00:00:00.009 - 00:00:15.560

Without offering the young people something alternative and so often they would negotiate a gang settlement a year later it would break down more killings. A few of the young people came out anyway. But they never had the kind of impact that we've had in Washington DC

00:00:15.560 - 00:00:34.680

inventing terrorists and and therefore it has then served as a model for Texas and the rest of the nation and I'm not exaggerating to say if it were not for David Gilmore and his staff not only stepping up. But staying in there with us and providing

00:00:34.680 - 00:00:53.849

the long term innovative strong staff and financial support for this violence free zone, it would not have happened that's why it is with uh great pleasure that I introduce the receiver of the, the, the friend of Neighborhood Enterprise, and I am blessed to say my friend

00:00:53.849 - 00:01:22.769

David Gilmore. Thank you Bob. Good morning everyone. I want you to meet several of my sons and one of my daughters. Um. You notice that the schedule has a sort of a different array of panels. My two colleagues that spoke a little earlier didn't need any

00:01:22.769 - 00:01:37.830

help from me. They did an eloquent job of talking about, uh, what's going on in LA and what's happening in Dallas, and I've known Laurie Henderson Moon for years and she needed no help from me, so. And then following this you're gonna get a chance to

00:01:37.830 - 00:01:51.029

see some of the things and hear from the mentors of these wonderful young people and some of my staff as well and they don't need any help from me either I chose to be with my kids and for us to put on it now this isn't

00:01:51.029 - 00:02:10.380

on the schedule but you're in for a treat. Um, I want to, uh, introduce them to you. And uh uh then I think my role here is going to be real simple. I'm going to try to paint a picture in words that actually you're gonna see

00:02:10.380 - 00:02:41.289

visually in a little while, but um uh my hope is that each one of these young people sitting to my left and to my right. Um, we'll tell you. What life was like. At Benning Terrace and Park Morton and Garfield before. And to share with you

00:02:41.779 - 00:03:01.589

what life is like for all of them now. And most important of all. Is to share with you what comes from in here about what they have been through together and what they've managed to accomplish. First, let me introduce these young people to you. On my

00:03:01.589 - 00:03:21.139

far left is now now his name tag doesn't say this, but this is how he wishes to be known. Get your pencils out and write this down. It's gonna take a little time. Thomas Derek Anthony Ross, his name tag only says Derek Ross, but it's Thomas

00:03:21.139 - 00:03:41.229

Thomas Derek Anthony Ross. Did we get it right this time? This is Darius Robinson here. And this is Keith Hawkins and this is Vernon Wise and this is Kenisha Green and that is Leon Watson. Now you're gonna hear from each of these magnificent beautiful young people,

00:03:41.449 - 00:04:00.320

but I have to warn you before they get started, two things are going to happen today. One, and this is these are both absolutely guaranteed. One is that you're going to fall madly in love, absolutely madly in love, and you might as well just give into

00:04:00.320 - 00:04:25.910

it because it's gonna happen, nothing you can do about it. And the second is if you listen really very closely to them. You're going to hear the keys to peace. And to life. And uh these kids have it they hold the keys and they've come up

00:04:25.910 - 00:04:42.450

here with me today to help share them. So let me begin by um sort of setting the scene a little bit. And uh I, I allow yourselves for a moment if you will to be just simply transformed. You aren't in Dallas anymore, not that we're in

00:04:42.450 - 00:05:06.540

Dallas now. Are we in Dallas now? Where are we anyway? We're in Texas. I know that. OK. But just to let yourselves be transformed from this room in Dallas, Texas back to DC, and it is one of the hottest days in July and if any of

00:05:06.540 - 00:05:24.839

you have been to DC in July you know it gets pretty hot there, it's humid, it's a beautiful day, but it's hot, very hot and humid. And you are with me on a bus. And you, this is your first day on the job. This is your

00:05:24.839 - 00:05:43.359

first day of receivership. Receivership essentially, uh, as Bob said, I, I am the chief executive officer of the housing authority of the District of Columbia. It's the only difference is that that uh I'm called the receiver because the agency is currently being overseen by the court.

00:05:44.309 - 00:05:56.269

Now we've got the judge with us we've got a bunch of staff people with us and we have a driver that's driving the bus and they're taking us around the city in this hot, you know, we're shirt sleeves and they're all rolled up and I, I

00:05:56.269 - 00:06:17.720

do have a tie on that day, although it's a pretty unusual occurrence for me and it's up to my neck normally it's down here. And we make a turn onto G Street in Southeast DC. To southeast or northeast? Southeast Southeast Northeast. And we start to pull

00:06:17.720 - 00:06:39.799

up this street. And on the left hand side of the street as the bus pulls up this hill, you see some really nice suburban like homes and there's a church and the homes are looks like they're in pretty decent shape, um. You go up the road

00:06:39.799 - 00:06:50.920

a little piece and you keep going and on the left hand side you see more of those homes, more on the left side and they you you if you didn't look to the other side of the bus you think you're in the suburbs really it's just

00:06:50.920 - 00:07:07.670

wonderful. I should stop here for a moment by the way and point out that there are lots of myths and misconceptions about the District of Columbia, including several that I brought with me when I first got there. Having spent many years in this industry in which

00:07:07.670 - 00:07:22.760

I uh plan my trade, uh, having gone in and out of the the District of Columbia to do business on a regular basis, I never really had the opportunity to get a chance to see the neighborhoods. On this day I am being educated in a lot

00:07:22.760 - 00:07:44.559

of ways, but one of the things I am learning is that this city, which the media has described in so many negative and condescending ways. In which the about which the media has painted a picture in the minds of all of the folks that don't have

00:07:44.559 - 00:08:02.440

any familiarity with the city of a wasteland that is particularly on the other side of the river, you know, the Anacostia neighborhood when you think about Anacostia conjures up an image it always has in my mind of this barren wasteland with thugs on every street corner

00:08:02.890 - 00:08:25.709

with a weapon. But this is Anacostia. This is Southeast DC and it looks like a suburb to me. And I'm really kind of blown away, you know, that's kind of rolling hills and it's green and lush and pretty. The bus, now our bus keeps going up

