00:00:00.920 - 00:00:18.229

Will, will you want the shot to be static just like this? Yeah, you could actually push it just to tell me why. A little bit. Philadelphia was one of the first cities to negotiate successfully a gang truce, and the person that made it happen, Sita, and

00:00:18.229 - 00:00:38.439

based upon that experience, I was able to study how she did it and I just shared that with people here. They adapted the same approach. They just said it simply like that. How's his audio Talk a little about, please. In 1969, the House Moja started a

00:00:38.439 - 00:00:57.490

program to intervene. OK. All right, so, uh, you know, they're not gonna hear me obviously, so complete sentences, all that kind of stuff. Uh, tell me about the seeds of uh violence free zones. The seeds of the violence-free zones in uh Philadelphia back in 1969, it

00:00:57.490 - 00:01:16.349

was known as the youth gang capital of America, about 48 kids killed every year. It was when a uh couple sister Falaka Fattah and her husband David intervened and successfully negotiated the first gang truce that resulted in a dramatic reduction in gang violence. I learned from

00:01:16.349 - 00:01:33.769

this experience, in fact, wrote a book about it and brought this experience to Washington DC and um helped counsel the Alliance of Concerned Men, a group of neighborhood leaders that had the trust and confidence of the young people on the streets. And as a consequence of

00:01:33.769 - 00:01:56.139

this relationship they went out into those warring neighborhoods and brought young people to the table. The National Center provided a neutral place for the warring factions to meet so that the alliance of concerned men could uh help negotiate a truce. Great, let's try that again. Some

00:01:56.139 - 00:02:06.540

of the things that you're talking about as far as the alliance of Concerned men going in, we've kind of already heard at this point because our announcer is gonna kind of give us a little of that background. So if we can tighten it up a little

00:02:06.540 - 00:02:20.330

bit more about the Philadelphia side of things and then your experience in bringing that to DC, I would, you know, bring in that we did work with the alliance with of concerned men at that point. So you want more of what we did what I did,

00:02:20.699 - 00:02:38.589

OK. So go ahead again and talk to us about the seeds of final result. Philadelphia in 1969 was known as the youth gang capital of America. Well, I, I had a chance to meet with Sister Fatah, the woman who gave leadership to bringing about a dramatic

00:02:38.589 - 00:02:59.869

reduction in youth gang violence. I learned from her the principles that she employed that proved successful, and I imported them to Washington DC and worked closely with the neighborhood group Alliance of Concerned Men. I provided the, uh, place for the warring factions to meet. Develop relationships

00:02:59.869 - 00:03:18.919

between the housing authority, the business sector foundations brought all of these, uh, partners to the table with the with the result that we were, we saw a dramatic reduction in violence in Washington DC's spending terrorist community. That was great. That was perfect. There was a little

00:03:18.919 - 00:03:32.899

stumble at the beginning when you got started. Let me try it one more time. Don't shift your eyes when you're done, Bob. Just keep staring at it might be a little fade dissolve and it'll look like. OK, so start start with Philadelphia. You brought that to

00:03:32.899 - 00:03:50.899

DC, uh, and then your role of getting all the parties together. 1969 was known as a youth gang. I'm sorry. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the year 1969 was known as the youth gang capital of America with an average of 48 deaths a year. It was when a

00:03:50.899 - 00:04:14.389

woman by the name of Sister Falaka Fatah intervened with her husband David to provide a solution. She, she negotiated a, a, a. OK, let me just run this thing. Mhm. 61st, yeah, 60. She, she started the uh her Haushimoja and they, they actually 74 was the

00:04:14.389 - 00:04:34.179

first uh uh settlement they they got the first she started Hashimoja and then four years later, so I would say the early 70s was when let me that's different separate why we start? Can we start it with, you know, uh the roots of the NCNE. Go

00:04:34.179 - 00:04:52.019

back to my experience with. Sister in Philadelphia, which was then so that way we kind of we're kind of bringing it from where we are now back and then we'll bring it back to the present again. The roots of NCNE's uh violence free zone experience really

00:04:52.190 - 00:05:11.609

uh dates back to Sister Falaka Fata in Philadelphia in the late 60s. This was a woman whose own children were involved in gangs and she invited gang members to come into her home and she negotiated the first citywide gang uh summit. I'm sorry. The way you

