THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Thursday, August 15, 1996             TAG: 9608130163
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS         PAGE: 14   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY NANCY LEWIS, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   39 lines

MAYOR ACKNOWLEDGES POVERTY AS A LEADING CAUSE OF CRIME

Ten-year-old Dante Evans smiled and shook Mayor Paul Fraim's hand.

``Next, I'm going to meet the president, tell him how good you are,'' said the Norfolk youth.

Evans was one of eight people on hand Thursday when Fraim presented a proclamation to The Citizens of Hampton Roads acknowledging poverty as a cause of crime and commending their efforts to bring the plight of the poor to the attention of the community.

The group sponsors the March Against Poverty Campaign. For about a month now, members have marched each Tuesday the several blocks from the Downtown Shopping Plaza to City Hall where they've urged City Council to take a stand against poverty.

Roy Perrybey, the group's organizer, expressed satisfaction that the city had made a public statement on the issue.

``It reflects the city's understanding of the nature, extent and impact of poverty, demonstrates the city's concern for the poor,'' said Perrybey.

Changes the group hopes for include more and better jobs, improved links with the larger community, improved services to the poor, Perrybey said. All this should improve the stability of families, he said.

The proclamation reads, in part:

``Poverty is a contributing factor to crime and violence and inhibits the ability of people to fulfill their potential and live productive lives . . . helps foster and sustain a drug culture that diminishes civilized behavior in our society.

``Economic and social problems are major factors in the crime and violence plaguing our communities and also contribute to domestic violence, divorce and the breakdown of the family . . . the poor are exposed to hunger, inferior housing, illiteracy and lack of adequate health care which deprives them of the opportunity to blossom as wholesome individuals.''

The group is made up of several hundred members locally and at least 100 in other cities - Washington, Richmond, Detroit and Cincinnati, Perrybey said. by CNB