Too often, says Kansas City Mayor Sly James, adults tell teenagers where they can’t go without telling them where they can.
That’s why Jackson County COMBAT on Monday opened what it’s calling the “Hope Hangout” in south Kansas City.
“We know we have problems in the city with violence,” says James. “We don’t need to add to it. We need to subtract from it. That means we always have to be on point, giving our kids something they can do.”
The center has long been a dream of Marva Moses with the Hickman Mills Prevention Coalition.
“They can do everything here, and they can do absolutely nothing if they want to,” Moses says. “The real point was to be able to create space where they could just be, and be safe in their own little world.”
So kids can come for tutoring – or just to play video games with friends.
“Convincing is never what we have to do,” Moses says, adding she expected word of the center’s opening to spread quickly on social media. “You just have to kind of leave it open and make it comfortable.”
For now, the Bethel Family Workshop Center behind Ruskin High School is donating space, but Moses hopes the after-school center will eventually have its own building. She wants to set it up as a referral center for families in need of assistance.
As the event ended, James took the microphone once more and told the crowd he planned to support Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of a bill that would loosen gun laws. He asked for a show of hands.
“Anybody here have a 19-year-old? Raise a 19-year-old?”
Hands went up.
“How many of you would’ve been happy to have your 19-year-olds walking around with a gun on their hip?”
Every hand went down.
Hope Hangout will be open until 6:30 every day after school.
Elle Moxley is a reporter for KCUR. You can reach her on Twitter @ellemoxley.
