Summer conference asked to leave early due to trouble

On June 20, approximately 500 members of an inner-city youth leadership conference, Reachback, headed home, leaving $5,000 worth of damage, three arrests and an ample supply of rumors in their wake.

The Reachback program is run by the Ohio State Department of Health's Minority Affairs Department. The program's purpose is to prepare youth for future leadership roles in the 21st century. Inner-city junior high and high school students learn about mediation, leadership and health issues.

After a series of confrontations between conferees and Oberlin residents, it was decided by College staff that the group should leave Oberlin early. The incidents also compelled College Conference Services Office to reevaluate its conference policies.

The first incident occurred during a Reachback program in the 'Sco on June 18. Five Oberlin residents entered the 'Sco, and upon being told it was a private Reachback function, four left. One, Ramone Christian, remained. A fight broke out, and according to police records, Christian was then arrested.

A second incident occurred the next night. According to police reports, a car with four townspeople passed some of the conferees as they were standing outside of German House.

Shaka Baker, 19 and Geoffrey Motil, 21 - both Oberlin residents - attacked conferees aged 16 to 18. According to police, Baker threw an alcohol bottle at a conferee, hitting him in the back. The conferee threw it back, missing. Motil broke the bottle and threw it at another youth, cutting his arm. The cut required five stitches. Two others were attacked and fled into German House.

At this point campus security and the police arrived. The police quickly located Baker and Motil who now face charges of felonious assault, inciting violence and breaking and entering charges. The two other passengers in the car have yet to be identified.

The police report states that Baker and Motil entered "College property with the express purpose to get revenge for the arrest of Mr. Ramone Christian" the day before. Additionally, police found 10 grams of marijuana while searching the car, though they found no weapons.

Also, chairs, windows, screens, toilets and mattresses were damaged in the dorms where conferees stayed.

The night of June 19, Morrie Thorington, the Reachback coordinator, met with DiChristina, Associate Dean of Students Deb McNish and Dean of Student Life and Services Charlene Cole-Newkirk. It was decided that because of a perceived lack of supervision and the possibility of future harm, the Reachback conference should go home immediately, according to DiChristina.

Because buses could not be found immediately, however, the conferees stayed one more day, until the original date for their departure.

Thorington could not be reached for comment.

Conference Services has used the incident as a lesson, according to Conference Services director Michelle Gross. She said that "this conference made us reflect on our policies, but the policies are okay, just not especially clear. That's because of the staff changes ... In the future, there will be a minimum youth to counselor ratio."