The Wilmington Street Participatory Action Research (PAR) was charged with the task of examining notions of physical violence. This project beganin in November of 2009 and was conducted in the Eastside and Southbridge neighborhoods of Wilmington, Delaware.

1. Yasser Arafat Payne, Ph. D.
Principal Investigator
 Darryl Chambers, B. A.
Senior Research Associate
Wilmington Street PAR Family
Kenyatta Brooks;
Derrick Chambers;
Patrice Gibbs;
Earvin “Swearve” Griffin;
Ashley Randolph;
Melodie Robinson;
Jonathon Wilson;
Corey Wright
Kontal Copeland;
Dubard McGriff;
Tianna Russell;
Bernard Cornish;
Louis Price;
Dennis Watson;

2. How social structural systems, policy, legislation and
blocked structural opportunity—generally in the
forms of poor employment and educational
opportunity, creates inequality and injustice, in local
community environments.

4. (a)Race: Black-American
(b) Gender: 12 men, 3 women
(c) SES: At or below poverty line
(d) Religion: 10 Sunni Muslims
(e) Age Range: 20-48
(f) Mean Age: 33
(g) Educational Status:
 1 dropped out of high school;
 4 earned a G.E.D.;
 3 earned a high school diploma;
 5 had some college; and
 2 earned a Bachelors of Arts degree.

5. (I.) Participatory Action Research (PAR) projects includes on the
research team, members of the population under study. Once
such members are identified, they then are offered the
opportunity to participate in all phases of the research project (e.
g. theoretical framing, literature review, analysis, publication,
presentation, monetary compensation, etc.); &
(II.) PAR projects require an social justice based response to be
organized in response to the data collected by the study.
Research + Social Activism = PAR

6. Grant Support (Fall 2009):
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
from First State Community Action Agency
Collaborative of local Project Partners:
 Nonprofits
(1) Wilmington HOPE Commission – lead partner, recruitment and
management of the project;
(2) Christina Cultural Arts Center –arts for activism and career training;
(3) Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League –job skills testing and training; &
(4) United Way of Delaware – Supplemental Grant Award and provided
employment
 Academia
(1) University of Delaware – Led PAR team: research training and provided
Supplemental Grant Award;
(2) Delaware State University –case management, career/personal goals
support; &
(3) Wilmington University –educational and employment goal-setting support

8. Total Wilmington Population - 70, 851 (73, 720 – pop.
estimate)
 Wilmington makes up 8% of Delaware’s population; &
 Blacks make up about 19% of Delaware’s population
U. S. Census Bureau, 2006

9. ( 1) Record number of homicides – 27 (38 homicides per 100, 000);
(2) 197.5 violent crimes per 10, 000 people;
(3) Violent crime increased by 3.3% in Wilmington;
(4) Wilmington accounts 25% of all crime in Delaware; &
(5) Property crime increased by 13.1% in Wilmington
(Chalmers, 2011)

10. Total Blacks in The Eastside – 5, 003
 Blacks between 18-34 in the Eastside – 1, 098
 The Eastside, overall makes up 7% of Wilm. population
Total Blacks in Southbridge – 2,052
 Blacks between 18-34 in Southbridge – 486
 Southbridge, overall makes up 2% of Wilm. population
(Porter, 2010; U. S. Census Bureau, 2000)

11. I.
Two Month Period;
II.
Eighteen Research Method Workshops;
III. Three to Four times per week for three to five hours
per workshop;
IV. Research Theory, Methodology, Data Analysis, and
Social Activism.

12. PAR Sub - Teams
(1) Literature Review/Writing Team – Graduate
Student
(2) Data Analysis Team – Graduate Student
(3) Action Team – Raye Jones Avery
(4) Data Collection Team – Yasser Payne

13.  Street Ideology – centered on personal & economic
survival.
(1) Passed on by older Black male generation; and
(2) More connected to the code or the better a person
understands the ideology the more resilient a
person is considered by men in the streets.
 Set of Activities
(1) Bonding activities; and
(2) Illegal activities

14. Site of Resilience Theoretical Model
(Brown, Payne, Green & Dressner, 2010; Payne, 2001, 2005, 2008, 2011)
FUNDAMENTAL PRISM
INDIVIDUAL
CONDITIONS
Phenomenology
SOCIAL
STRUCTRAL
CONDITIONS
Relational
Coping
History
LOCAL
GENERAL
CONCEPTUAL PRISM
PSYCHOLOGICAL
S.O.R.
Street
Life
PHYSICAL
S.O.R.
Social
Injustice
Social
Structural
Systems