00:08:25.709 - 00:08:54.340

the hill, and now we look on the right side. Mhm. They know. On the right side is one of the grimmest. Most depressing, most prison-like public housing development I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot of places. A lot of places. And we come

00:08:54.340 - 00:09:17.140

up to this intersection. And this intersection turns to the right. And there's a cul-de-sac down at the end of it. And this is the driver says, or my staff says no way we're not turning down there. Mm. But this is what you see visually. Are you

00:09:17.140 - 00:09:34.190

still with me now. It's hot. And this bus isn't air conditioned and it's belching smoke in the back. It's typical of all the stuff that these the condition of the DC Housing Authority at the time. When you look down this cul-de-sac. You see a bank of

00:09:34.190 - 00:10:07.570

buildings around the circle. Many of the windows have boards on them. It is dusty. And barren, the sidewalks are broken. Where there once was grass, there's just dirt. There is debris. Broken bottles, sneakers are are uh lined over the electrical wires going across. And now you

00:10:07.570 - 00:10:30.969

begin to realize the contrast on the left side of these lovely suburban homes on the right side is this awful awful place but there was something about this community both sides that struck me as being odd and it was that there were no people out there.

00:10:31.700 - 00:10:54.020

Except for In the circle, 3, I assume, young men. I said I assume because I'll tell you what they were wearing and so you know you couldn't tell each of these young people had a cap like this a baseball cap drawn down. Right over the bridge

00:10:54.020 - 00:11:14.619

of the nose, the dark wrap around sunglasses, these, they know they're laughing. I know they, they've heard me tell this story a lot of times, but it keeps it gets to them the remember hot July day these black, um, what are they what are they called

00:11:14.619 - 00:11:32.260

those coats starter coats somebody said you know those things that go down to the knees and they're all, uh, you know what I mean. And these kids are sitting on beach chairs. It's like they were at the beach, but there was no sand beach for a

00:11:32.260 - 00:12:01.359

property. There was no sand, no water, no body, just these three kids, fierce looking young people. It was clear it was their territory. We move on, we go other places. Now we fast forward. This is 1995, we fast forward. To January of 1997. In the interim,

00:12:01.409 - 00:12:19.479

however we are agonizing at the housing authority over what to do about this place what do we do about this distress development in the circle where you can't rent a unit to anybody because none of the single mothers with children that we rent to primarily want

00:12:19.479 - 00:12:51.640

to go live there. We can't do anything about the vacancy rate. The buildings are deteriorating by the day. The crime rate is notorious. And then I think um. One of the I guess you wanna say Providence somehow. Brought a picture in the. Washington Post to me

00:12:51.640 - 00:13:12.169

1 January afternoon following the very tragic death of a young boy, 12 years old at the Benning Terrace development. The picture was of Bob Woodson. And Tyrone Parker and two or three other guys I don't know who they were. I don't remember oh Duckett, uh, uh,

00:13:12.179 - 00:13:33.429

Detective Duckett was in the picture, and these guys were announcing a truce or an effort to, to get a truce together, a truce together between then two warring factions. Of what was then known as the simple city crew. And at the very sight of that picture

00:13:33.429 - 00:13:54.780

it became lights went on all over my office it became crystal clear that it was what I had been looking for for my whole career an opportunity to really make a difference, really make a difference and to do something that if it were to be successful

00:13:54.780 - 00:14:11.520

might change some lives. Now a little later on, I'm not gonna spend a lot of time talking about that process. Because others are gonna describe it to you and they'll do a lot better job of it than I. But my hope is to have painted a

00:14:11.520 - 00:14:32.500

picture into which now I wanna ask my kids. To fill in the blanks. I want them to share with you. Life at Benning Terrace and at Park Morton and at Garfield. In the old days. I do have to, before I get to them, I do need

00:14:32.500 - 00:14:51.320

to fast forward just a little bit and tell you that. What you will hear from the young men at this table soon was to be followed up by. An effort to do some work in two other public housing developments and Kenisha represents the young men and

00:14:51.320 - 00:15:23.380

women of Park Morton and Garfield. Now the guys are representatives of the concerned brothers and sisters of banning Terrace. Kenisha is a representative of the young black beautiful queens of the Northwest Youth Working in partnership. I that. But all of them have been doing the same

00:15:23.380 - 00:15:41.739

thing. They have been redoing their lives they've been changing their communities and they have been making the District of Columbia a different place than it was several years ago. So now into this picture. I want to call upon my sons to come and talk to you

00:15:41.739 - 00:16:03.090

each from their own perspective quick cracking your knuckle. Each from their own perspective and remember make them tell you not just what it was like then but what's going on today and make them tell it to you from here. I guarantee you that if they do

00:16:03.090 - 00:16:32.750

that you will have the most emotional experience of the day guaranteed. Derek, you wanna start? Come on, pal. She. Hey. Hello, good morning. Um, let's see. Ben and Ts Dean. I guess you can say, cause y'all seen it. Which I all considered the worst of your

00:16:32.750 - 00:17:01.859

public housing projects and then amplify about 10 times. Because with y'all public housing sectors or wherever, and y'all cities, you had the presence of the police. And we're done with us, we didn't. It was we were the police, the judge, we did it all, so it

00:17:01.859 - 00:17:19.479

was like basically like Mr. Gilmore said it was, it was ours, you know, so it was basically you don't nothing went on there that we didn't want to happen and as when we first met up with the alliance that's what I told Tyrone and Rico that

00:17:19.479 - 00:17:38.880

nothing's gonna stop here that we don't want to stop. Because they can't, somebody else can't come in and get us to stop it because that's just like saying somebody coming in and say we're taking over. So it's like it's gonna be friction there anyway. So in

00:17:38.880 - 00:17:57.170

order for it to stop we had to want it to stop and we went through that. Hurdles and heartache of change which everyone didn't wanna change and those who did went fullheartedly at it and those who didn't, they didn't we can't say that they fell by

00:17:57.170 - 00:18:09.890

the waistline because they tried to fall but too many arms was catching them. So you know it was like I ain't no going backwards. We all just going forward with this because this is what we wanna do. This is what we want, so we're going to

00:18:09.890 - 00:18:22.000

go at it just like we went in the illegal way, full forward with it, make sure it went through the best that we wanted it to go. We said do it the legal way we're gonna do the same thing and that legal process ain't easy either.

