RISK BLACK MALES WITH LIFE CHOICES

OAKLAND -- When Elihu Harris was mayor of Oakland and wanted to know why so
many young, black males were selling drugs, he went to 71st Avenue and
Hamilton -- a hot spot in East Oakland -- and asked.

The youths complained about not being able to find decent jobs.

And on Saturday in East Oakland, Housing Authority police officers arrested
three black teens who are suspected of selling marijuana.

In response to concerns that too many African-American males are involved
with criminal activities in Oakland, activists are coming together to
develop strategies and outreach.

A Young Black Males At Grave Risk Conference will be held at Laney College
on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. where workshops are going to call for
more mentors and more involvement from program coordinators, clergy and
others, according to Achebe Hoskins. He operates an African American Males
Rites of Passage program.

"People interested in learning more about resources for parenting and
helping African-American boys through adolescence to responsible manhood
should attend," Hoskins said.

The annual conference started in 1991 after Judge Wilmont Sweeney heard
statistics about black males. In addition, the Alameda County District
Attorney's Office reported that year 80 percent of its cases involved
racial minorities and 60 percent of those were African American. There are
no current statistics available.

After Sweeney died, friends and supporters vowed to carry on his mission.

Nationwide, homicide is the No. 1 cause of death for black males between
the ages of 15 and 24, according to the Centers for Disease Control in
Atlanta, and 95 percent of the perpetrators are black males. And one in
four black males has had contact with the criminal justice system.

Statewide, black males make up 3 percent of the population, but account for
a third of inmates.

In Oakland, so far this year 69 percent of the homicide victims were black
males.

Racial breakdowns for other crimes are not tracked.