00:05:11.609 - 00:05:31.720

started that was perfect. It was. The roots of NCNE's experience in creating a violence free zone in Washington DC really goes back to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Si Falaka Fattah and her son David. One of their sons was involved in gangs, and she invited them to actually

00:05:31.720 - 00:05:59.790

come into their home. They did so and developed a citywide youth, uh, crime uh. You said her son David. Yeah, I'm sorry. Let's, I'll do it this time, counsel with myself, OK. Wait, wait. Sit ups a little bit. OK. Well, is that what you want? Yeah,

00:05:59.850 - 00:06:21.630

that's perfect, OK. The roots of NC&E's violence-free zone experience really dates back to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when a woman by the name of Sita Falaka Fattah established a house of Yamosa. And she intervened with the warring gangs in Philadelphia. Philadelphia was known as a youth gang capital

00:06:21.630 - 00:06:44.140

of America, and as a result of her successful effort, the first national gangs uh summit was held, and it was a dramatic reduction in violence. We exported the principles that she established in that city to Washington DC and helped uh negotiate a successful gang truce in

00:06:44.140 - 00:07:04.959

the Benning terrorists in the Benning terrorist community of Washington DC. Uh, the National Center brought together the housing receiver foundations and business leaders to this partnership. With the result, it has not been a gang-related death in 2.5 years. That's great. The only other thing I'd add

00:07:04.959 - 00:07:17.730

is, uh, you didn't say the date. I think it, I think it's important to, to let people understand this was something that was going on back in the 60s. OK you guys brought this up to, you know, still, still continue this for almost 30 years now.

00:07:18.170 - 00:07:40.290

OK. So yeah, talk about the roots of the. The roots of NCD's violence free zone. Dates really back to 1969 with the start of the Haoja by Sister Falaka Fattah and her son David. They were the first to intervene on behalf of uh young people who

00:07:40.290 - 00:08:11.559

were fighting and in 1974 they negotiated the first citywide gang summit that resulted in reductions in violence throughout the city. We imported those remedies from Philadelphia to Washington DC. And brought together the house you uh um. What's wrong? Her son David Yeah. Yes, OK. All right,

00:08:11.600 - 00:08:25.279

so let's kind of just bullet point this for you a little bit so it might help your, your thinking a little bit. Uh, the roots go back to '69 with the House of Emoja started by a solicitor for Laa Fatah and her husband David. Uh, they,

00:08:25.500 - 00:08:56.190

they, yeah, citywide OK, citywide truce in 1974, yeah, OK, to Washington DC, OK right, OK. The roots of NC&E's violence-free zone experience dates back to 1969 to the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With there a woman by the name of Sister Falaka Fatah and her husband David

00:08:56.760 - 00:09:18.250

established a house of Yoja, and it was a safe haven for gang members in 1974 they negotiated the first citywide gang truce that brought about a dramatic reduction in violence in that city. What I did was import that solution to Washington DC. And I met with

00:09:18.250 - 00:09:38.330

several neighborhood leaders in Washington and shared with them that experience and then I brought to the table business leaders, the housing receiver, and others to share in this partnership with the result that inventing terrorists we had a dramatic reduction in the level of youth violence to

00:09:38.330 - 00:09:59.210

the point where there has not been a gang-related death in 2.5 years. That's flying out right there. That was great. That was really good. Um. Let's move on. Let's, let's move on to the next one. We might come back, you know, as you get rolling, you

00:09:59.210 - 00:10:16.099

know, you get a little more comfortable, and, uh, I oftentimes like to come back to the one again. Um, Tell me about the keys to success in Benny Terry. What, what were the elements that really made this work? The elements that made venting terrorists work was

00:10:16.099 - 00:10:35.340

having a group of committed men that had the trust and confidence of the young people and also had the track record of being there for years summoning these young people to responsibilities as they say they counseled by walking they lived by the very values they were

00:10:35.340 - 00:10:55.159

trying to encourage the young people to emulate. And as a result of this relationship, they were able to come to the young people when they were in crisis. And they were believable. All they needed then was the means. Uh, and, uh, to bring them together and

00:10:55.159 - 00:11:15.940

the strategy that will bring about a peaceful settlement to their conflict and then we were able to bring the housing receiver to the table that provided a reward for their changed behavior. We have said that a transformed heart needs busy hands and a full stomach, so

00:11:15.940 - 00:11:44.960

jobs. Uh, and, and an opportunity to produce. A uh Good, um. Hey, we, we're coming out of talking about how this initiative is one that you can adapt to other regions across the nation and then we're moving into the series of myths that, uh, permeate things.

