Community president calls for more help for young at-risk men
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Mohamed Accord, president of Edmonton’s Alberta Somali Community Centre, said he learned about the beating on Thursday night and has been in contact with the young man’s family since.
“I contacted the family and asked them if they need any help,” Accord said. “We have been working back and forth with the family as well as the police.”
Police found the man unconscious on the boulevard at 149th Avenue and 70th Street, northwest of Londonderry Mall, just after 3 a.m. on Thursday. He was taken to hospital, but died Saturday morning.
Accord said a funeral for the victim, who grew up in Edmonton, is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
The death marks another in a series of homicides involving young Somali men in the city over the past several years. Accord said more needs to be done to prevent this segment of the community from falling into high-risk lifestyles.
“What we’re hoping for is a program that will deal with youth who are on the street,” he said. “We’re hoping we can have somewhere where they can come and get help.”
He said because so many of the young men who have been killed have been in trouble with the law or have gone to jail, help needs to meet them on their own level.
“We need to get them help and services, whether in jail or on the streets.”
A police spokeswoman said that while police have suspects and have interviewed several witnesses, no charges have yet been laid.
An autopsy for the victim was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, but police have not yet released the results. If the death is officially declared a homicide, it will be the city’s 23rd of the year.
Source: Edmonton Journal