Minneapolis lost young Black men to homicide at a starkly disproportionate rate through the city's most violent recent years — a disparity that persists even as overall violence declines. This discussion brief from the Forum for Children and Youth Wellbeing asks what an ethical response looks like: one that protects young people without criminalizing them, resources the youth workers who hold trusted relationships, and expands the safe hours and places where young people actually are.
The brief examines the evidence behind three commitments: meeting young people where they are through credible-messenger outreach, funding the youth-work profession as safety infrastructure rather than an afterthought, and extending supervised hours in parks, libraries, and community spaces into the evenings and weekends when risk concentrates.
Read the full discussion brief or download the PDF. It joins the YCB's other Policy Analysis publications.