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46 COUNCIL CHAMBER - June 5, 1989 Council met in regular session on this date with the following members present: Mro Buck, Rev. Edwards, Mr. Towe, Mr. Vandever, Ms. Waters. MINUTES On motion by 'Rev. Edwards, seconded by Mr. VandeVer, the minutes of the May 8th meeting were unanimously approved as presented. On motion by Mr. Towe, seconded by Rev. Edwards, the minutes of the May 15th meeting were unanimously approved as presented. PUBLIC Mr. John Dean informed City Council that a new organization is being formed to assist in the national effort regarding housing and homelessness which will be named the Charlottesville-Albemarle Committee for Housing Now and that an organizational meeting will be held on June 25th. PRESENTATION: CO~MUNITY'MEETING RE: DRUG ISSUES Ms. Alicia Lugo of 800 Rose Hill Drive, read a statement to Council addressing the issue of the use and sale of drugs in Charlottesville, generally, and in the black community in particular which had been prepared by representatives~of local churches, neighborhoods and concerned citizens. The following is a summary of Ms. Lugo's statement. Black citizen of the community have met and focused on treatment and rehabilitation, crisis-response and community education, with the goal of eradication of drugs from the streets and neighborhoods by addressing considerable resources to an all-out assault on the causes of the drug problem, including long and short-term responses. The community and City government should make a sincere commitment to address the following: 1) the high incidence of young black dropouts from the schools; 2) the large numbers of unskilled, unemployed, and underemployed black reSidents; 3) the high concentration of black people in certain neighborhoods; 4) the large numbers of young black men in jail for petty, non-violent offenses; 5) the dysfunction existent in black families, including the rapid growth of single-parent; poverty-level, female-headed households; 6) neglected neighborhoods plagued by poor lighting, abandoned cars, and frustrated residents who see "no way out;" and 7) the reality of young people who have rejected the notion that hard work and the assumption of: responsibility will somehow buy them a piece of the "American Dream," in favor of the "fast buck" regardless of the consequences, including death and jail. The City should develop a master plan to address the drug problem and should involve the black community and the Social Development Commission. Ms. Lugo's statement continued that the following responses, made at the national and/or local level have had or could have a negative effect: 1) identification papers for tenants of public housing and towing of cars without probable cause; 2) insinuation by either the media or law enforcement agencies that the drug problem is a black problem, whereas the problem is community-wide and all who traffic in drugs should be pursued and prosecuted with equal vigor; 3) concentrating on treatment of the symptoms and not the disease and punitive responses without constructive, positive corrective actions such as rehabilitation and community education~ and 4) concentration of effort on small-time dealers rather than identifying and arresting the big backers and importers of drugs. Ms. Lugo's statement included the following recommendations: 1) summer youth recreation programs in all city owned parks, managed and supervised by paid city staff, providing full-day planned recreational activities, including use of playing fields, tennis courts and swimming pools