Earlier this year, the annual meeting of the Boston Coalition was held in the Sunday School of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston. The coalition comprises civic, business, community, law-enforcement, and religious leaders who gather regularly to address problems of violence and substance abuse in the Boston area, and to explore ways to support young people and families more effectively.

The main speaker was David Hall, dean of Northeastern University School of Law in Boston. He is a man of wide interests with a master's degree in human relations from the University of Oklahoma and a doctorate in law from Harvard. Earlier at Kansas State University, he was named an "all-American" in basketball and later played the game professionally in Italy. He is the father of three children and devotes many hours each month to serving community-based organizations.

He told the Sentinel that nothing gives him greater satisfaction than to work with young people. "I would never have gotten where I am today," he said, "without the encouragement of my own parents and of mentors who molded my life and inspired my spirit."

Dr. Hall spoke on the role of "Images, Opportunity, and Spirit" in people's approach to young people. Here are some excerpts:

CHANGING OUR IMAGE

When I reflect upon the violence and drug abuse that are occurring in this country and the various ways in which the public has responded, the problems appear overwhelming and complex. Many of us tend to throw up our hands and assume that nothing can be done. We assume that the solutions can't be comprehended by average citizens and that it would take at least three doctoral degrees to make sense of this mess.

Although I may be accused of being simplistic, the answer for me boils down to three things—images, opportunity, and spirit. There needs to be a coming together of the mind, structure, and soul of this country. We cannot address issues of violence and drug abuse unless we first change the image we have of those who are engaged in such acts. I cringe when I hear news commentators and academics refer to this generation of youth offenders as "super predators." That graphic, slick label feeds into a mind-set that will allow us as a society to dismiss the people we most need to embrace.

Tell me the last time you loved a predator or took one home for dinner. ... I can't pretend that I don't have concerns for my safety, but the mind is a powerful instrument that can keep us away from people who appear to be less [worthy] or different from us. The image we send by the language we use, by the way we describe those who are engaged in violence and drug abuse, will affect the amount of social will that is generated to solve these problems. ...

Once we begin to see the offender not as a stranger or an alien but as family, we will find the social, economic, and political will to confront this crisis together. If we don't change the image and reality of violence in this country, then the crime rate could go down and people would still demand more prisons. Yet, changing our image of crime and the people who commit it is not enough.

CREATING OPPORTUNITIES

There are two other [aspects] that must be explored. When people are deprived of opportunities in life to discover their social and personal worth, they give up on themselves and ultimately give up on society. So, we must make sure that we provide people with opportunities—structural changes in our society, and especially in certain communities, that make the possibility for growth a reality. If we don't invest in people, we are creating a negative scenario that fits into the images we have created. If you create a jungle, people will act like animals. If we fashion a mental and physical heaven for them, there is a greater likelihood that they will feel and act like saints.

We like to refer to youth offenders as "the lost generation." They are not lost. The reality is that we have turned off the social and spiritual lights and they can't find their way in the dark. Therefore, they are reaching for whatever they can get their hands on so that they can find meaning in life. When you reach in the dark, you never know what you will find. Too many of them are finding drugs and violence. Although those things don't help to turn on the lights, they at least allow them to make it through the night. ...

SPIRITUAL POWER

However, we will never be able to reach out fully to those in need unless we tap into the spiritual power that all of us possess and that is lying dormant in those we want to help. The reason people drift away from themselves and society is that they have no anchor. I believe that anchor must ultimately be a spiritual base that creates a value system that keeps us all intact—not a mental checklist that we can look at each day, but a source of energy and power that allows us to withstand the temptations and evils of life. This spiritual component is needed not only by those who are going astray but also by those of us who are trying to help.

Our strength lies not only in our minds and in our intellectual ability to think of new solutions. It lies in our ability to have faith in those who disappoint us. To be able in times of frustration and doubt to look to the hills [and not just to people] for our help [see Psalm 121], to "run, and not be weary," to "mount up with wings as eagles" [Isa. 40:31]. ... All too often the young people we are trying to help don't trust society or themselves because they have not met any person who is different who is worth believing in. Although ultimately they must each find their own anchor within, those of us around them can certainly make a difference in their lives as they try to find their way back home.

THE WAY HOME

This spiritual faith is so important if we are to resist the temptation to buy into the image that these kids are predators without souls and hearts. One of the most reassuring messages I have heard while listening to the leaders of the criminal justice system in this city of Boston is their realization that the young men engaged in violence and gangs, whom they arrest each day, are really good kids. As one of the officers said, "They are someone you would want to take home with you." When we take them home—to the home of our minds and to the home of our social policy—let us make sure that we bring them to a home that contains a positive image of them. Let us take them to a home that is filled with opportunities and spiritual power. What they need is a chance, not a label. They need more love, not more alienation and denial.

We have the capacity to bring about this merger of images, opportunities, and spirit. The challenge will be to do it in a way that is meaningful and consistent.