ABC24, 8/16/23
Cardell Orrin, Stand for Children Tennessee Executive Director, said some of these ideas are the right answers to the wrong questions. “There was a study that was released recently where over the last 10 years, juvenile arrests have been going down across the state. They’ve been reduced in Shelby County. We’re blaming our young people for a problem that is not theirs,” said Orrin. “We’re potentially saying ‘Let’s just throw away our 16 and up year-olds.’ Which one of us want to do that for our own children, and better yet, others in the community?” Orrin said, instead, the focus should be on community engagement. “How do we make sure their housing is secure or their food is secure? That security, that safety, will lead to safety for us all,” said Orrin.