00:18:22.170 - 00:18:46.060

I tell you it's harder than illegal. It's costly and everything to go legal for real, but it was something that we wanted to happen and we went forward with it as the best of our abilities and now as has been stated at times, they claimed I

00:18:46.060 - 00:19:13.020

was so bad, but I was never bad. I was living. And as I say in the Rome do as the Romans do. Well, we was living in the city, so we did as the city did. So, but now I went and got my GED. Because He

00:19:13.020 - 00:19:39.599

currently enrolled at Catholic University set to graduate a mark. And I'm a part of a program Mr. Gilmore started called the housing Manager intern program starting to be a property manager. And the foremost of it, I'm the president of the Concerned Brothers and sisters of Ben

00:19:39.599 - 00:20:16.410

and terror. You'll learn a little more about the concerned brothers and sister Be in terrorists around 2:30 because I gotta come back. But I'm gonna turn it over to another member Vernon Wi. It's a treasurer. Money back. Mm. Good afternoon, good afternoon. Um, I'm not gonna

00:20:16.410 - 00:20:38.890

take too much time. I'm just gonna keep it straightforward. And be as honest as possible, you know, you learn that over the years, um, I was one of the first guys that the alliance actually, you know, had some verbal conversation with. My role in this whole

00:20:38.890 - 00:20:59.790

thing is I'm like the godfather, you know what I'm saying? I'm one of the older guys in this concerned brothers and sisters and Beneurs Inc organization that we have started, um. My role in the whole peace thing in this neighborhood, I feel as though it was

00:21:00.390 - 00:21:24.040

sent from the man above, you know what I'm saying? For those who didn't hear of my life story last night, um. I'm a high school graduate, graduated from Eastern Senior High School, um, in 1987 out of a class of 450, I graduated in top 150 out

00:21:24.040 - 00:21:43.829

of 450. So I went to college for two years, got a small degree in child development and uh been working ever since um. When the accident happened, I'm gonna call it an accident cause that's what it was. When the accident happened to the little kid Darryl

00:21:43.829 - 00:22:03.869

Hall. I just felt touched by it, you know what I'm saying, because I got shot 10 times with a 45 automatic right after I graduated from high school, spent 6 months in the hospital. Lost my right kidney. I had my spleen taken out, so therefore I

00:22:03.869 - 00:22:23.670

can't fight off colds and infections, you know, um, I lost a couple of ribs, still got 245 slugs enlarged in me that I carry around for the rest of my life. I got a permanent scar from my heart down to my waistline due to surgery, you

00:22:23.670 - 00:22:41.359

know what I'm saying, so. I kinda understood what was happening. And me being the middle party of this one faction because I conversated with both sides, you know what I'm saying? I didn't take a side. I didn't point no fingers. I didn't say you was wrong

00:22:41.359 - 00:23:05.660

for what you was doing at that time when you don't have people to come in and listen and understand what the problem is. You don't really have nobody to turn to. It's bound to get emotional because I want you to understand where we're coming from. It's

00:23:05.660 - 00:23:24.160

hard. It's hard when you don't handle. They wanna listen. You know what I'm saying? Listen, I understand where the problem is coming from, you know what I'm saying if you don't have nobody wanna listen to what the problem is on the inside, you're not gonna never

00:23:24.160 - 00:23:39.819

get nobody to solve the problems nowhere in the world, nowhere. I don't care if you're living in public housing. If you're living in Beverly Hills, people in Beverly Hills got problems, you know what I'm saying, because they got so much money they got people that envy

00:23:39.819 - 00:23:56.030

them they jealous of them, you know what I'm saying? Then they gotta worry about how they gotta go about keeping friendship then you got to pay for friendship or can you earn it from your heart, you know, it's hard for real it's hard it's hard, Mr.

00:23:56.060 - 00:24:21.089

Gilmore, the housing authority. Mr. Wilson. That's a strong name. Bob Woodson Like a father figure, you know what I'm saying? When some of our fathers is deceased and locked up. And you don't have nobody to talk to. God, you can call Bob. You can call him

00:24:21.489 - 00:24:35.540

any time of the night, 3 and 4 o'clock in the morning. The man will get up and get dressed and come and get you for real, you know what I'm saying? He pour his heart out to you. He opened up his ears and listen and understand

00:24:35.540 - 00:24:57.319

what the problem is, lack of communication. Lack of communication, that's the biggest problem for real when you don't have the police listening to you instead of pointing badges and guns and waving fingers and always criticizing, you know what I'm saying? God just feel me just understand

00:24:57.319 - 00:25:15.839

what I'm talking about. Now you got people that then changed their life around 365 degrees. We just start an organization. You got the president. I'm the treasurer, you know what I'm saying? We got landscapers here. I'm an electrician. It's my second year in electrical school, you

00:25:15.839 - 00:25:36.199

know what I'm saying? It's hard, it's hard. The lack of communication that we have out here. That's the main problem, just getting people to understand, just to listen instead of pointing fingers, just listen to the problem. And if you have any words of wisdom, make sure

00:25:36.199 - 00:25:53.930

that it's beneficiary, not only to the person you're giving the wisdom to, but to yourself because you're gonna be at peace with yourself to know that you are beneficiary in somebody's life. You know what I'm saying, to make somebody successful. Successful, you know what I'm saying,

00:25:54.209 - 00:26:09.619

then um. The little incident at the airport when I came in, you know, singing hail to the Redskins and cowboy country. As you can see I'm a Washingtonian, you know, this is my first time in Texas, so I can't really like the Cowboys, so I got

00:26:09.619 - 00:26:23.219

to go with the home team, you know what I'm saying? So I had a little flack on the way down here, you know, from a cowboy fan. She got relatives in Texas, but she live in DC, you know what I'm saying, but it's OK, it's OK.

