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Valerie
Shaw
litemind@pacbell.net
Offerings
of an urban woman
Among its most enthusiastic grassroots participants, LA Community
Policing is proud to include an extraordinary urban woman, Ms. Valerie
Shaw.
Not only is Valerie a great writer, and several more of her offerings
will appear on the site very soon, but she's been an LA community
activist and advocate for many important issues, chief among them
issues that deal with youth, gangs and the inner city.
She holds an M.PR and resides in Northeast Division's Highland Park.
Val is actively engaged with promoting LACP, and helping pro-bono
with our fundraising efforts. For this we are very grateful.
Most recently her unique perspective has been shaped by the fact
that Valerie is a mother, struggling to help her child through the
minefield of adolescence ... and it's not been easy.
Below you will find a list of Valerie's LACP articles and Press
Releases, with the most recent offerings at the top:
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Let's Remember
Dexter by Making Time for Kids
- August, 2003
I promised myself that after Efren Diaz Junior's funeral nearly
a year ago, I wouldn't go to another one for a pre-adult manchild
whose life was cut short by a bullet. I couldn't take the pain of
seeing another young corpse laid out frozen in his Sunday best prom
clothes.
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When
Little Words Cause Deep Harm - June, 2003
I became aware of the power of words as a journalist with the Los
Angeles Times in 1980. I was the first black writer with the "View
Section," now "Lifestyles," and I admit that held myself to a higher
standard, for I was the only representative of the black and brown
communities. Now, as a journalist, I have made a most egregious
error.
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Garvanza
Skatepark: Public Interest or Public Menace? - May, 2003
[Satire] Returning from the second of three community meetings to
determine the viability of a skate park in the Garvanza area of
Highland Park, I had an epiphany moment. You know, one of those
messages from God that changes your life every 10 years or so ...
I admit it, I felt troubled.
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2
Late
4 Time Out
- April, 2003
This incredible publication is an attractively
priced e-book, available through the Internet. It can save your
family, or be given to a family you love. Simply stated it
helps parents and others deal with at-risk youth to pro-actively
understand the juvenile justice system. Ms. Shaw has offered
to donate a portion of the proceeds to LA Community Policing.
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Murray's Passion - LACP Press Release - January, 2003
Former film and television editor, Bill Murray, 49, admits that
running the nine-month-old Los Angeles Community Policing website
has taken over his life. He is almost apologetic about the tremendous
amount of time he spends tending to the effort, which recently became
a California State 501(c)3 non-profit organization (as yet un-funded).
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Retired Teacher
Inspires At-Risk Youth - January, 2003
There are thousands of unsung heroes in the fight for public safety
throughout the City of Angels. Keeping a group of at-risk kids off
the streets and into the books is one woman's mission against all
the odds. This
is the story of Millicent Hill, (affectionately known as "Mama Hill").
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A Good
Year for Amnesty for At-Risk Youth - January, 2003
If more adults reach out to our youth and call for an amnesty with
regard to their petty crimes, we may, in fact, be creating a safer
environment for all of us. We've given everyone on earth a chance
to redeem his and her place in society. Now, how about giving our
kids a break?
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Yo, Community ... Let's Talk Crime! - December, 2002
No one seemed to hear the police tell the residents, over and over,
that crime and crime prevention is not just a police problem. It's
a community problem. We all have to do something.
The more apathy
I see the more I feel that I have a meaningful role to fulfill in
my community.
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An Open Letter To The Mother Of A Teenage Killer - October,
2002
Dear Mom, I confess that we have a lot in common. We are both mothers
of boys who are just beginning to shave ... Last night my son lost
one of his best friends - a wonderful young man filled with hope
and promise - and your son killed him.
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Urban Hieroglyphics - October, 2002
Where once they honed their craft in dark alleys and abandoned buildings
and freight yards, today the young evolved graffiti artists are
working out in the open, by daylight, on a magnificent mural on
the corner of 49th and Crenshaw.
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Vermont-Harbor
NC's First Event
- September, 2002
Serving
LAPD's 77th Street and Southwest Divisions ... and vice versa. Both
LAPD and LAFD will participate
in all-day
Street Conference being held on Saturday, September 28th.
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For
info about LACP promotions / fundraising
or about any of her articles please contact
Ms. Valerie Shaw, M.PR, by email at:
litemind@pacbell.net
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