00:11:45.039 - 00:11:55.049

So I guess what we're trying to do is find a bridge that just kind of talks a little bit about I mean you, you, you kind of nailed a little bit there if we could just tighten it up a little bit with, uh, uh. You know,

00:11:55.190 - 00:12:06.150

these are some of the elements that are involved in making this type of thing work and these are the things we need to adapt to other communities to make them work. Um, the commitment was perfect. I mean that's definitely one of the, I mean, the biggest

00:12:06.150 - 00:12:25.250

one.commitment and experience, trust, confidence. Good. OK, yeah, give me, give me a like that. OK, so tell me about, uh, uh, the key elements that that brought success in Benning Terrace and can be brought to other communities. Identifying what I call community antibodies and that is

00:12:25.250 - 00:12:41.599

a group of men and women that have demonstrated over time that they have the trust they have the confidence that they have the will to reach out to these young people they're unafraid they they they are present they've been there for years and they're gonna be

00:12:41.599 - 00:13:00.210

there well into the future those are some of the elements that really summon young people to responsibility. The other thing that these healing agents do is they destroy all of the myths. They do not believe the myths about youngsters. They don't believe, for instance, that a

00:13:00.210 - 00:13:15.619

young man will not give up the drug trade for a 6150 an hour job, and they were correct. All of the young people in Benning Terrace gave up whatever they were doing illegally to take a legal job making 650 an hour. The second myth is that

00:13:15.619 - 00:13:31.340

once you reach a certain age of 18 or 19 that young people are beyond redemption. There's little you can do except jail them or lock them up or or what have you. That is not true. All of these young people desperately wanted an alternative to the

00:13:31.340 - 00:13:50.200

violent, irresponsible lifestyles that they had adapted, and the Alliance of Concerned men in partnership with the National Center and the housing Receiver's office provided them with this avenue out. And they they all of them took advantage of it. Excellent, excellent la because that first paragraph that

00:13:50.200 - 00:14:11.250

you gave us was just what we're looking for that. At one point, Bob, you had made a note to me. We're the next kind of element that we were gonna work into was uh uh um. Talking. As a result of this intervention, everybody benefits. The young

00:14:11.250 - 00:14:31.659

people benefited because suddenly they didn't have to worry about being assassinated or arrested. They could also make money legally. We also know that we have to reward that you get more of what you reward and less of what you punish. And so when they changed their

00:14:31.659 - 00:14:48.169

behavior they were rewarded. They were taken shopping for clothes so they changed their persona. They, uh, were wearing business suits now instead of baggy jeans and t-shirts. Uh, they were taking a basketball games. They were taken out to dinner. Many saw the Potomac River for the

00:14:48.169 - 00:15:07.159

first time and ate and ate in a restaurant on the Potomac River. Even though they lived 20 minutes away, many had not seen the Potomac River. Some were taken to excursions to suburban restaurants. Many of them said to me, uh, I've never seen this side of

00:15:07.159 - 00:15:29.349

Washington DC who lives here? So it was really expanding their horizons by uh exposing them to the world around them. The housing authority benefit they serve, they say the housing authority saved $13 million because they would have destroyed the 100 units of housing. They would have

00:15:29.349 - 00:15:50.729

displaced 100 families. Uh, the police no longer now have to patrol. You don't have to pay overtime to 7 police officers to patrol that community because of the peace that has been established and, and more importantly no young people have been killed. That's great, that was

00:15:50.729 - 00:16:14.130

really good. Um, Talk to me about the relationship to suburban violence. I want to change it so I can start looking into things. All right. You don't need to see. No, no, if you, if it looks good to you. The, the, the, the connection from, you

00:16:14.130 - 00:16:33.739

know, as you know, urban dress urban music, you know that kind of stuff is exported out to the suburbs and rural communities, how that, uh, predisposes people to, to get into kind of trouble that the. Of time we look at violence in the inner city as