00:26:24.319 - 00:26:37.270

But um, yeah, um. When you have somebody that wanna listen, now see how we in this room, we smiling, you know what I'm saying? I gave you a little sentimental piece, just to let you know, you know what I'm saying, we're all human. We are all

00:26:37.270 - 00:26:50.839

human and with your feet on the ground. And your head in the right direction, can't nobody stop you from doing what you wanna do, not unless it's positive, you know what I'm saying? If it's negative, then you might get some positive people putting barricades in front

00:26:50.839 - 00:27:06.050

of you to show you that, you know what I'm saying, take the positive route instead of the negative route. But other than that, you know what I'm saying, all can be done with helping hands. It don't make a difference if your hands green, purple, blue, white,

00:27:06.239 - 00:27:25.270

brown, black or whatever. When they all come together and they positive, can't nothing stop you? Nothing. That's just like Noah. When it rained and nobody thought he was gonna get all them animals in that boat. But when they dropped that gate, how many animals ran for

00:27:25.270 - 00:27:44.439

cover? And he loaded up that big boat and he got up out of it so you know what I'm saying you can't say it can't be done. So Mr. Gilmore came along and and presented the jobs to the guys and uh. I was already working. I

00:27:44.439 - 00:27:59.520

was a trash man, you know what I'm saying, making $85 a day, 6 days a week, you can total it up compared to $650 an hour, you know what I'm saying, taking that step backwards, knowing that at the end of that walk it's gonna be something

00:27:59.520 - 00:28:23.319

positive. Now I'm an electrician, making 1375 now, and I'm due for my raise. You know what I'm saying? So that that basically that's that's the whole situation there you know what I'm saying you you work you work for what you want and with the positive minds

00:28:23.319 - 00:28:39.800

and the positive attitude, then, then you surround yourself with positive people, you know what I'm saying? And like, uh, I was telling one of my coworkers here this is my 5th trip after the 2nd trip. I told Mr. Gilmore, you can't leave out of this country

00:28:39.800 - 00:28:51.760

and not unless you got a plane ticket for me to go with you. I told Bob the same thing when you go out of town, if you don't have no plane ticket, don't you go. Don't you go if you don't have no plane ticket for me,

00:28:52.170 - 00:29:07.150

you know what I'm saying? So our first trip we went up to uh Hartford. And we met some of the people up there call and uh Janie, see you in the back. You got one of your your pupils with you and Steve over there. Building homes,

00:29:07.229 - 00:29:24.780

you know, I see you ain't calling ask for no electrical help, you know, but it's OK though. I, I'm gonna leave you my card so you can call me, you know. But um At first it was, it was rough it was rough and as the years

00:29:24.780 - 00:29:44.449

go on you can see I'm at peace with myself. And I really took a bigger step as far as my life is concerned because I recently got married October 7th, so that's a new thing to me. I know That that that's another stepping stone in my

00:29:44.449 - 00:29:57.229

life that I chose to add, you know what I'm saying, at the age I am, you know what I'm saying? I'm 30 years old. I almost didn't live to see 22. So you know that's it's time and I tell a lot of guys and they still

00:29:57.229 - 00:30:10.270

tease me I don't have my days of being in the street and having female friends and this and that this was just my decision, you know what I'm saying? You come to a point in time in your life, you're not gonna get no younger, so therefore

00:30:10.270 - 00:30:25.079

you can't reminisce on what's behind you. You got to go forward. So therefore me getting married, that's a new step that's my new family now, you know what I'm saying. I'm in process of trying to buy the home that we're we're in now so that's another

00:30:25.079 - 00:30:38.119

step I have to meet with those beautiful young ladies right there with hood so we can talk about some negotiations on on on this home here, you know what I'm saying, and get, get some of that money, get some of that money that they got so

00:30:38.119 - 00:30:56.069

I can, you know, protect my family, my new family, you know what I'm saying my family away from Mr. Gilmore, the Housing Authority and Bob at. The National Center for Neighborhood, you know, child Enterprises, the Alliance to concern me, you definitely can't lead them out because

00:30:57.069 - 00:31:13.050

They actually were the police when we didn't have police, you know what I'm saying? They were the actual ears and the eyes and they stuck their hearts and their pockets out there, you know, and did things that the actual people who probably get paid to do

00:31:13.050 - 00:31:30.890

that job didn't even do it, you know what I'm saying? And here it is these guys came into the neighborhood. No weapons, nothing but pins and mouths and ears, those are their weapons, you know what I'm saying, and they utilize their skills. They utilize their skills.

00:31:30.930 - 00:31:48.920

They made not only me but they made my fellow coworkers and you know, other people feel comfortable. You know what I'm saying, the conversation part of it. That's what was lacking. And when you get somebody that wants to just listen and whether they're high ranking official

00:31:48.920 - 00:32:02.959

or whatever but they wanna give input, you know what I'm saying, regardless of how much it's gonna cost at any expense they didn't put a limit on it, you know what I'm saying they didn't put a time limit on the time and the hours and the

00:32:02.959 - 00:32:18.479

days that they came back and forth into this neighborhood and keep in mind that even when they came it still was some friction it had died down a little bit but. It wasn't where as though the fire could be put out because of the death of

00:32:18.479 - 00:32:37.140

the 12 year old, you know what I'm saying? So It's been a long haul. It's been a, a good one so far. I can't complain, you know what I'm saying, my motto, I, I, I, I found out over the years. I used to have a motto

00:32:37.140 - 00:32:54.270

just, you know what I'm saying, wake up and and it's whatever as, as opposed to, you know what I'm saying, one day at a time when I wake up, I thank the Lord for another day, another day, and after that is making sure my family is,

00:32:54.280 - 00:33:09.020

is, is straight and situated, make sure my two stepkids get off to school now, you know what I'm saying, then I'm off to work. And that's my 8 hours and after that, I still got school once I complete school, and I still got to make sure

00:33:09.020 - 00:33:34.599

my household is situated so we can lay down and thank the Lord for a hard working day. Mhm I I ain't gonna take up too much of your time, um. I'm open for, you know, questions and conversations after this is all over, but I'm gonna give

00:33:34.599 - 00:33:51.680

the newcomers of, you know, our, our traveling team that that's what we call ourselves the traveling team. I'm, I'm gonna give our newcomers a chance to, to taste this, you know, standing up here and talking in front of nice, nice crowds of people, you know, where

00:33:51.680 - 00:34:07.599

people just focused in on you and they looking at you and you and you. The throat, you know, you get dry, your mouth get dry, you know what I'm saying, all of that, but. As, as I, as I take these trips with these guys, you know

