Fort Wayne Urban League launches initiative to improve encounters between teens and police

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – The Fort Wayne Urban League held a press conference Thursday to announce its initiative called “Mothers for the Movement, Every Child Home Alive.”

The initiative is working to develop training and language to teach youth proper protocols when interacting with police and to create opportunities for local police to interact with the youth they serve.

The idea came about when two Fort Wayne police officers spent an hour with one of their Power Hour students. They were encouraged and wanted to do more of the good and incorporate the educational aspect into it.

Mothers from across Fort Wayne have joined this movement and want to make sure they are doing their part to keep their children safe.

“My daughter didn’t have her lights on and was stopped by a police officer. As a young black woman, she was incredibly scared for her life,” said Antoinette Francher-Donald. “She was crying. I said, this can’t go on. And after the recent death of a young man in our community, Linzell Parhm, I felt compelled to intervene.”

Their goal is to complete an informational video for the community by January 1st and they are holding meetings to continue creating these resources.