Since the mid-1990s, Long Island's gang membership has soared. Activists like Hykiem Coney, a youth counselor gunned down three weeks ago outside a Uniondale nightspot, have worked to reduce those numbers. For those trying to leave gangs, the odds can be stacked against them. Gangs have an often irresistible pull -- ex-members say they become family. What's more, the violence associated with gangs moves from one generation to the next. Children of incarcerated parents are at least four times as likely to commit crimes as those whose parents are not in prison. Kevin Robinson, Victor Galarza and Sirvorn Edwards, all fathers and all ex-gang members, are hoping to beat the odds by participating in an unusual Nassau County program, the Community Service Corps, which offers jobs and counseling. [continues 553 words]
Talk-Show Host And Elected State Officials Deliver A Proposal To Allow Patients Access To Medical Marijuana ALBANY - Television talk-show host and multiple-sclerosis patient Montel Williams lobbied yesterday for the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes, joining state lawmakers who say the intoxicant is a credible pain killer. "New York needs to act now to make marijuana legally available for medical use," said Williams, a Manhattan resident who said he has been buying the drug legally through a state-sanctioned provider in California. "Every day that we delay is another day of needless suffering for patients like me across the state." [continues 371 words]
ALBANY -- Television talk-show host and multiple-sclerosis patient Montel Williams lobbied Tuesday for the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes, joining state lawmakers who say the intoxicant is a credible pain killer. "New York needs to act now to make marijuana legally available for medical use," said Williams, a Manhattan resident who said he has been buying the drug legally through a state-sanctioned commune in California. "Every day that we delay is another day of needless suffering for patients like me across the state." [continues 385 words]