00:34:07.599 - 00:34:20.800

what I'm saying, and I, I'm getting comfortable with it, sharing my problems, you know, I'm, I've never had a problem with talking and being able to express myself. It's just a large groups of people you got to do it to, you know what I'm saying, but

00:34:20.800 - 00:34:37.449

other than that I'm getting comfortable with it and I'm looking forward to many more trips with it so I can exploit and spread my, you know, my feelings and my thoughts and my words of wisdom. To older people, younger people, whoever, you know, we, we're not

00:34:37.449 - 00:34:53.139

never too old for any type of advice from anybody, you know what I'm saying? So I'd like to thank you for having me here in, in your cowboy country, you know what I'm saying? I don't really take too kindly to them cowboys, but no, I'm just

00:34:53.139 - 00:35:15.129

kidding, it's OK, thank you. I I know y'all don't. First of all, I'd like to give an honor to God. I'm I'm glad I'm here today. And I just wanna talk about my life. How I used to live, and how I live in, how I live

00:35:15.129 - 00:35:39.729

now. It was rough out there, I do agree. But I, I, I've made it through it all. Take your time, bro. Take your time, man. I remember the day I do need this. I do agree. Take your time, man. Take your time. You're gonna get used

00:35:39.729 - 00:36:03.520

to it. I remember the time. I used to come outside. I used to come outside and play. Then as I got older, start hanging on the street, out on the street. That was something that my mother didn't agree on. But I did it anyway. But one

00:36:03.520 - 00:36:18.370

day When I was about, I turned 16, my mother asked me what was I doing out on the street? What was it, what, what, what was the purpose of me to keep hanging out there? Then she sit me down and ask me some questions. The question

00:36:18.370 - 00:36:33.280

was, what, what are you doing? I said, oh, I'm not doing nothing. Why are you hanging outside this late at night? I'm be chilling with my fellas, kicking a bobo or whatever. But then she got to the point. She said, I got a question I wanna

00:36:33.280 - 00:36:49.649

ask you. Someone told me something about you. She asked me was I outside dealing drugs? And I told her no. I knew I was wrong for right then and then for telling a lie. Then she asked me again. And I told her the truth. She said

00:36:49.879 - 00:37:06.659

to me, you don't need to be out there. I can give you what you, I'll give you what you want. But I figured, figured that she couldn't give me what I wanted cause she won't buy me no $100 tennis shoes. Then I caught up in the

00:37:06.659 - 00:37:24.550

streets and what whatever. But I'd like to thank God that I'm still here, cause some people told my mother that I wasn't gonna live to see 21. But I wanna make them out some lies today. I'm here. And I just can't do anything but say thank

00:37:24.550 - 00:37:42.100

you. Well, I got the lines with me. Got Mr. Gilmore with me. Got Le John with me, got Mr. Knox with me. I ain't gonna leave y'all that. I got, I got, I got Bob over there. But I just remember the days, I, I look back

00:37:42.100 - 00:37:53.520

on my life when I used to come outside, I used to have to watch my back. But I wanna tell you today I'm free at last. I ain't gotta worry about nobody shooting at me. I ain't gotta worry about the police coming after me. I ain't

00:37:53.520 - 00:38:19.080

gotta worry about nobody trying to rob me. That's right. I work from 9 to 5 and I'm proud of it. I just want to tell you the God that brought me from a mighty long way and I, and I'm still going. I ain't going back with

00:38:19.080 - 00:38:35.020

I'm going but I'm going forward. I'm not gonna let nobody tell me I can't do it. There ain't such thing I can't do. I can't do it. There's a lot of people out there. It's a lot of people probably said I'll never amount to nothing, but

00:38:35.020 - 00:38:52.449

I tell you one thing. I made them my all out some lies. I'm gonna, I'm, I'm gonna be somebody. Well, I ain't, I ain't gonna hold y'all up cause I got some more people I've been wanna talk, but I'm just glad to visit Dallas and everybody

00:38:52.449 - 00:39:15.280

ain't here. God bless you. I'm just glad to be here. OK. It's my honor and a pleasure to be here today on the day that I really wasn't promised, you understand. And uh, I ain't gonna sit here and tell y'all about my life story, how I

00:39:15.280 - 00:39:33.320

was and everything. I'm gonna tell you how it is now. 2 years has passed and none of my friends have got killed. In the area that we was living in, it was a war zone. I've seen it for myself. And I just thank God today that

00:39:33.760 - 00:39:54.889

see being as though how it really got started after the young boy had got uh after the young boy had passed away. Tyrone Parker, see, I just came home from a juvenile facility. Tyrone Parker was, was my probation officer. They sent me to him, you know,

00:39:55.060 - 00:40:08.909

he told me about everything. I went and met him and everything. He asked me one day because he found out he knew about the earlier and he was a friend to the father of the son that passed, so. I told him, yeah, I'll be around there.

00:40:09.050 - 00:40:26.489

I know some of the guys. He asked me, he said, Well, can you help me? Being as though at the time, I was just trying to get off probation. So I was like, sure. So in the progress of me helping him out, he asked me if

00:40:26.489 - 00:40:42.100

I could bring a couple of people, a couple of young friends that I be with to the table and help stop the violence, being as though I was still thinking in that negative way, I really didn't want to stop the violence, being as though that, being

00:40:42.100 - 00:40:59.955

as though a little boy had got killed that was on, you know, that I personally knew, you understand? And I was still feeling the pain inside. You understand? So doing that progress I played along with it, you know, I asked a couple of friends, you know,

00:41:00.034 - 00:41:14.915

and they went with me, so I must had a little bit of pull in the organization if they following me, right? So we went to this unknown place. I ain't know what was gonna happen. We went and sat down and talked. They had the circle and

00:41:14.915 - 00:41:37.449

the avenue. It was only a street dividing the both, both parts, one street. We went to school and everything together so we basically knew each other. So we talked and had our differences, you understand our problems and everything. We got it situated. Now I'm administrative assistant,

00:41:37.989 - 00:41:57.979

you understand? I work uh. I work up at the president's office, right, right beside the man, you understand? Sitting next to the man. See, see, it ain't hard no more for me cause I didn't spoke, I didn't went out and talked to younger kids younger than