00:16:33.739 - 00:16:57.270

a phenomena of urban life. We almost accept it as a given. But we don't understand that. Violence in suburbia almost mimics what's going on in the inner city. That white suburban youngsters in one sense are inner city wannabes. They mimic some of the bad cultural messages

00:16:57.270 - 00:17:14.199

that they receive. For instance, a lot of them wear the hats on backwards, baggy jeans they listen to gangster rap music. They even give themselves names, uh, after the gangs in the inner city, the Crips, the Bloods, uh, sort of a blonde haired blue eye Crip

00:17:14.199 - 00:17:37.199

is uh an amazement to me. Um, and so we believe that if these negative cultural messages are being received and in some cases acted upon. Then when we began to export positive cultural messages, sort of track 2. Then I think these will be received and and

00:17:37.199 - 00:17:55.810

help to um send a different message to the suburban kids and perhaps encourage a different kind of behavior. That was kind of awkward. Can we, and I don't know if this is a leap you wanna take, is it, is it, uh. Too much of a leap

00:17:55.810 - 00:18:14.650

to to identify, you know, some of the specifics about, you know, Arkansas or Kentucky or or no, I, I see the one, the one point of similarity in addition to the cultural messages, what are the roots of these cultural messages? You see, I believe that there

00:18:14.650 - 00:18:35.760

is a moral and spiritual freefall, a vacuum that exists in kids all over this country. In the inner city that moral and spiritual vacuum is exacerbated with poverty and crime and violence so therefore, in one sense they are are more vulnerable but I also believe that

00:18:35.760 - 00:19:01.079

moral and spiritual vacuum uh takes expression in suburban communities like Paducah, Jonesboro, and Springfield, Oregon and other places where kids living in the lap of affluence. Who are making bombs right next to their BMW. So obviously affluence. Is not a cure for that emptiness that they

00:19:01.079 - 00:19:23.290

feel just as poverty. Environments are not an excuse for youngsters committing crimes. And so I believe that the crime and violence that you're witnessing in suburbia. Are different pages of the same book as Violence in the inner city. And so therefore they are uh they are

00:19:23.290 - 00:19:45.739

linked. And so if inner city youngsters living in crime infested neighborhoods are able to be transformed without turning off the television. Or without gun control if they can successfully transform their lives in the midst of the chaos in which they live, then I think they have

00:19:45.739 - 00:20:09.130

much to teach suburban youngsters about how to find meaning and moral purpose in their lives. After all, the agents of change in the inner city are moral mentors and character coaches. What we need to do is determine how these moral mentors and character coaches. Where are

00:20:09.130 - 00:20:31.209

they in suburban communities and how can we link. These communities so that we can re-establish a foundation upon which the entire society can be healed. That was great. That was just what we're looking for. I thought you would do that the whole time. Amazing you never

00:20:31.209 - 00:20:47.079

mess up. So you're gonna put the tape in now I hope you're rolling. If he's in front of people, like a lot of people, he's in one. It's funny. camera really makes you a little nervous, huh, um, talk to me about faith. How's, what's the role

00:20:47.079 - 00:21:07.510

faith plays in, in this transformation? Faith is central to it. It's, uh, obviously, um, a lot of the kids in suburbia who are destroying themselves and their communities are people often with two parent households. They come from affluent communities, they go to good schools, they live

00:21:07.510 - 00:21:30.420

in clean, wholesome communities. But yet they are starving to death morally and spiritually and therefore I believe that that vacuum can only be filled with faith in God. Because it takes a very special person. To understand and take the kind of chance that the alliance and

00:21:30.420 - 00:21:53.369

other neighborhood healers do intervening in violent gang neighborhoods. That I always say that for somebody to risk their life to go into a dark neighborhood and bring, reach out to gang leaders, you have to be crazy. Or God centered Because it's an irrational. Behavior it's an

00:21:53.369 - 00:22:15.459

irrational act. The problems are irrational because if people can suffer. From moral emptiness in the lap of luxury, in the gilded ghettos of our society. If they can be morally starved to death where they no longer believe in themselves and take their life and their parents

00:22:15.790 - 00:22:44.650

and the lives of their friends. Then I believe that uh that uh I've just got myself all tangled in my metaphors yeah, in other words, OK, that, that, OK, OK, OK. OK. I believe that all of the conventions have been shattered with the violence in Paducah

