GANG RESISTANCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING (G.R.E.A.T.) NOLA GRADUATES FIRST POST KATRINA CLASSES AT DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. CHARTER SCHOOL FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ON JUNE 18, 2007

On Monday, June 18, 2007, at 9:30 a.m. Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T. NOLA) will graduate five classes in the G.R.E.A.T. Elementary Program. Two fourth grade and three fifth grade classes (73 students) from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School for Science and Technology (MLK) went through the six lesson program.

The Post Hurricane Katrina G.R.E.A.T. elementary program began at the school on May 08, 2007, after several training programs sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance (DOJ BJA) for law enforcement officers from the New Orleans Police Department, Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service EDLA, teachers and staff of MLK, and members of the faith-based community in the New Orleans metro area. The lessons taught are part of a gang resistance program that teaches skills aimed at avoiding violence by instructing students on bullying and being a bystander to inappropriate actions, decision making, communicating clear messages, anger management, respect for others, and being a good citizen. The last G.R.E.A.T. lesson of the MLK 2006-20007 school year was held on June 11. The lessons will return with MLK to the 9th Ward for the 2007-2008 school year and will expand to cover the school’s middle school kids with a thirteen lesson middle school program.

The Phoenix, AZ Police Department, local teachers from the Phoenix area, and community leaders supported by funding from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) developed the G.R.E.A.T. Program in 1991. It is currently managed by the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance. It is taught in schools across the U.S. and is designed for law enforcement officers to teach so that children interact with law enforcement in a positive atmosphere. DOJ BJA contacted the U.S. Marshals Service Eastern District of Louisiana earlier this year in a proactive effort to stem violence in New Orleans by educating youth. U.S. Marshals Service EDLA partnered with Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff’s Office and the New Orleans Police Department to expand the program.

The G.R.E.A.T. NOLA group also partnered with Rev. Willie Gable and Progressive Baptist Church and will begin a families component in early July. The families component will allow parents or guardians and their children to learn together about avoiding violence and making good life choices. The Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff’s Office is also in the process of setting up a summer G.R.E.A.T. program through Sheriff Marlin N. Gusman’s Young Marine Program. The New Orleans Police Department is also exploring a summer program as well.

For further information about G.R.E.A.T. NOLA or the MLK graduation ceremony contact the U.S. Marshals Service EDLA at (504)589-6079. For further information about the G.R.E.A.T. program go to www.great-online.org.