00:41:57.979 - 00:42:14.010

me, you know what I'm saying, they have no role model in a, in a community that all they see is violence. See, the lines came in and stepped in while the war was still on. You understand? I like it if. We can step in before a

00:42:14.010 - 00:42:31.979

star. He the communities. I all day I've been hearing, you know what I'm saying, they picking the certain places they have to go, you know, where the most have, uh, how can I say this, uh, violent, you understand? It's, it's high. You could go there too,

00:42:32.020 - 00:42:49.590

but you still have to go to the places that the violence is just starting. You understand that's looking at this community that's high violence, they wanna be like them. And being as though that we stopped the war over in Southeast Washington, other communities is one they're

00:42:49.590 - 00:43:15.000

seeing the progress that we're making and we was known as one of the, one of the top 5 in the whole United States, most violent territory in DC. Now, you got people out there planting grass. The walls, they clean. You just don't know how, you just

00:43:15.000 - 00:43:28.129

don't know how I feel up here today cause I just knew I wasn't gonna see this day. This day I wouldn't, I couldn't even imagine it. I wasn't even imagining. Two years ago, you probably look at me and be like this, he be dead in 2

00:43:28.129 - 00:43:46.020

years. I wouldn't get mad at you because I was saying it myself. You understand I was living that that lifestyle there whatever gonna happen regardless, so it ain't no way for me to get out of it anyway. But being the store they last came in, they

00:43:46.020 - 00:44:00.100

listen. That's the number one key. They listen, listen to the problems that I had. See, nobody ever listened. They came in for a day, they was there, yeah, put their support in the next day they was gone. You understand, left us back in the same situation

00:44:00.100 - 00:44:23.530

that we was in before they came. Hm. Say that again, left us in the same situation that we was. Slim mm mm mm. Lord, please help me today. Get these words out. Man, it's really, it's really emotional because none of y'all haven't seen the life that

00:44:23.530 - 00:44:39.580

I didn't seen, seen the, the people that didn't passed that I grew up with 15 years old. I was locked, I was locked up. Me and my dog, my bro, man, we, if he bought a snickers in a shoulder, I had a Snickers in the shoulder.

00:44:39.810 - 00:45:00.379

That's how we was. I'm 15, he's 14. He got shot. AK-47, he got shot in his head. My man came and told me why I was, I was incarcerated. I broke down. I was, I was ready to get it on with the whole on. Anybody that

00:45:00.379 - 00:45:21.370

said anything to me a reaction, just flick. Right? And I'm trying to hold it in, right, but last night when I went to church and my man gave a sermon, let me see here, like mom, let me see that right there, Wayne I no, let me

00:45:21.370 - 00:45:39.800

see the joke. Yeah, I know, I know right. If you put some inside, right, I ain't gonna do it cause it might better thing up. You put some inside and it keeps coming, you keep putting stuff inside, it's a it's a overflow, right? Everybody gonna have

00:45:39.800 - 00:46:05.399

an overflow, but if everything that's overflowing ain't right, you gotta find out and look deep inside what you pouring in, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. Yeah Yeah. Well, like I said before, it's my honor and pleasure. I'm a Redskin fan faithfully. Dallas, they are. I

00:46:05.399 - 00:46:21.824

see you in the back, dog. That's right. And uh I'm, I'm just happy to see all these smiles because at first I was thinking nobody really cared. We was. Going on in in the community. Nobody really came and stepped to the plate talk. They all, they

00:46:21.824 - 00:46:40.455

was there, yeah, how you doing and everything. You need to stop. Look at me. I changed. My ears was closed to suggestions, but my eyes was open, for example, and that's the same, that's the way it's going every day. Your ears is always closed, you understand?

00:46:40.784 - 00:46:58.169

But If you just open your eyes, now other communities are seeing the progress that Benna tourist has made. They seeing it. You understand at first they kept hearing it on the news, yeah, the truce is stopped, the war stopped, is the truce. But they didn't see

00:46:58.169 - 00:47:18.810

it, so they really didn't believe it. We had people talking about it's not a truce. You understand? It ain't gonna last. It lasted for two years. It's still negativity going on in the community, but no one's dying. It's no 2 years. Now just imagine if the

00:47:18.810 - 00:47:40.290

war was still going on, it was 68 murders just in that community in 18 months. In a 3 block radius. 3 blocks, 68 murders. It has been near 1 murder, one act of violence in that community, that 3 block radius in 2 years with the help

00:47:40.290 - 00:47:57.750

of the lives of Concerned National Center for Neighborhood Enterprises and DC Housing Authority. Here we go. Need more people like this to support us, to keep us going, you understand? I just, I'm just here. I'm just proud to be here today. You know I still got

00:47:57.750 - 00:48:17.370

negative people in the neighborhood talking about look at you, uh-huh, you working a job, but they asking every day, can I work? They see the changes that's being made to progress that's every it's time for a change. We have seen how how what acts of violence

00:48:17.370 - 00:48:35.739

could bring us to incarceration, death, death of friends, loved ones that you love from the heart. But we never knew how I was to live the good life. You understand I'm living the good life. At first you wouldn't get me to walk down Ben and roll.

00:48:36.270 - 00:48:52.899

Then I walked down Be enroll every day to hop on the subway to go uptown to go to work. Proud to wear a suit and tie to work. It doesn't matter. I ain't scared to let us let nobody see me with no suit on. I look

00:48:52.899 - 00:49:15.330

good in a suit. And now I'd rather wear a suit every day than what I was wearing, you know, I was out there living the life, living the life. I didn't been there and done that. I probably haven't seen, I haven't seen anything y'all ass and

00:49:15.330 - 00:49:35.669

seen experienced in neither, but if you could just feel the pain that's inside of me that I'm trying to let out of this overflow of happiness. See, God had poured some knowledge inside. Now I'm overflowing with knowledge. I have found out what's inside and I'm letting

00:49:35.669 - 00:50:01.070

it come out. Now, I'm gonna pass it over to my sister from the Northwest Youthage Apprenticeship Program, Black Queens, you understand. Yeah, I guess so. And uh, I give it to. I'm gonna give it to Lee John, you understand. And uh I would like to thank

00:50:01.070 - 00:50:29.120

you for listening to me and listening to what I had to say. They Let me get my water. Good morning for y'all that really don't know, I'm David Gilmore. I don't know what this guy's sitting up here. We don't really, I mean, hey, look at this

00:50:29.120 - 00:50:50.959

guy. You know, where did we get this guy from? Well, I must be. But I just would like to say good morning and uh basically for me it's just. Uh, I, I had to take her, I had to. Basically sit at home in the dark just

00:50:51.030 - 00:51:07.250

just to grasp all this stuff, you know, just to At one time, basically in my life, like, you know, the rest of my counterparts said we live the life of crime. You know, the, the circle fraction was like the Alamo for us. It was our fault.

