VIOLENCE RATTLES.

>> THANK YOU.

>>> AS WE JUST SAW , INTERRUPTING THE CYCLE OF GANG VIOLENCE IS ANTIVIOLENCE PROGRAMMING.

BRANDON JOHNSON HAS GETTING KICKBACKS WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS ALSO PROVIDED FUNDING THIS YEAR FOR ANTIVIOLENCE PROGRAMS FOR THOSE WHO ARE AT HIGH RISK OF BEING SHOT, WITH MEDIATORS AND PEACEKEEPERS .

HERE TO DISCUSS VIOLENCE PREVENTION IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY , ALSO A FORMERLY INCARCERATED CHICAGO GANG MEMBER.

WE ALSO HAVE THE COFOUNDER OF THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR THE FORMERLY INCARCERATED.

WE HAVE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF INTERRUPTERS AND INCREASE THE PIECE PAY GENTLEMEN, YOU ARE ALL EXPERTS AND WHAT IT IS WE ARE HERE TO TALK ABOUT.

AS YOU MENTIONED , ANTIVIOLENCE PROGRAMS GET MONEY FROM PHILANTHROPY.

CAN YOU TELL US WHY THIS MOVEMENT IS GETTING MORE ATTENTION?

>> GUN VIOLENCE IS AN EPIDEMIC.

THERE ARE A LOT OF NARRATIVES ABOUT ANTI-VIOLENCE.

WE HAVE PROVEN MODELS AND TODAY WE WORK WITH 155 HIGH RISK INDIVIDUALS.

35% GET ENROLLED BACK INTO SCHOOL , SO THE MOVEMENT IS GAINING A LOT OF MOMENTUM.

>>'S IN QUESTION TO YOU .

>> THE MAIN REASON IS THAT THE VIOLENCE IS IMPACTING THE ECONOMY AND ANOTHER REASON IS THE LARGE AMOUNT OF MASS SHOOTINGS .

THAT'S AN IMPACT THAT WE COULD NEVER HAVE IMAGINED PRIOR AND WITH THE SITUATION WITH THE UPRISINGS SINCE GEORGE FLOYD , IN THIS PARTICULAR SPACE , THESE ARE SOME OF THE HEROES THAT REALLY STOPPED THE PANDEMIC.

THAT IS WHERE GOVERNMENTS AND INSTITUTIONS SAW THE VALUE , TRYING TO ADD CONNECTIONS TO THAT HARD-TO-REACH POPULATION .

>> SO WHAT EVIDENCE DO YOU HAVE THAT THIS IS WORKING?

>> WE'VE SEEN THE PEOPLE THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO TAKE OFF THE STREETS AND GET INTO THEIR OWN PROGRAMS .

I ALSO HAVE FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE .

A LOT OF THE REASONS I JOINED A GANG IS BECAUSE I WAS RAISED BY SINGLE MOTHER ON THE SOUTH SIDE AND I HAD LIMITED OPPORTUNITIES.

WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE .

WE HAVE TO CREATE THOSE SAFE SPACES TO BUILD THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND LEARN SKILLS, BE PART OF THE SOLUTION.

WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO TRANSFORM LIVES.

>> AS YOU MENTIONED, YOU WERE ONCE GANG MEMBERS AND YOU ARE TAKING A DIFFERENT PATH, NOW.

WHAT ABOUT GANG MEMBERS WHO HAVE ONCE BEEN INCARCERATED?

>> IT DEPENDS ON THE INDIVIDUAL.

YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE TIME SERVE YOU, VERSUS SERVING TIME.

I GOT TO MAKE THAT CHANGE IN PRISON.

IT LOOKS THE SAME ON THE STREET AS IT DOES IN PRISON.

I HAVE GOALS, AND I KNEW I WANTED TO GET OUT.

I LET THEM KNOW IT'S A NEW DAY.

GET A JOB, GET IN SCHOOL AND THEN THEY HEAR, I'M DOING THIS.

IF YOU PUT YOURSELF BACK IN THAT ENVIRONMENT, YOU ARE GOING TO GET SHOT, LIKE I TELL YOU ALL.

