Speech addresses urban violence

An epidemiologist involved in combating urban violence told a campus audience yesterday that violence should be seen as a health problem, not a criminal one. Chukwudi Onwuachia-Saunders, who is a driving force behind Operation Peace of Philadelphia, a community organization which addresses various aspects of violence, spoke to an audience of 20 in John Morgan Hall. Deeply involved with aspects of public health, Saunders said she believes that violence is more than a criminal problem. Rather, she said, it is a health problem that has an enormous impact on American society. During her lecture, Saunders focused on how violence affects today's youths, especially African Americans. She cited police data that shows a 54-percent increase in homicides among black males ages 15 to 19, between 1985 and 1990. Such statistics support the need for immediate intervention, she said. "We all have a problem. It is engrained in our society," she said. "Everybody wants to point the finger at someone else." To combat these problems of violence, Saunders became involved with Operation Peace of Philadelphia. According to its mission statement, the group's goal is to "establish new ideals, beliefs and standards in the minds of all Philadelphians as it relates to violent behavior components." Operation Peace of Philadelphia is composed of 12 action teams which concentrate on improving various aspects of the Philadelphia community, Saunders said. These task forces are concerned citizens who want to make a difference, she explained. The University is part of the academic action team and is responsible for compiling innovative research in addition to educating others about statistics concerning violence, she said. Saunders explained in detail how the group organized its plan of attack. Her speech was one in a series to inform students and faculty about research careers. Operation Peace of Philadelphia began by developing a plan, relying heavily on input from a multitude of conferences including black clergy members, youth representatives, working groups and the Center for Disease Control, she said. Next it identified and clarified roles within the organization before building a coalition. Leaders in politics, in the community, in public health and in private sectors gave the group the support needed to put the plan into action. Operation Peace of Philadelphia is operating at low levels for now because it is still recruiting corporations and schools. Its kick-off event was only held three weeks ago, she explained. Students reacted positively to Saunders' speech. Most said they hoped Saunders and Operation Peace of Philadelphia receive enough support to combat violence. Josette Parker and Marjorie Dejoie, medical students who had worked with Saunders this summer through the group, said they were inspired by her knowledge. Dejoie said Saunders taught her about "perseverance and the reality of the struggle." Dejoie emphasized the need for a complete change in mind set. It is not enough to ban guns and implement curfews to decrease the intentional injury rate, she said. Gwen Tolbert, a bio-medical graduate student, said Saunders provided "a whole new approach to the issue of violence."