00:51:07.459 - 00:51:28.489

It is where we, we ate, slept and use the bathroom. And so I mean basically. If it I can say we were basically tired. We was, we were tired of what was continuously going on in the, in the neighborhood. And when the last of Concerned Men

00:51:28.489 - 00:51:44.709

came in. With, with another outlook on life. I mean, a lot of guys, I mean, we, we sat back and we, we looked at their lines concerned, man. They look like well-dressed detectives. You know they they just look like I mean to me it looked like

00:51:44.709 - 00:51:57.540

a set up. You know, we, we stood back and we watched. Hey, you got to find the cars up here. The first thing in my mind was, look, hey, it's a robbery time, you know, then we seen guys get out long trench coats on, nice hats.

00:51:57.709 - 00:52:13.709

I'm like, hold on there, so something ain't right here, you know, so, you know, we conversing with my brother over here dirt and dirt like Lee, I kind of feel like you don't seem right. You know, but all in all we took that chance and I,

00:52:13.760 - 00:52:30.629

and for me, my story is I can't give you the story where as though my parents were strung out on drugs. I came up, I'm an only child, you know, I had parents where as though I knew the way parents heavy into church. You know, Purs

00:52:30.629 - 00:52:45.959

with door. My mom didn't care where she whooped me at, what was in the mall. What was we was eating at a table, you know, and once, uh, it came a point in time in my life where as though I wanted to do my thing as

00:52:45.959 - 00:52:57.560

you, as you old time and say I was smelling myself. You know, my father sat me down and he told me just like this, son, if you stay in this house and you do what you know you're supposed to do while me and your mother is

00:52:57.560 - 00:53:11.280

breaking our backs to give you the finer things in life, when you got to leave my house. You know, at that time, as I, as I could say I was smelling myself, you know, I had $1000 worth of wands, thought I was doing it, you know,

00:53:11.360 - 00:53:23.610

I grabbed my little wands, ran up in the room, got the throwing clothes, you know, I had so much clothes I went beyond the hamper. I had the trash can, so I'm throwing clothes in the trash can, yeah, I'm leaving, cool, whatever, you know. I get

00:53:23.610 - 00:53:36.689

the trash can get them moving with the trash can. I felt his hand grab the trash can and the and the voice came behind him was like, Nah, me and your mother paid for that there. You know this is what I do for you. You know,

00:53:36.729 - 00:53:51.270

he grabbed a few items, he dumped, dumped it out again, grabbed a few items, put the top on it, helped me downstairs with it. Out on to the front door down to the last step on the porch. Said I'll give you my key. I'll talk to

00:53:51.270 - 00:54:05.489

you later. You know, and I couldn't, I mean, you couldn't get no blunt in that, you know, as I say, I was smelling myself, I was grown. I went out on the street and What I learned in the street was I never knew what it was

00:54:05.489 - 00:54:20.629

to go home till I started hanging out in the street. I never knew what it was to To be rough, you know, until I got around certain people. I had to hold that image that I was the rough man. I was the knowing I was scared

00:54:20.629 - 00:54:35.040

and in a bowl of hot rice, you know, and so I mean I gained friends, I born kids in the lifestyle. You know, here though, I mean, my mom's just like the first woman to knock on his door saying that's your baby, you gonna take care.

00:54:35.850 - 00:54:51.379

So yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm 18 years old. I'm living a spoiled life. You're talking about taking care of a child. I'm a child myself. I ran. My first instinct was to run. I ran. I denied, I denied my kids. You know, and I born 2 more

00:54:51.379 - 00:55:06.320

in the street. All in the same lifestyle. All, all in the lifestyle was though I want, I thought I was a man. You know, I couldn't, I mean, I've seen real men do it. Why, why go to work, come home dirty when I can stand outside.

00:55:06.850 - 00:55:22.810

By the end of the day, I got me a good $1000 in my pocket. I'm doing good. I'm doing swell for myself. But what Well someone didn't tell me the repercussions of the whole situation. They didn't tell me it was repercussions. They didn't tell me, look,

00:55:22.850 - 00:55:40.169

Leeja, you can go to jail. You, you can be, you could be 6 ft under. No one told me that. I was, I was the man, you know, I knew everything. And ladies and gentlemen, you know, for me in this trip. It's like, I thank God

00:55:40.169 - 00:55:53.699

for everything that's happened to me now. You know, I look at my kids now and they run to me, I'm a daddy now, you know, I'm working my way up to being a father. You know, I'm a daddy. I'm, I, I got, I could, I could

00:55:53.699 - 00:56:09.300

run around, pull my license out. I got a license, you know. I, I can run around, pay child support, you know, see my kids smile, you know I'm, I'm, I'm 27 years old, soon to be 28. I got my own apartment now, you know, and, and

00:56:09.300 - 00:56:28.810

I just threw a, a party for my three little girls had a sleepover, you know, they went home and told their mothers. We had such a nice time, mommy at my daddy's house and you know. I never heard that, you know what I'm saying? Y'all know

00:56:28.810 - 00:56:42.290

where I'm coming from and where I feel it at. I never heard I could stand around these people, you know what I'm saying? Long time ago we was, we were shooting guns at each other. You know, and y'all look at it every day. The work that

00:56:42.290 - 00:56:59.399

y'all doing. The Lord watching over all y'all. You know, if y'all can look at us and see. Y'all blood and sweat and with the time y'all had and and digging in your pockets where there was no money, it came up with something. Look at us. You

00:56:59.399 - 00:57:15.719

know, think about Ben in church, you know, I used to had this saying I was up to my neck in water, you know, few, few, few months ago I, I, I, I, I was, the water was down to my waist, you know, and now I got

