Last week, DC Lawyers for Youth, along with co-sponsors the DC Alliance for Youth Advocates, hosted the “DC Youth Forum: A Youth Friendly City,” the only juvenile justice-focused debate on the jam-packed campaign calendar for this fall’s DC Council and mayoral races.  Mike DeBonis, Washington Post local politics columnist, moderated the lively dialogue between eight diverse and opinionated candidates.

The turnout included an intriguing balance of established incumbents and upstart challengers.  Head-to- head contenders for DC Council Chair—former Ward 5 Councilmember Vincent Orange, current At-Large Councilmember Kwame Brown, and Ward 7 community leader Dorothy Douglas (all from the Democratic Party)—squared off on issues ripped from recent headlines including reducing violent crime committed by youth, and the management of the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services. 

A heated discussion sprang up between At-Large DC Council incumbent Phil Mendelson and the biggest challenger for his seat, Clark Ray, both of the Democratic Party.  The two tried to sell the crowd on their records as public officials working with DC’s youth—Mendelson as current chair of the Committee on Public Safety & the Judiciary and Ray as former head of DC’s Department of Parks and Recreation. 

The D.C. Statehood Green Party sent three candidates to the forum: Ann Wilcox (for Council Chair), Darryl Moch and David Schwartzman (vying for two separate At-Large Council seats).  The three candidates espoused platforms that focused on afterschool and co-curricular activities for youth, as well as the racial and social divide that deprives DC youth of opportunities. 

DCLY prepared a slate of questions that were sent out to all the participants.  Those who chose to send in written responses were published in a Candidate Questionnaire.  After DeBonis guided the candidates through the prepared questions, he opened up the panel to take on audience questions.  The forum drew a racially diverse mix of youth and adults from all across the city.  Special props go out to the group of youth from the National Center for Children and Families.  DCLYBlog loves to see civic involvement in our city’s young people.

Next week, DCLYBlog will explore some of the thought provoking questions raised by audience members that the candidates didn’t get a chance to answer…at least, not yet.