Hub teens decry youth violence

And yesterday, hundreds of teens from across the city and surrounding communities gathered at the organization's 17th annual Youth Peace Conference to discuss what they can do to stop the violence facing Boston youth.

"It kind of triggered something in peoples' minds," said Stephanie Berkowitz, a staff member at Teen Empowerment. Tickets for the event, held at Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Dorchester, sold out, and organizers said more than 700 teens attended.

Turner's 15-year-old cousin, Tiyona Walden, spoke yesterday before her peers, criticizing the violence that left her cousin dead. She was one of several dozen who stood at the front of the school's auditorium, rose in hand, , and shared their feelings in what organizers called the Hope and Action Ceremony.

"I just want to say that I'm dedicating this rose to him because I loved him a lot," she said, stopping for a moment as she began to cry. "It's worth nothing to kill someone for nothing. It's worth nothing. He really wanted to be a rapper one day, but his dream can't come true now, and that's nothing."

Police said Turner might have been targeted. School officials, police, and family members said the teenager had no criminal record, no known gang affiliations, and was a "very respectful" student.

After she spoke, Walden returned to her seat, where friends tried to comfort her.

"I'm glad I got to speak out," she told a reporter. "People [have to] know what they've been doing is not right. It's hurting people's loved ones."

Soheil Turner's uncle, Jamal, 20, did not attend the event, but said in a telephone interview yesterday that teens need to change their behavior.

"Stop the violence, because life's too short. That's all I want to say," he said when asked what he would tell the teens gathered at the conference. "Enjoy life, because it's too short."

He said his family has received no further information about Soheil's killing and said funeral plans have not been finalized.

Zacharriah Peeples, a 16-year-old Mission Hill resident, was at the event with Youth Noise, an organization that promotes civic action and education among Boston teens. He said such events are important because they promote dialogue on vital issues, like how to stop gang violence on city streets.

"If the message doesn't get out, it's never going to happen," he said.

Members of Teen Empowerment performed a play they wrote called "Reality Check," which shows how gang activity, drugs, underfunded schools, broken families, limited police resources, and hands-off city and state politicians all contribute to the systemic violence plaguing neighborhood streets.

Carlos Rodriguez, a 17-year-old Roxbury resident and teen organizer at Teen Empowerment, played Boston's mayor in yesterday's play. He said the high turnout shows teens want to reform their communities.

"The people out there want peace, and that's why they're all here," he said after the performance. "There's all these teens buried in the ground, and we need to change this."

Sitting with friends in Burke High School's cafeteria yesterday before the event started, 15-year-old Lucille Germain of Hyde Park said she attended the conference to participate in discussions on urban violence. She said she knew friends and family members who had been injured and killed on Boston streets.

"I really want to discuss all the violence going on in the community and see what we can do about it," she said.

"The most important message is they need to stop fighting each other and instead use their energies to fight for their real needs," said Stanley Pollack, executive director of Teen Empowerment, a community organization that uses education, employment, and civic engagement to promote nonviolence among urban youth.

Pollack said he was optimistic for peace on city streets.

"When you have a massive movement of young people, you can have change," he said.