00:57:15.719 - 00:57:29.639

the water down to my, my ankles. I said in a couple of more years I'll be walking on water, you know, like Moses parted the Red Sea, Lee John and the rest of his family would be walking on water, you know, so I mean. It can

00:57:29.639 - 00:57:46.189

be done, man, I don't think you come to these forms and what did we get out of them? Look at us. Look at us and hopefully we get to carry the form on we can have us a youth form it's just a youth sitting there, you

00:57:46.189 - 00:58:05.709

know, and. Just don't think, I don't want you to think that your work is in vain because it's not. You know, I went from Mr. Gilmore coming up with 650 and I. What? You know, 650 and I don't check me out. I'm 650 and I, what

00:58:05.709 - 00:58:24.399

I'm gonna do with 650? You know, 6:50 ain't gonna feed me. I like to eat, you know, but from, from pressing Rico for a job from, from, from. President Mr. Woodson, you know, I, I could tell you a story about Mr. Woodson. What, what was it?

00:58:24.409 - 00:58:39.520

My sentencing date, my last date, and I was, I was, I was, you have to picture this, I was the last person to go in front of the judge. And it was time for the district court to basically shut down. The judge was sitting in there,

00:58:39.639 - 00:59:00.419

unzipped his robe, everything, and I'm the last brother standing in there, and I'm like, man, I started to change and I have read over the sentence report. The lady that wrote a uh. I don't know what type of census report she called herself, right, you know,

00:59:00.540 - 00:59:13.060

this and that, he was selling drugs since he was this age. Then she wrote at the bottom, I still don't request that he be incarcerated, you know, now if you're a judge and you read that, then at the end, this lady said she still on request

00:59:13.060 - 00:59:27.699

that he be incarcerated. Something wrong with you. You know, something is seriously wrong with this lady, but I go to a scene where as though it was like a knight in shining armor. It's like the courtroom doors blew up and he come this. This one little

00:59:27.699 - 00:59:43.340

man by the name of Bob Woodson that took over that the judge really seen something in him. And what I wanna say is Adam. The judge trying to hit me with a 5 to 15. I came out of here, came out of there with a wave

00:59:43.340 - 01:00:06.899

a step back in 2 years' probation. And now come March the 9th of this year will be my last day. In the system You know I can never say When I tell you I never feel like your work is in vain. The road might be long

01:00:06.899 - 01:00:19.669

and hard because it's still long and hard for us, you know, every day is not perfect. I go back the way I before we I I found out we was coming on this trip and I went to talk to Mr. Knox and happened to run into.

01:00:20.399 - 01:00:31.300

Big, I call him Big G. Big G and they sitting all in the room and they, they all looking at me because they had heard from my boys that I was having a little problem, you know, and I went right to them and it surprised me.

01:00:31.639 - 01:00:45.479

It was like, look, we already know we not gonna sit here and brown beat you to death, you know what you gotta change, treating me like a man, treating me like a human being, you know, and, and, and, and like I say, I went from, I

01:00:45.479 - 01:01:05.780

went from 650 an hour to 1074 now now I'm, you know, I'm, I'm a supervisor. I'm making 1588 an hour, you know, so. It's, it's, is, is, is, it's just amazing, you know what I can do. Well, well I could walk across the floor and tell

01:01:05.780 - 01:01:19.770

you it's uneven. I could put sheetrock up with my eyes closed, you know what I'm saying? I could pull floors, put down floors for you, you know, so I'm, I'm kinda like, like the brother back there. I'm waiting for my construction company to come along after

01:01:19.909 - 01:01:32.800

after it's all over with, you know, I could, I could be the boss. I could be the CEO, you know, I can employ a lot of people. So I just, I mean, I just like to thank you, just to let you know and I'm, I'm here

01:01:32.800 - 01:01:49.169

to stand. I'm I'm, I'm, and I can testify about this thing that your work is not in vain. Your work is not in vain. You know, it, it, it's, it's, it's just keep going on with it, you know, and, and a lot of things I tend

01:01:49.169 - 01:02:03.860

to think about and I hate to think about it, it's coming to a time and the time is coming up where as though Mr. Gilmore, Big G and big K&M is going on, but I hope to get with the president over here to see how we

01:02:03.860 - 01:02:20.889

could put a monkey wrench in that situation, you know, we, we might even go to the judge and tell the judges, you know. You got to put him on contract for life, you know, but. If it if it if it doesn't work out that way. We'll

01:02:20.889 - 01:02:32.689

be able to stand on our own. That's one thing we, I think we'd be able to stand in the water. All we, I mean, I think the most thing we learned is to stand in the water, you know, the way the water. The devil is always

01:02:32.689 - 01:02:47.850

working, you know, the devil get on you. You hear a voice with his though Lee John, you ain't got to get up and go to work. You can get you nothing going outside and chill, but for what? you know, first and foremost, look who you gonna

01:02:47.850 - 01:03:00.100

let down. But the one thing they told me to realize, look how far you then came, son. Look how far you then came. I can see my mother smile at me. My mother called me at work just for no reason at all. I just wanna talk

01:03:00.100 - 01:03:19.080

to my son. You know, You know my father called me up, son, I'm putting the old car in the shop for you. You have it out by your birthday, you know, and it, it just. It's just the feeling that it scares me sometimes, you know, and

01:03:19.080 - 01:03:32.439

sometimes you, as a young person, you wanna ask the Lord, why, why are you blessing me? You know, but then you say my mom's always told me, can I ask the Lord why? you know, blessings used to scare me and like this here, it still scares

01:03:32.439 - 01:03:43.979

me, but I love it. You know what I'm saying, you can look at me and look at us. Love it. You know I could pull my wallet out. The police come by. Ain't got the duck, you know I could pull my wallet out here you go,

01:03:43.989 - 01:04:00.629

officer, you know, my, my ID. You wanna see my, uh, you know what. You wanna see my concern, my concerned brothers, it's in here somewhere. I know it's in here. My concerned brothers have been in turns ID, you know, just to let you know you work,

01:04:01.070 - 01:04:06.110

just keep going, you know, we miss Big G being around, but he keep people around us like Nicole.