The village of Marshall is at a crossroads.
A few days after criminal charges were filed indicating that gang members were involved in a horrible murder of one of its leading figures, village residents face some tough decisions. Exactly how its citizens respond will say much to the rest of Dane County about the character of this village of 2,330, 20 miles east of Madison, and how the village will heal and survive.
The easiest and most understandable reaction is to say the murder of
Shelton Charles Counsell was a fluke.
Another reaction might be to rush through the village board a proposal for extra police officers. Others might look to the school system for an answer. The temptation will be strong to set aside money for prevention programs, gang awareness training and heightened security. Others will make calls to the county for extra social workers and money for jobs for youth.
Who could blame them? Like all of us, Marshall residents will want to suppress, intervene and prevent future gang activity and youth violence. But it is just as likely that their shock at the discovery of the gangs and their desire to purge the community of them will result in fragmentation of governance leading to inadequate measures and inappropriate responses.
If you have any doubt about this crime-response pattern, just ask leaders from a dozen communities who have participated in seminars sponsored for the last two years by the La Follette Institute of Public Affairs at UW-Madison. Recognizing the present and imminent problems across the state, the institute in 1995 launched a program of education, research and service to make possible and enhance community action to stem gang activity and youth violence.
The seminars have two underlying principles: promoting collaborative efforts of community leaders and treating youth violence as a public health problem. Green Bay, Racine, Eagle River, the Menominee Nation, Black River Falls, Eau Claire, Amery-Polk County, Neenah, Waukesha, Wausau, Delavan and Wisconsin Dells have joined the partnership.
The community governance model avoids the finger pointing that often comes with such a tragedy as Marshall experienced. Instead, the institute's seminars brought in teams from each community -- business owners, police, school administrators and teachers, parents, non-profit agencies, religious leaders, social workers, county extension agents, park and recreation workers and others.
The public health model was chosen because youth violence, unfortunately, is epidemic. Treating it as a public health problem expands the number of people who become involved and increases the creative solutions possible. A public health approach suggests attention to the root causes, to the conditions conducive to the continuation and spread of the problem, and, of course, to treatment of the victims.
After two days of intense discussion with seasoned mayors like Helen Johnson of Stoughton and Richard DeBroux of Appleton, academic experts and even gang members, the teams returned home with an action plan. In some cases, new alliances were forged. In others, long-slumbering committees were rejuvenated. The communities were grateful for an approach that allowed them to use their own strengths and that treated each differently.
In Racine, for example, community leaders have chosen a decentralized, neighborhood approach that is having positive results. In Eau Claire, Eagle River and Amery-Polk County, community leaders used the La Follette experience to launch their own seminars to share information and get community input and a cohesive plan that includes youth employment programs, school-police partnerships, social centers and other programs.
Does the La Follette Institute have an answer for what ails Marshall? Not necessarily. But experience in other communities has shown that Marshall can begin to solve its own problems with thoughtful, deliberate community collaboration. Marshall doesn't have to ask for help from the experts at UW-Madison. The people of Marshall just have to ask their neighbors in communities from Stoughton to Eagle River, who know their agony, who have not denied the problems and who have taken steps to reduce youth violence before it spins further out of control.
