P.A.L. program provides afterschool alteratives
Heather Hope | 12-25-2009 | Comments |
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Kristian Lee, a sophomore at Dorsey High School in South Los Angeles, said he had nothing to do after classes let out at 3 p.m. Meanwhile, his mom, Mary Lee, had to be at her school, West Los Angeles College, by 3:30 p.m. each day and said her plate was full. 
“My son has essentially been killing me trying to find something for him to do,” she said, adding that she did not know how she was going to be able to appease her son and professors without burning herself out.
Then she saw an announcement while shopping in the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Plaza about a free afterschool program, which offers tutoring, cooking and computer classes, and arts and crafts.
She said the program had her sold with “free,” but she also took delight in its sponsors – the Los Angeles Police Department.
The LAPD puts on the afterschool lineup known as P.A.L., or Police Activities League, every Tuesday through Thursday at 3 p.m. for the first time in a central location in the South Los Angeles area. The program formerly consisted of police officers organizing various activities at local elementary and middle schools.
Officer Jared Vann of the Southwest Community Police Station, who runs the Southwest P.A.L. Program at the Rancho Cienega Sports Complex on Rodeo Road, said the LAPD will have a greater reach into the community by being in one set location.
“Working with kids at the different schools was good because of the close bonds I could make with students,” said Vann, who has been involved with P.A.L. for two years.
“But I know a lot of people got left out since we couldn’t be at every single school,” he said.
One drawback is that participants have to find their own transportation to the P.A.L. program now. But Lee said the park is perfect for her because it is next door to Dorsey, so Kristian can walk there right after school.
Vann said the goal of the program is to foster a positive relationship between youth and law enforcement. He said too often police officers and kids “get off on the wrong foot” because they never really take the time to get to know each other.
According to the latest LAPD Compstat crime report for Southwest LA, the number of youth-related arrests and violent crimes dropped 30 percent since 2007. Vann said youth programs like P.A.L. help contribute to the decline in crime.
“We want to shape these attitudes early on, in hopes of getting through to young people now before dealing with juveniles later,” Vann said.
Rancho Cienega Sports Complex Director Ralph Jordan, who has worked there for 34 years, praises the P.A.L. program and said a police presence at the park is just what he and his staff needed to feel safer.
The program’s arts and crafts instructor, Raven Jackson, who grew up in the neighborhood near the park, believes if young people do not have an afterschool activity in the Southwest area, they set themselves up for destruction.
“Kids can get into gang banging, drugs, loitering and not do anything productive with their lives,” Jackson said.
The recreational sports director, Phillip Wiley – a former gang member -- said having Vann interact with the kids lets them see the law in a new light, which he did not have growing up.
“I always saw the police as the enemy; they weren’t cool and pretty much looked at negatively by minorities,” Wiley said. “I never thought I would be this close to a police officer and notice that he’s an actual human being people can talk to and is not just focused on taking kids to jail.”
P.A.L. participants stay active with a number of recreational activities, such as basketball, soccer and Kristian’s favorite, tennis.
“I love playing competitive sports and especially learning from a coach that once taught Venus and Serena’s dad how to play,” he said.
The kids also hone in on their computer skills in a class taught by Rashad Rucker, the center’s technology director, who shows children as young as six years old the basics of Microsoft Word and Internet Explorer.
“I know many of these kids aren’t getting the instruction at home so I like to take the time show them here,” Rucker said.
Alea Douglas, the park’s teen coordinator, who works with Vann in putting together different programs for P.A.L., said the afterschool sessions have definitely been successful because they are starting to see more kids come consistently.
“A lot of times people shy away from programs that are free because they think they lack quality, but that’s not the case here,” she said.
She said more than the educational and recreational activities of P.A.L., Vann is teaching the kids life skills and manners.
Parents like Carmen Daniels, who helps volunteer with the program for her 7-year-old son Jaylan, said Vann is a huge male influence for him since he does not have his father in his life.
Lee said Kristian’s is making so many new friends and developing his social skills, which is a big change from his first day at P.A.L. “Before he was like, ‘I don’t want to talk to anybody,’ and kept to himself, but now he has really opened up,” she said.
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