15. Research Question
To what extent does available economic and
educational opportunity predict physical violence?;

16. Age Cohort
Male
Female
18 - 21
73
96
22 – 29
88
119
30 – 35
54
90

17. Age Range
Individual
Interviews
Dual
Interviews
Group
Interviews
18 – 21
6
-
1
22 – 29
8
1
1
30 – 35
10
3
1

21. Leondrei (35): Basically, finance and wanting better things
for yourself… we act like we don't see it but boarded
houses paint our neighborhoods, pot holes paint out
neighborhoods, that's the stuff that keep us stuck. You
know little stuff like a pot hole… That's telling me how
they don't care about me - that they won't even fix my pot
hole and then I got to go home and four houses on my
road is boarded, that's like a eyesore to me…. (Now) I'm
looking for a release valve, any release valve, and guess
what the release valve is? There's a liquor store on every
corner in the hood, as opposed to when I go to Hockessin
or Greenville (wealthy mostly white suburban
communities)… the drinks is called wine and spirits, I
need to be put in a better spirit.

22. Leondrei (35): (Cont’D.)…. So I'll go get a shot to deal
with looking at these boarded up ass houses and
these potholes and there's a boot on every car …
and this is what I'm seeing. So, when you got a
child that's growing up and he's looking at this, he
says, “Damn, mom,” because dad ain't around
because he's down PO Box 9561 or 1181 Paddock
Road doing who knows how much time, right, so
he says, “Mom is this all that we have?” … You
know, Damn!

23. Living Conditions….

28. Rennie Rox (35): I mean, wasn't nothin', wasn't
nothin' new (in the home). You know… you talkin'
about books holdin' up couches… you might not have
a bed frame. Your mattress and your box spring's on
the floor. The typical poverty Wilmington situation.
But I never take nothin' away from my mother… she
tried everything she could to make sure that we had a
hot meal every night, even if it was just… breakfast
food… We're… gonna make some French toast or
somethin' tonight (laughter)…. I love my mom to
death. She's… the inspiration for me…

29. Experiences with Education and Employment…

32. Darryl: …. If you had the choice… (in terms of race) what kind of school
would you send your child to?
Dionne (29): White.
Darryl: Why?
Dionne (29): 'Cause I know they are going to get a better
education… the curriculum is different. … compared to the charter
school my kids go to now… the other charter schools around, the
curriculum is totally different. They (need to ) go to … a college
charter school (or charter school recognized by a quality university).
Darryl: Do you think that the people who are in charge of providing
children with an education know that there's a difference in these
schools?
Dionne (29): Um hum (yes).
Darryl: So why do you think they allow one (school) to operate below
the other?
Dionne (29): Politics.

33. Darryl: What does… a child that has a mother on drugs or a
father that's not around, what does he act like in school?
Aaron (29): Every case is different. I mean, sometimes you
have these kids that are all withdrawn and just don't want to
associate with anybody. And then other times you have these
kids who want to lash out with fighting everybody… they want
to fight them because they don't know what love is. They
don't know what affection is… just think.. if we could say to
our kids… (including) kids we don't know, “How you doing
brother? I love you.’’ I mean, just think about how that
would change a person's perspective.

37. F(1,500) = 12.778, p < .01 (p = .000)

M = 6.14;
SD = 1.83;
range = 3-12
 b**: significantly greater than females at p<.05

38. Richard (19): You know, it's (employment) crazy! … I
don't really got no friends in the city that got a job,
'cept my white friend…. Even some of the older
people, man, don't even got jobs… 'Cause like I said,
we born into poverty, dog. We born into this game,
dog (of poverty & the streets). I wasn't in this game
(the streets) for fun. It was just passed down from
father to son…

39. Richard (19): And Southbridge, dog, I could name… two
people (who) got computers in they crib (home)... (that
actually) have working internet, you know what I mean?...
it's hard to look for a job when you ain't got no money, you
gotta get on a bus, you gotta go here and there to fill out
applications… You gotta leave Southbridge… when I lived
in Southbridge, I never left Southbridge….. the jobs that
are in the (larger) city is not no real good payin' jobs unless
it's in the middle of the city where you workin' in a big
building…

