Name: Chandler city session focuses on teen violence solutions
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Chandler city session focuses on teen violence solutions

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                                Days before Chandler City Council is scheduled to take action on addressing the rise of teen violence in the East Valley, the city played host to a listening session, inviting in residents to share their thoughts and concerns about the issue.“It really speaks to community collaboration when we have representatives from all walks of our community here to collaborate and solve issues together,” Police Chief Bryan Chapman said. “It can sometimes be uncomfortable conversations, but very necessary if we’re going to get anything done.”The listening session was held at the Chandler Nature Center on April 29. Council is considering two ordinance changes at its Thursday, May 9, meeting to give police more tools to address teen violence.
        The first would be redefining what an unruly party is and making its host legally responsible with, potentially, the stiffest penalty the city can hand out.The second would be to ban and limit brass knuckles for juveniles in the city. The city cannot define a felony because that’s up to the state. Both ordinances Council is considering would be Class 1 misdemeanors, which carries penalties that include some jail time, fines and probation.About 50 people attended the listening session. Included in the group were at least one parent from each of three families whose children have been victims of teen violence.They included Nick Lord and Autumn Curiel, the parents of Preston Lord, the 16-year-old Chandler youth who was beaten at a Halloween party in Queen Cteek on Oct. 28 and died two days later. Also attending were Richard Kuehner and Stephanie Jarnagan.Kuehner has filed a lawsuit against the members of the Gilbert Goons and their parents in connection with an assault on his son in August. He has also filed a $6 million legal claim against the Chandler Unified School District. His son attended Perry High School but has since moved out of the country to live with his mother because of fear for his safety.Jarnagan’s son, Connor, has become a leading advocate for the state banning brass knuckles after he was assaulted in 2022 with that weapon.All three victims were attacked outside of Chandler. Both Keuhner’s son and Connor were attacked at the Gilbert In-N-Out Burger.&nbsp;“While the tragic event leading to the murder of Preston did not happen in Chandler, we understand the impact youth violence has in every community,” Chapman said. “We are not immune from that happening in our community, and we will not sit idly by waiting for a tragedy to happen.”The chief said that after Preston died, Chandler investigators started a holistic review of all teen violence cases with multiple people examining each case, and found no evidence of the Gilbert Goons attacking anyone in Chandler.
        Bridget Vega, who has been a regular speaker at city council and school board meetings, noted the different way in which different municipalities in the region have responded to teen violence.She gave Chandler City Council high marks for how its handling of the problem and gave less praise to other municipalities. Other people at her table nodded in agreement.The listening session began with Chandler Police explaining the steps they have taken to address teen violence.&nbsp;Then, Dr. Paula McCall, a psychologist who formed the Semicolon Society to address issues leading to teen suicide, gave a presentation on what’s happening with youth and how should parents deal with it.McCall said the increases in violence and suicidal thoughts among teens are related.Stressing that she is not excusing the violence or saying there should not be consequences, she said, “I’m here to offer more of a mental health perspective to try and understand the why, and what we can do.”The big takeaways are that parents should be asking their child questions if they hear comments indicates the child may be considering violence or suicide.“What led you to this point? I want to understand,” McCall said as one example parents can ask.&nbsp;Asking the right questions is just part of it. She also said parents need to remember at all times they are role models. So, when they get cut off in traffic, how they react in front of their children is important. Most of all, a troubled child needs to feel supported.“Validation is recognizing what the other person is saying,” she said. “It doesn’t mean I have to agree with it, but I’m hearing it. ‘I hear you, I hear your pain, I hear what you’re telling me. Thank you for trusting me. I love you, I’m here for you.”McCall said it’s important for parents to give the child a role in finding a solution.“We want to give our youth opportunities for control,” McCall said. “They often don’t feel that they have control. When you have someone who’s lashing out violently, or who feels like they should die, they don’t feel like they have a lot of control in their lives.”She suggested asking them, “‘What would you like right now?’ It can make a huge difference, especially in a crisis moment, to give them a sense of control.” &nbsp;
        
                                
                                



                                
                                
                                
                                Days before Chandler City Council is scheduled to take action on addressing the rise of teen violence in the East Valley, the city played host to a listening session, inviting in residents to share their thoughts and concerns about the issue.“It really speaks to community collaboration when we have representatives from all walks of our community here to collaborate and solve issues together,” Police Chief Bryan Chapman said. “It can sometimes be uncomfortable...

Chandler city session focuses on teen violence solutions

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