A Roundtable Discussion on Flash Mobs, Youth Uprisings, and Mayor Nutter's "Sermon."

flash--8-18-2011--edited.mp3 Listen on Posterous

On the heels of Mayor Nutter's address at a West Philadelphia church in which he spoke out against recent waves of youth striking out violently at folks walking down the street and gang robbing stores, a diverse group of Philadelphia residents sat down to share their perspectives on what has been described by some as "flash mobs" and by others as youth uprisings.

The roundtable participants were:

Keturah Caesar.
Activist and organizer of the Philadelphia Coalition of the Heart and the Hip Hop Party for the People.

Tommy Joshua.
Organizer and executive director of Beats, Rhymes and Life: Hip-Hop Multimedia and Mentoring Program.

Diop Olugbala.
Philadelphia's independent mayoral candidate for 2011.

Dr. Charles Williams.
Professor of education at Drexel University and director of the Center for the Prevention of School-Aged Violence.

Dessi.
An urban youth and a member of Beats, Rhymes and Life: Hip-Hop Multimedia and Mentoring Program.

Jaquel.
An urban youth and a member of Beats, Rhymes and Life: Hip-Hop Multimedia and Mentoring Program.