At 10:00 AM we assembled next to the Chickasaw Theatre where the Safe House (or Hurricane Shelter) will take shape over the next year. Mayor Pittman spoke to the crowd of about 50 interested citizens attending and introduced Congressman Jo Bonner who was "happy to be in Chickasaw rather than Washington, D.C." He congratulated the city for its persistance during the recessive economy and wished the best for our community. The mayor and five councilpersons then placed their shovels into the earth and symbolically started the building process. From there it was on to the Kiwanis Lunch where we had the opportunity to hear Lawrence Battiste (former Prichard Police Chief) and currently administering Judge Naman's program for juvenile youth. Battiste confirmed that an overwhelming majority of the troubled young people come from "single parent homes". The program has joined with USA's Psychiatric Dept. and Mike Gottfried's "Team Focus". The biggest concern is 11 to 15 year olds, trying to keep them from joining the ranks of older, "hardened" juvenile teens.
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