Jane Wettach in gang talk with Triangle leaders

Raleigh, North Carolina: Dr. Martin Luther King preached the need for civic responsibility, and in his memory Saturday several community leaders tried to start a Trianglewide conversation about how to apply that principle to gang prevention.

Much of the conversation bemoaned a lack of community, which many participants said has led to teenagers turning to gangs for support and direction.

"If they have to turn to gangs to find support, we are truly in trouble," said Bonnita Hargis, chairwoman of the N.C. Martin Luther King Resource Center, one of the sponsors. The town hall meeting at Exploris museum in downtown Raleigh is one of several events held this weekend to commemorate King's legacy. (...)

Others said some of the criteria for school suspensions were simply wrongheaded. Someone who comes to school with a small pocket knife shouldn't receive the same suspension as someone with a switchblade, said Jane Wettach, director of the Children's Education Law Clinic at Duke University. (...)

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