00:22:44.650 - 00:23:05.739

and Jonesboro and now in uh in Colorado. Because it's been generally assumed. That the problems of the inner city violence is a lack of social justice and a lack of money. Well, here you have a group of people that have all of those, and yet they

00:23:05.739 - 00:23:28.270

are still taking their life. So this is an irrational response to a rational remedy. That has provided the framework of uh solutions over the past 30 years. So I believe what we're dealing with is an irrational problem. And an irrational problem requires an irrational remedy, and

00:23:28.270 - 00:23:48.479

faith in God is an irrational remedy. That's why it works. Because the the people who intervene and risk their lives in the inner city to go after warring factions and bring them to the table. And then counsel them to peace. They have to be God-centered or

00:23:48.479 - 00:24:08.250

crazy. I believe that they're God-centered and faith centered. And that's what makes them successful because they don't think of about the rest of their lives, they just think of the ultimate good that they can do on behalf of another human being. Well we believe they are

00:24:08.250 - 00:24:30.839

healthy elements like that in suburban communities, but they go unrecognized, unvalidated, and therefore underutilized. And so I'm hoping that if we can demonstrate that these healing agents are able to salvage the lives of youngsters in the midst of chaotic communities. That there are principles that can

00:24:30.839 - 00:24:55.489

be exported to suburban communities that can bring about the healing of the wounded children of the affluent. You're nailing this. You're nailing this incredibly. It's gonna make my job harder talking about, uh, uh, NCNE's roots, the start, Philadelphia moving into, uh, uh, exporting that to DC.

00:24:56.729 - 00:25:20.510

The roots of NCNE's violence free zone really dates back to the house of Yoser established by sister Falaka Fattah and her husband David in 1969. Um, for 5 years. They brought gang members into their home in West Philadelphia. Sivata said, I know nothing about gangs, but

00:25:20.510 - 00:25:40.599

I know something about families. And she really extended the family to at 1st 13 young men. Well, after 5 years it extended to 5000 throughout the city and in 1974 they brought about the first gang truce in the city's history that brought about a reduction from

00:25:40.599 - 00:26:00.839

an average of 42 gang deaths a year down to 2. But what I did was import those principles that were successful in Philadelphia into Washington DC. And introduce them to a neighborhood leaders including the Alliance of Concerned Men. And then I coached them on how to

00:26:00.839 - 00:26:20.260

apply these principles in addressing the violence and venting terrorists. Uh one of the most dangerous public housing developments in the city. And they successfully applied these principles as Sister Fatah had done and other groups around the nation with the result that there was a dramatic reduction

00:26:20.260 - 00:26:39.400

in gang deaths, uh, to the point where we haven't had a killing in 2.5 years. What I did also as a part of this solution is to bring the housing receiver to the table, foundations, business leaders to join in a partnership to buttress the the relationships

00:26:39.400 - 00:26:55.959

that they had after all, it transformed heart. Needs a busy hands and a full stomach. And so you get more of what you reward and less of what you punish so we believed it was important to sustain the peace to reward these young men and women

00:26:56.209 - 00:27:17.420

with new business suits. Uh, take them, taking them to restaurants. We even took them to another city, but many were on the first airplane ride. We just did an awful lot to reinforce. Uh, the transformation that they had made. And we think that these principles can

00:27:17.420 - 00:27:39.689

be applied to every community throughout this nation and if it can work in the inner city without turning off the television set or with without gun control, we believe that these principles can be applied to suburban communities where the kids are in equal crisis. And and

00:27:39.689 - 00:28:01.140

uh we think that uh we can bring about a real exchange. The inner city is often seen as a repository of society's pathologies requiring charity and uh and investment what we believe for the first time we now have a commodity that we can export to suburban

00:28:01.140 - 00:28:28.060

communities and then if we can have moral and spiritual reconciliation, then we can bring about uh moral and spiritual reconciliation for this entire nation. That's your video right there. Let me just roll that. Good deal. All right, uh, the elements, the commitment, the, uh, the experience,

00:28:28.089 - 00:28:45.109

that kind of stuff that were. Learned and and adapted from uh uh Benning Terrace and they're used to shadow the myths they're out there. You don't need to necessarily explain the myths because we're gonna get into that with our announcer you can bridge that gap for

00:28:45.109 - 00:29:02.189

me if you can. Between how uh uh how you take from what what success in one place and export to another, OK. And what are the key components give me kind of a bullet point. Wait, wait, sit up just like you. It's hot yeah yeah oh.

