EPD detective speaks to Springhill youth

Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Springhill aimed to send students and parents back to school with a good attitude through a special forum titled "Save Our Children."

Det. Donald Brown of the Eufaula Police Department spoke to those present about the importance of respect and attitude.

"I wanted to talk a little about bullying, gang involvement, and the parent's role in their child's life," said Brown. "Every year 160,000 kids in America decide not to go to school because of bullying. I tried to make them mindful of all the things bullying can steal from someone. In some cases, you're depriving them of their education."

Brown encouraged young people to show respect for their teachers and for parents to approach teacher meetings with the right attitude.

"When you get called into the school because your child is in trouble, don't go in there with the attitude like your child can do no wrong," said Brown. "You know what kind of child you have. You know you have a bully in your house if you've got one."

Brown also spoke to parents about their role in deterring their kids from being involved in things like bullying and gang activity.

"There's a saying, you can't bend a tree, but you can bend a sapling. You've got to start early and it's got to start at home," he said. "But too often, parents want the school to raise their kids. It's not always the kid's fault when the parents let it go too far. If your kid comes home with a Playstation you didn't buy them, you should be asking some questions."

Brown was invited to speak at the special event by co-worker Lt. James Williams, who is also pastor of Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church. Williams said he's appreciative of those members in his church who made the forum possible.

"This was really a positive thing for our community with kids going back to school," said Williams. "We have kids from both Bullock County and Eufaula, so hopefully it was a far-reaching program."

Williams thanked the church's Missionary Society for organizing the event, particularly Mildred Morris, who came up with the idea and spearheaded the program.

"This was our third year putting something like this on, and we had a big turn out," said Williams. "I feel like we as adults need to get the information out that we are available for our young people so they know they can come and talk with us about things."

Williams said the church hopes to expand these forums to multiple times throughout the year.