40. Experiences with and attitudes toward police…

45. *significantly greater than males 30-35 at p<.05

47. a*: significantly greater than 18-21 at p<.05
a**: significantly greater than 18-21 at p<.01

48. b**: significantly greater than females at p<.01

49. Chronic Exposure to Physical Violence…..

50. "How many times have you see
someone else being beaten up or
mugged?"
Never
20.8%
7.6%
8.5%
37.8%
1 to 4 times
5 to 8 times
9 to 12 times
25.4%
More than 12 times

52. "How many times have you seen
someone else being chased by gangs or
individuals?"
Never
3.7%
18.7%
44.5%
8.2%
25.0%
1 to 4 times
5 to 8 times
9 to 12 times
More than 12 times

54. "Have you ever had a relative killed with
a gun?"
Yes
45.4%
54.6%
 No age group differences
 No gender differences
 No age/gender interactions
No

55. "Have you ever had a friend killed with a
gun?"
40.8%
Yes
59.2%
No

56. M = 17.82;
SD = 5.06;
Range = 4-34
 No gender differences
 No age group differences
 No age/gender interactions

57. Personal Experiences with Physical Violence……

59. "How many times have you been
slapped, punched, or hit by someone?"
Never
16.3%
6.2%
45.2%
8.5%
1 to 4 times
5 to 8 times
9 to 12 times
23.7%
More than 12 times

60. Shaq (18): … when I was 14 I was coming home from football
practice and a group of dudes approached me asking
about a Playstation (and) ‘where it's at’? I just came out of
football practice I don't know what's going on so dude
asked me if I, ‘broke into his car?’ I told him, ‘no’ and they
just started hopping on me. They just started swinging
but I'm fighting back. I don't know what was going on but
it was going on for like a good five or ten minutes and
then they left. My shirt is ripped. I was limping. My lips
was bleeding and (I had a) swollen eye… I didn't feel it but
my jaw was fractured and… I had to get it wired shut for
like two months. But it was in the past, I'm not gonna
worry about it now.

61. 1.0%
"How many times have you been
attacked or stabbed with a knife?"
2.7%
8.2%
Never
1 to 4 times
13.4%
5 to 8 times
74.8%
9 to 12 times
More than 12 times

62. "How many times have you been shot
with a gun?"
1.9%
1.7%
6.4%
Never
9.7%
1 to 4 times
5 to 8 times
80.2%
9 to 12 times
More than 12 times

63. Psychological Well-being…

67. …regardless of all the, um, pain and sufferin' I've been
through in this city, I still managed to find.. hope.
And hope will take you a long way. I still got hope. …
I'm tryin' to do what I gotta do to better myself. And
I'm not waiting… on nobody or anything to… guide
me. It all comes from.. yourself. … you gotta have
that.. guiding, um, (inner) strength.. to do anything
you want in this world. … there's always gonna be…
obstacles… we all have obstacles to overcome.

68. F(1,506) = 7.208, p < .01 (p = .007)
 M = 4.27;
SD = 1.54;
Range = 3-12
 b**: significantly greater than females at p<.05

69. F(1,511) = 7.105, p < .05 (p = .001)
M = 7.49 SD = 3.17
Range = 4 - 16

70. Social Well-being…

71. No gender differences

73. Banks (27): I know quite a few guys.. from my
side of town that gave back: 4th of July, fireworks,
barbeque, DJs, um, down at the park—big
barbeques! …even if you want to say with the drug
aspect, (guys in the street) made sure their hood’
was okay (or provided for)... you have some guys
(in the street) that… (actually) give back to the
community in a good way, even though they..
doing what they do... (or engaged in criminal
activity).

74. Anthony Bey (35): I've seen them (the streets) do
that (give back to the community), I've seen more of
them (the streets) do more than some of the
churches… Sometimes people (civic and political
leaders) might be doing it for a tax write off and some
people (the streets) do it for the love… The hustler
might be doing it for the love and (for) the church
people (it) may (be)… just a quick tax write off, a 1099
real quick… but you have some genuine church
people.. shout out to all the church people. Same
thing with the Mosque. They do the same thing.