00:29:03.489 - 00:29:38.609

Oh Right. Oh The key to exporting these successful experiences is first of all recognizing that there are community antibodies that exist in every community they're always committed adults who young people turn to in time of crisis and when

00:29:38.609 - 00:29:57.579

they're in trouble, but they go unrecognized and therefore underutilized so part of our strategy for exporting this uh model is to go into these communities and look for. These healthy elements once we find them, bring them to the table, introduce them to the principles that were

00:29:57.579 - 00:30:18.010

successful in Philadelphia and then in Washington DC provide them with the training and also money that they need, the technical support that they need, and then the networking so that their efforts can be evaluated and outcomes can be documented. And then introduce them to the media

00:30:18.300 - 00:30:38.339

so that their neighbors can understand that solutions exist and that the real experts are not the grievance counselors or the professional service providers but people who share the same zip code as those experiencing the problem, those that have made a lifetime commitment to ministering to the

00:30:38.339 - 00:30:58.270

community's youth, those are the unsung heroes. Uh, of this whole effort we must find them, we must nurture them, we must fund them. And we must uh call attention to their efforts and then use them as a foundation for a whole new strategy of reducing youth

00:30:58.270 - 00:31:21.160

violence in America if we did this successfully, we don't need to build another jail there's no need to hire another police officer. And society then will be healthier and more secure. But if we continue down this road of sacrificing. Our uh liberty. For security by putting

00:31:21.160 - 00:31:49.959

more metal detectors in schools by uh passing anti-loitering laws, all of these external controls, we are eroding the liberties and Ben Franklin said if you pursue. Um, uh, security. On the altar of liberty, you'll lose both. That was great. His eyes went up on that if

00:31:49.959 - 00:32:10.790

you started again just from Ben Franklin said, but keep your eyes on the just in case because your eyes kind of went up from that one. Sure. I believe it was Ben Franklin that said. That we must never sacrifice our liberty on the altar of security.

00:32:11.689 - 00:32:28.589

Because if we do we'll end up losing both. We've got pretty much everything covered. Are there any, I mean, we're here tapes rolling, um. Are there any other broad strokes elements that you want to get across? I mean, you're, you're kind of pictured in the video

00:32:28.589 - 00:32:47.300

at least as, as the, the grand vision man. Talk to us more about your grand vision. What uh. You know, anything, I mean, we may or may not use this, OK, but what's different about this uh violence free zone than any of the um. Other initiatives.

00:32:48.060 - 00:33:08.329

Youth prevention initiative. I think that's part of the keys to success, but what is really different about the violence free zone efforts it produces concrete and measurable results. There are 7 to 8 young people who are walking around alive today and working and being responsible citizens

00:33:08.650 - 00:33:26.709

who would otherwise be dead. And the people responsible for their deaths would be serving time in prison. So we really dramatically expand the number of people who would be would be destroyed. We believe that any effort to reduce youth violence should meet that same standard. Does

00:33:26.709 - 00:33:45.739

it measurably improve the conditions? Can you count the results of what they do? Excellent. You know, Bob, I, I think we can say 7 a year though. It's been 2 we can say 7 a year, so it's been 2. Yeah, yeah, so really it's, you know,

00:33:46.130 - 00:34:11.310

almost 20, yeah, OK, let's say, let's do it. I think any program that advertises itself as being. Youth prevention, violence, any program that advertises itself as being anti uh crime and youth prevention. Wait a minute, let's say OK, OK, yeah, any program that advertises itself as

00:34:11.310 - 00:34:31.489

being the solution to youth violence. Should be able to meet the standard of outcomes. In uh the Benning terrorist experience over the past 2.5 years, there are 20 young men who would not be here today. They would be dead if it were not for this intervention.

