Teen Programs History The 1980s marked an unprecedented surge in
violent juvenile crimes, due in part to a transition by young
people from drug use to the profitable and highly competitive
drug trafficking market. Traditional youth recreation programs
and approaches became irrelevant because they were not aligned
with the current behavior and circumstances of the participants.
A new mayor was elected in Seattle at the end of the 1980s and
at every public meeting he attended he was asked, "What are you
going to do about gangs?" Seattle had a reputation of being
America's most livable city. Although known for its high quality
of life, this image was being tarnished by the gang problem. The
public, political officials, and businesses were all applying
pressure to the bureaucratic system to address the gang problem.
Reco Bembry, Seattle Teen Programs Coordinator, noted, "It was
clear the solution had not been found yet, so the community and
government were open to new ideas." In 1989 a consortium of
recreation pr