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Teens Daveon Page and Danasha' Tidwell
Daveon Page, 16, proudly stood before the microphone Friday afternoon at a press conference on the city's east side and explained why he organized the "Teen Takeover," which directed hundreds of teens through flyers to converge on downtown Detroit last week.
Police ended up detaining some young people for curfew violations, and there were reports of fights and vandalism.
"I know I was bored and...I just thought maybe everybody else was bored," said Page at the Butzel Family Recreation Center on Kercheval at a press conference that began with Mayor Mary Sheffield talking about ways to partner with youth, including the creation of a Youth Advisory Committee in which Page serves.
"I picked downtown because you know it's common space and you can easily get there," Page explained about the Teen Takeover downtown. "So, I just kept thinking, maybe I should have started my own event downtown, and so I asked my peers. They said make a flyer, make it something everybody can enjoy and have fun with, and so I did that. I started with the flyer and went downtown."
"My intentions on the downtown takeover; it wasn’t bad. I just wanted to get out the house, have fun, enjoy my time with my families and my homeboys; my home girls, too," Page said.
"I'm very excited for this opportunity that me and my peers have," he said of meeting with city officials. "This is one-in-a-lifetime chance. I'm so excited that we can be here to witness this day. Me being 16. I never thought I would meet the mayor. That's one of my biggest accomplishments, for real."
Mayor Sheffield at press conference
Sheffield, at the press conference, talked about the newly created Youth Advisory Committee, in which many young people have expressed interest in serving. She said at least 50 youths between 16–26 years old will meet monthly to have frank conversations to create safe spaces for youth to gather, including in downtown Detroit.
"What I heard directly from our young people is that enforcement alone is not the answer. Our young people want to be invested in," Sheffield said. "They want to be heard, and they want to be part of something and feel like they belong."
"What we saw last week, hundreds of young people organizing, mobilizing and showing up," Sheffield said. "Yes, it raised concerns, but it also revealed something very powerful. It revealed leadership, it revealed connection among our young people, and it revealed the ability for our young people to galvanized and organize at a level that we cannot ignore. And our responsibility is not to shut that down but to channel it, to guide it, and to support it and to create pathways for it to be expressed in a positive, safe and productive way."
Besides the new Youth Advisory Committee, she said the city has already launched some programs to address youth needs, including the creation of the Office of Youth Affairs, going school-to-school to talk to young people, a midnight basketball league at recreation centers, extending rec center hours, and free bus service for K-12 students.
"Most importantly, we are listening," Sheffield said.
Another organizer, teenager Danasha' Tidwell, spoke and condemned violence and vandalism during the Teen Takeover.
"It was harmful and very unacceptable," she said. "These actions put people at risk, damaged local businesses and created an unsafe environment for everyone. Having fun should never come at the cost of someone's safety or well-being. You must be mindful of the impact our actions have."