00:34:32.178 - 00:34:51.530

And that means there are probably 20 or 30 more that would be serving time in prison, so you would have the families of 40 people shattered. If it were not for what this program and this initiative uh succeeded in doing. So we really think that uh

00:34:51.530 - 00:35:11.300

that's the standard against which anybody who's interested in solutions, that's the standard they should use does it produce measurable results? Really good, really good. Heather, you got any other, uh, thoughts about things that we might want? Yeah, talk to me and, and even, you know, because

00:35:11.300 - 00:35:24.500

we talked about getting a business leader in here that we weren't able to do, but maybe you can address that as another resource you know what's in it for them? Why should you know why should Kmart care about what happens in uh uh the inner city

00:35:24.500 - 00:35:45.149

or or AOL. Well, everybody, uh, benefits from this intervention. A first of all their lives that are saved of the young people, their families now not grieving for the loss of their child. The housing authority has saved $13 million because buildings don't have to be torn

00:35:45.149 - 00:36:03.879

down. Taxpayers saved because they don't have 7 or 8 police officers being paid overtime patrolling. The business community benefits because now there are young men and women who know the community who have reputations who if they were working in stores or helping to put grass down

00:36:03.879 - 00:36:24.149

and painting buildings they're not going to be vandalized because there's a sense of ownership often the the lives of the young people have been rehabilitated but not their street reputations and so that has a market advantage over others. Uh, the police officers have stepped up. The

00:36:24.149 - 00:36:41.709

police department has been a tremendous resource in this, uh, this truce because they have, have now joined a partnership and so they enlist the young people in the community in making the community safer. Drug addiction is down, violence is down and so therefore the whole community

00:36:41.709 - 00:37:06.189

benefits the fewer police officers who are wounded, fewer police officers, uh, whose families have to grieve. And so the whole community uh benefits from this truce and therefore they're equal partners in the present and in the future. OK, I think we've got plenty to work with

00:37:06.189 - 00:40:21.199

you. It's like a pushing to the sign, wide with a pushing. Yeah, just be quick. Go ahead and This doesn't look Hey. All right. Break it down, break it down break it down. All right, how you guys like living here. That's Why ain't it Uh,

00:40:21.239 - 00:41:23.500

it is in color, but not on this viewfinder. Go. Right guys, good one. I. Where movie stars. for me and I'm stone cold and if you Last night Smack down on you because go go. Oh, it's. Yeah Yeah, yeah, they can.

00:41:23.870 - 00:42:13.620

All right. Ready? I'm. The one is one red shirt and a hat. 00 yeah, she. I on the right girl. Yeah. Me All right, when I say 3, you guys all wave it to me. Ready? 1. Really, Hey, you do. Don't get me. These little kids

00:42:13.620 - 00:42:45.800

are acting like maniacs. This is they call for. It's acting like this man. What was it like 2.5 years ago. Quiet because there were no kids playing, so you can say quiet. Was it grass or what was it like? What was the ground like? And I

00:42:45.800 - 00:43:26.540

mean the grounds wise we had grass in patchy spotty places. So like out of an entire field you might have like. 10% You know another field, you might have 20%. There was no 100% of grass nowhere. The Don't. love Yeah. man

00:43:26.540 - 00:44:03.840

they call the police on y'all because y'all destroying their truck. What y'all. Ha. I'm Derek, just talk. Oh, you lost me there. What did, what did it used to look like in terms of, you know, grass landscaping. Typical public housing before

00:44:03.840 - 00:44:37.300

95. I don't know who the director name was. We didn't come I mean, oh yeah, I mean it wasn't no police protection up here, no, it wasn't none of that. I mean it wasn't. some Officially handled right, period. But you can't, I mean, who you put

00:44:37.300 - 00:45:05.020

that blame on big. As far as what the people wise or the community itself. I mean people wise I guess you can say that I guess now they see that they can work community wise it's bigger than just Ben and terrorists because what Ben and terrors

00:45:05.020 - 00:45:30.260

did affected what everybody else around this whole community did so. That's all been changed. Yeah I'm guessing now you can say I'm living it and not running from it so. Yeah I went back to school for that. Well that wasn't school because I just, I, I

00:45:30.260 - 00:45:43.620

should have been had it. I just didn't take it right. I took it just because my baby mother was taking it and I just want to take it because she was taking it. I ain't studying nothing. So this this time when I went back it was

00:45:43.620 - 00:46:54.060

because I wanted it. Just sca it Now I'm working with community relations. The he Until I become get my manager's position. What 11 Living and then it's the challenge of raising kids without the game. right I. Thank.

