Kenneth A. Polite Announces Student Pledge Against Gun Violence, Ne…

NEW ORLEANS, LA – While the streets of Southeast Louisiana continue to bleed, a new initiative aims to tackle the problem at its source: the minds of its youth. U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced Wednesday that over 10,000 students across 36 schools will participate in the Office’s second district-wide Student Pledge Against Gun Violence Day, a symbolic but potentially impactful effort in a region plagued by firearm-related crime.

The pledge itself is tiered, reflecting the age and maturity of the students. Middle and high schoolers will commit to never bringing a gun to school, never resolving disputes with firearms, and actively discouraging their peers from doing so. It’s a lofty goal in a state where gun ownership is deeply ingrained, but Polite’s office hopes it will foster a culture of non-violence. Elementary school children will take a simpler oath: to avoid touching any gun they encounter, to assume any firearm is loaded, and to immediately inform a trusted adult.

This isn’t just a feel-good exercise, at least according to the Department of Justice. The Student Pledge Against Gun Violence is linked to the national Project Safe Neighborhoods program, framing the initiative as a proactive step in combating youth gun violence. The campaign hits its peak each October, designated as a Day of National Concern about Young People and Gun Violence. Since its inception in 1996, over 10 million students nationwide have signed the pledge – a number that, while large, does little to quell the constant drumbeat of gun violence statistics.

U.S. Attorney Polite, who initiated the pledge within his district during the 2013-14 school year, cites an overwhelmingly positive response as the reason for expanding the program to encompass all 13 parishes: Assumption, Jefferson, Lafourche, Plaquemines, Orleans, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Terrebonne. “Our Office is pleased to take this opportunity to reach out to students, engage in a dialogue about gun violence and the importance of making right choices, and encourage them to become peacemakers of our time,” Polite stated, a sentiment that rings hollow to many hardened by years of witnessing the brutal realities of street violence.

Beyond the pledges themselves, members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, along with representatives from federal, state, and local law enforcement – including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, and various sheriff’s offices and police departments – will be on hand at several schools to deliver talks about preventing gun violence. The list of participating schools is extensive, spanning across the region (see full list below). Whether these talks will truly resonate with at-risk youth remains to be seen.

Participating Schools: Assumption High School; Alice Birney Elementary, C. T. Janet Elementary, Fisher Middle-High, Frederick Douglass Elementary, Grand Isle School, Gretna No. 2 Academy, Hazel Park Elementary, McDonogh 26 Elementary, Shirley Johnson/Gretna Park Elementary, St. Mary Magdalen, T. H. Harris Middle, Vic A. Pitre Elementary, William Hart Elementary (Jefferson Parish); South Thibodaux Elementary (Lafourche Parish); De La Salle High School, Dwight D. Eisenhower Academy, Gentilly Terrace Charter, James M. Singleton Charter, Lafayette Academy Charter, Lake Forest Charter, Milestone Academy, Pierre A. Capdau Charter, Samuel J. Green Charter, Schaumburg Elementary Charter, St. Benedict the Moor, The Good Shepherd School, William J. Fischer Accelerated Academy (Orleans Parish); Our Lady of Perpetual Help School (Plaquemines Parish); Lake Pontchartrain Elementary, Ory Magnet Elementary, West St. John Elementary, West St. John High School (St. John the Baptist Parish); Pope John Paul II High School, Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center (St. Tammany Parish); School for Exceptional Children (Terrebonne Parish).

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