YOU CAN'T GET KILLED.

YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF, CAN YOU GET KILLED BY HANGING OUT WITH CERTAIN PEOPLE?

YOU HAVE TO MINIMIZE THE POSSIBILITY OF GETTING ARRESTED AND YOU HAVE TO BECOME DRUG-FREE.

THAT HAS AN IMPACT, IT MODELS YOUR BRAIN.

YOU HAVE TO GET EDUCATED , AND COMING FROM A GUY LIKE ME, EDUCATED BACK IN 1967 , RIGHT?

>> IT'S HARD TO MAKE THAT CHANGE LATER DOWN THE ROAD, BUT HOW ESSENTIAL IS THAT FIRSTHAND KNOWLEDGE WHEN YOU MAKE THAT CONNECTION IN THIS TYPE OF WORK?

>> THE CONNECTION HAS BEEN GROWING.

IT'S A RECOGNITION, ULTIMATELY, THAT YOU ARE PART OF THE SOLUTION.

WE ALL START THIS RECOGNITION THAT YOUNG PEOPLE , NEED OPPORTUNITIES AND I MADE IT CLEAR THAT SOMEONE GAVE ME AN OPPORTUNITY.

IN OUR PROGRAMS, WE SEE COMING DAY IN AND DAY OUT, YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE ABLE TO TRANSFORM THEIR LIVES BECAUSE THEY GOT THE RIGHT OPPORTUNITY AT THE RIGHT TIME.

IT HAS AN EXPONENTIAL EFFECT ON THE COMMUNITY.

WE ARE INSTRUCTING 30 OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE.

>> SAME QUESTION TO YOU, DOES THAT FORM EXPERIENCE HELP YOU CONNECT?

>> FOR ONE, I UNDERSTAND WHERE THEY ARE COMING FROM.

I AM ABLE TO SHOW THEM A PATHWAY AS I TRAVEL THE SAME ROAD.

IF YOU WANTED TO GO INTO A JUNGLE WITH THAT PARTICULAR MIND-SET , HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU KNOW THAT RUN TOWARD VIOLENCE AND THEY SEE IT HAPPENING?

WHETHER IT'S AN AREA, A PREDICAMENT, OR AN ENVIRONMENT ?

YOU CAN SEE PEOPLE BEING ASSERTIVE WITH INDIVIDUALS IN THAT LIFESTYLE.

WITH THE RESPECT, WHAT GIVES ME CREDIBILITY , IS I HAVE THE LIVED EXPERIENCE , BUT IT'S ABOUT THE DECISIONS THAT I'VE MADE SINCE THEN .

SOME OF MY BIGGEST CHAMPIONS ARE PEOPLE STILL IN VIOLENCE BECAUSE I REPRESENT HOPE TO THEM.

>> I IMAGINE IT SOUNDS LIKE DANGEROUS AND DEMANDING WORK , BECAUSE YOU CAN GET A CALL AT ANY TIME .

DOES THAT MAKE THAT EVEN MORE CHALLENGING ?

>> WHEN THE PERSON HAS GOT SOME INSECURITIES , THAT'S A STRUGGLE.

YOU LOOK AND YOU START ESTABLISHING THAT VISION , WITH GUYS LIKE US THAT HAS BEEN DOWN THAT ROAD , OUR CREDIBILITY COMES BECAUSE I WAS ONCE ON DEATH ROW.

I'VE SHOWN THAT THERE'S A WAY OUT , BUT IT'S GOT TO COME FROM THE INDIVIDUAL.

>> WE ARE ALMOST OUT OF TIME , HOW DO YOU PROFESSIONALIZE THESE WORKERS?

>> IT'S ABOUT STREET CREDIBILITY TO BE LIFE-CHANGING ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT CHICAGO.

ALL OF THE WORK THAT WE PUT IN IS BASED ON KNOWING THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY .

I GREW UP AROUND THESE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF VIOLENCE AND I HAVE UNIVERSAL ACCESS DID IT'S ABOUT BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS, OKAY?