Mayor Ballard Speaks At News Conference Announcing “Your Life Matters”
An extensive multi-media campaign to help reduce the levels of Black-on-Black violence and overall violence and crime in the community has been launched by Mayor Greg Ballard and a consortium of community, media and faith based leaders. Mayor Ballard launched the program along with Public Safety Director Troy Riggs at an event at Washington Park Family Center. Called “Your Life Matters”, the effort will focus on bringing parents and grandparents of young people and young adults in touch with resources -mentoring and others – to help provide alternatives to potential and actual criminal behavior by their family members. The city’s 2-1-1 Help Line will be utilized to as a central point where community residents can call and get referred to mentoring, youth, mental health, employment and other services. The City will promote their employment opportunities for youth and young adults operated by EmployIndy as well as publicize and refer ex-offenders to the many re-entry programs the City and faith based and other agencies provide. On top of those services and the involvement of 2-1-1, will be an extensive public service campaign on Radio One’s five Indianapolis stations – AM1310 The Light, 106.7/WTLC, Hot96.3; Radio Now 100.9; and Telemundo Indy/Channel 19. In a special hourlong segment on Afternoons with Amos, the program aired the entirety of Mayor Ballard’s remarks outlining the “Your Life Matters” campaign. The Mayor’s remarks were following by a discussion of the programs components by four key leaders of the effort. Indiana Black Expo President Tanya Bell; Greg Wilson, Director of Minority and Women’s Business for the City of Indianapolis; Rev. Charles Ellis of the Ten Point Coalition; Pastor James Jackson, Fervent Prayer Church. Click the Arrow to Hear Mayor Ballard’s Remarks about Your Life Matters and the Panel’s Discussion of the Program with Amos. Runs 49 Minutes. ©2014 WTLC/Radio One.
