YOUTH VIOLENCE WEIGHS ON DRUG TASK FORCE

Fueled by stories of crystal meth's destructive influence on youth and
the community, all walks of Kelowna society came out for the first
phase of the Crystal Meth Task Force this week.

The city now has 20,000 provincial dollars and the attention of
several hundred concerned residents ready to take action against the
potent drug--and hopefully avoid the public humiliation of a young,
severely addicted street population.

But just as those 200 concerned residents assembled in the Mary Irwin
Theatre, police were unravelling a weekend rampage which rivaled any
big city tale of crystal meth psychosis. Four 16- and 17-year-olds
used marijuana and alcohol before going on a five-hour beating spree
through Rutland streets, leaving four people with an array of injuries.

Like their drugs of choice, their weapons--a baseball bat, fence post,
rock and bottle--were easily accessible. They left an unbearable wake
of destruction for their four victims, their friends and families.

The attacks, described as "random and cowardly" by police, left one
man so injured doctors placed him in a coma.

Another man was struck in the face by a bottle for the ghastly insult
of sitting on a public bench; and a young couple had to fend off
attacks because they refused to buy drugs.

The overwhelming message at Wednesday's forum was that teens fall into
meth use through tight peer relationships and the need to belong.
Alienated from the overly stressed grownups surrounding them, they
turn to other teens for the safety net a strong family and involved
community could once provide.

Over the coming weeks the four youths will learn a lot about how much
the adult world cares about their actions.

Hopefully, over the next three months of this task force, the rest of
Kelowna will learn a little more about how we can prevent more
children from reaching this point.