I was born and raised in North Lawndale. I once played a part in destroying parts of my community, and I went to prison for a long time. I’ve lost family members, close friends, and people I grew up with. I’m trying to make it a positive now, though, to help keep other people safer.
READI Chicago is absolutely helping. I’ve been on the streets and committed a crime, so I’ve seen both sides of it. I try to talk to the younger guys who are in the program with me—I talk to them about prison and where I’ve come from. Mostly I try to lead by example.
I want people to know that gun violence affects everybody. People think, oh that’s not my neighborhood so it doesn’t affect me, but it affects all of us and the whole city. It hurts the person who was the victim, the person who committed the crime, their families, and the entire community.