00:48:23.699 - 00:49:26.540

He's he's from here but it happened before he moved to. Hey, Donna. Can I get, please do. OK, this is where I live, OK. Oh, it looks lovely. Thank you. You a very nice job. Yeah.

00:49:27.530 - 00:51:13.879

That's why we're here. We like your yacht. Yeah. Um, yeah, actually, we've been doing a couple of things like this. It's kind of really the tragedy of of Columbine and all that is actually. Help us out a little bit, we've got a number of

00:51:13.879 - 00:51:36.209

videos. Or Results of that kind of thing was working with the. Producers of what NCN would say needs to be done. They're the top down approach, you know, counselors, all that stuff. That's what their project is all about as opposed to this one it's all about

00:51:36.209 - 00:52:39.889

the grassroots approach. You know Yeah. A bunch of people with a lot of degrees justifying what they're doing. Those kids. Starving. They were jumping all over us. It was amazing. There's But I have a. Yeah. Dilapidated, yeah, I saw you the dry pies and stuff on

00:52:39.889 - 00:54:23.909

it. Like shoot out the window. You. Hey guys, hey guys. Come back this way. Yeah. All right. Is the car. All right, you can head on over the side then if the car's coming, don't get run over. Stop All

00:54:23.909 - 00:54:46.139

right guys, looks good, thank you. Just if you want to use them or whatever you would do normally, OK. And just tell me who Who planted the flow? Um, actually, City year and Ben and Tur's Apprenticeship program, some of the guys are concerned, brothers and sisters

00:54:46.139 - 00:55:04.489

of Ben and Tours and myself with the program with the Northwest Youth Working in Partnership. And who's involved in that partnership? Um, actually, me and a couple of other girls from Parkmore and that's the neighborhood I'm from and some girls from Garfield Terrace. And what was

00:55:04.489 - 00:55:21.169

the relationship between the girls from Park Morton and Garfield Terrace? Actually we didn't like each other at all um it was over a bump but it all turned out that they didn't know exactly what the beef was over we were just fighting each other and hurting

00:55:21.169 - 00:55:39.750

each other for no reason. And how did what happened? How did they get resolved? Actually we resolved it, um. With the help of Bob Woodson and the help of the Alliance of Concerned Men, we all came together and talked our dispute out and now we all

00:55:39.750 - 00:55:56.209

have jobs with the housing authority and a training program, so it all turned out well. And why did you come and plant this? for a second please OK talk. Yeah, just um if you can answer the question I wanna make sure of something. Um, the reason

00:55:56.209 - 00:56:10.959

why we came around here to do the. OK. OK, now we can really answer go ahead. The reason why we came around here to do the plannings around and Ben her was because it was a big event called City Year. The people from AmeriCorps, they're affiliated

00:56:10.959 - 00:56:28.830

with these people called City, and we all came around here about 2000 or 3000 people came upon Ben and Terrace, and we all laid grass, planted some flowers just to make Ben and Turra look a better place. So what do you want to do with your

00:56:28.830 - 00:56:46.320

life condition? Me, I want to become a mortician, um, I've been thinking about that for a long time, ever since I was like 9, 10 years old, I always wanted to become a mortician and that's what I think I'm gonna do once. So has this experience

00:56:46.320 - 00:57:01.699

did that was that a turning point in your life? Yes it was it was a big turning point in my life because I was headed in the wrong direction. Um, I was doing all types of stuff that people would think a young lady not supposed to

00:57:01.699 - 00:57:23.659

do. I was doing it, um. So it was a big turning point in my life. I think that the Nas and Bob Woodson helped me out a whole lot. And how about Mr. Gilmore, did he? Oh, Mr. Gilmore, that's my Papa G. That's my nickname for

00:57:23.659 - 00:57:39.100

Mr. Gilmore because he played like a father role to me um. Mr. Gilmore, there's so many words that I can talk and say about Mr. Gilmore. He's just a nice man and I thank him for helping us and as well as the other girls in the

00:57:39.100 - 00:58:30.419

program. Hey. OK, that's fine. OK, this all like that. Uh Look up to the church. Uh And