75. Doc (35): … We had a Fourth of July block party for at
least eight years. Firework shows, everything! The
City Council lady (on the Eastside) who raised me…
stopped it and said, ‘we not blocking off no streets for
no drug dealers.’ Okay, there might be some drug
dealers helping provide this stuff, but they was givin'
back. They was givin' back. Them kids had a good
time. Them kids was getting free food, free music,
free dance… And you took that from 'em. And since
you took that, Fourth of July on the Eastside hadn't
been the same since.

81. Social
Engagement
.46
Economic WellBeing
(-1.48)
-1.27
Sobel p=.03
-.39
Experiences
with
Violence
Psych WellBeing
.23
Economic WellBeing
(-1.48)
-1.21
Sobel p=.03
-.02
Experiences
with
Violence

82.  Employment Outcomes
 All Street PAR family members received some form of quality
employment during and/or after the project’s initial funding period.
 Quality employment opportunities were provided by:
 (1) University of Delaware;
 (2) United Way of Delaware;
 (3) Christina Cultural Art Center; and
 (4) Parkway Academy School District
 10 Street PAR family members are presently employed

83.  Education Outcomes
 5 Street PAR family members enrolled in college
 (a) Graduate school - 2 family members;
 (b) Undergraduate school – 3 family members; &
 (c) Offered but declined educational opportunity – 2 family members.
 4 Street PAR family members are currently enrolled in
college
2 graduate students
2 undergraduate students

84. Negative Outcomes
5 – Presently unemployed;
3 – Jailed during and after the initial funding
period;
 1 – jailed twice
1 – Presently incarcerated;

85. Activism/Action Outcomes
100 - Formal presentations since November 2009
 (a) 40 college/university presentations;
 (b) 39 community presentations; &
16 - civic, political and banking leadership;
23 - local community residents
 (c) 21 media presentations

86. Speaking Engagements:
 (1) Wilmington City Counsel;
 (2) State Assembly of Delaware;
 (3) John Watson Radio Show;
 (4) Dr. Richard Cooper Radio Show;
 (5) American Psychological Association National
Conference;
 (6) Teachers College/Winter Round Table National
Conference;
 (7) Howard University (keynote);

87.  “Action” Products/Events Included:
 (1) monetary and non-monetary incentives issued to study
participants;
 (2) homicide art exhibit at Christian Cultural Art Center;
 (3) feature length documentary of project;
 (4) mix-CD reflecting the link between structural and physical
violence;
 (5) community barbecue;
 (6) assistance with organizing Southbridge Community Day ;
 (7) youth violence forum/panel;
 (8) T- shirt with PAR emblem; as well as
 (9) two PSA’s on violence: (1) physical violence PSA; and (2)
domestic violence PSA.

88. I. Executive & Full Reports;
II. Supplemental Reports (i. e, jobs & school, drug use/drug sales, etc.);
III. Paper Publications: journal articles, book chapters, opt ed.,
newsletters, etc.;
IV. Major Publications: 2 book projects, documentary & mix CD project;
V. The People’s Report/ Wilmington Street PAR Family Website; &
VI. Continued Speaking Engagements; &
VII. More Street PAR projects

108.  Graduate student in Human
Social Services at Wilmington
University;
 "Runn Way Unisex Hair Salon”;
 GED and Youth Mentoring
Program; &
 2 Youth Violence/Education
Forums

110. (1) United Way of Delaware
– Community Impact Technical
Associate;
(2) Enrolled at Wilmington
University; &
(3) Radio Personality - WVUD
(91.3 FM):
– “Uncle Richards’
Neighborhoods”

111. Organized Unity
Uncle Richard

113. Yasser and Darryl Chambers
 Enrolled as a graduate
student in the Criminology
Department at the
University of Delaware; &
 Hired on 4 other UD
professor’s research
projects

120. 17 Total Recommendations
Target Areas:
 (1) Physical Violence;
 (2) Structural Opportunity;
 (3) Law Enforcement/Criminal Justice System; &
 (4) Street Outreach and Continued Community-Centered
Research and Activism

121.  Street Outreach and Continued Community-Centered
Research and Activism
 Street Outreach Program;
 Mayor Led Street March Campaign;
 Street PAR Inside Schools;
 City-Wide Street PAR Project on Physical Violence; &
 Wilmington Street PAR Institute

122. THANK YOU!!!!!!
For more information contact:
Dr. Yasser A. Payne – ypayne@udel.edu