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Real Life Stories
Below are stories of real people who have been in gangs. Some outcomes were good. Some were not. A lot has depended on how these individuals decided to handle their situations. How much faith and strength they had in themselves. Take a look. They may help you make some decisions of your own. Jerry Morgan Top When did I first get involved with Open Door and Rev. Kelly? I first met Rev. Kelly when I was 8 years old. I lived across the street from the Aurora Open Door. He invited me join the Open Door “ Summer Program” and that begin a relationship that lasted for the past 12 years. Where am I now? I am a student at Community Collage of Denver, seeking a BA in Business Administration. In an effort to give back to the community, Jerry is the Co-Founder and C.E.O. of the Denver Marching Knights, a Drum Corp and Drill Team in NE Denver. He also helps Rev. Kelly as a Security Guard at the annual Juneteenth celebration in Five Points. The impact of Open Door on my life “ The Open Door’s Summer Program helped me stay off the streets and out of trouble. The Open Door After School Program, helped me with my grades in school, inspired me to do some of the things I am doing now and gave me the encouragement to keep my head up and continue to stay strong within the world.” “Gangs were never an issue with me. The Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives program helped me to realize what I already felt was true – that gangs had nothing to offer me.” What I appreciate most Jerry remarks, “The Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives Program has help me in every aspect of my life. Rev. Kelly has been like an uncle to me and has always been there to support me in everything I do." Kelly Top I moved to Denver 6 years ago. My parents were divorced and I moved out here with my mom. She was busy working all the time so I was looking for a security blanket. I met a guy and we became involved. And I thought I was in love with him. And started doing crazy things. Anywhere from running drugs, stashing guns in my car. Talking about drive-by shootings. He was an A.K. That`s an "anybody killer". They`re not in the Bloods. They`re not in the Crips. They don`t like anybody. They kinda go out and do whatever they want to anybody. What happened to him? About a year and half ago he was over at his friend`s house and they were playing with a gun. Someone hit his hand and he shot a twelve year old boy in the chin and killed him. It was at the time that I thought I don`t want to be in this anymore. That`s when I called Open Door. I`d heard of Leon Kelly. I just said "I`m in trouble, help me." The friendly voice on the telephone meant a lot-- it was at that point when you don`t know whether to kill yourself or hurt someone else. You`re so hurt and angry and sad all at the same time... so confused. When I started with Open Door it was just phone calls at first. Then I join the dance troupe. Then the support sessions, drama club, skate club and speech. Regardless of where you are in this city and what creed you are, you are affected. It`s not just the black community. A "good girl" is in there quicker than you know--cause they don`t know what`s gonna happen. The white community is saying, "Why are you involved in something like this?" The black community is saying this is brothers against brothers. But it`s valid to say that everybody is affected. There are gangs in the suburbs. It`s just not publicized. Ryan Ross Top When did I first get involved with Open Door and Rev. Kelly “ I first met Rev. Kelly when I was 8 years old. Coming home from Columbine Elementary I got into a fight. Rev. Kelly came by and stopped the fight and took me home to my mother. He told my mother about the Open Door After School Program… my mother enrolled me …and I attended the program from the third through the fifth grade.” “Rev. Kelly and I became very close friends.” This is how Ryan first come to the Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives program 14 years ago. Where am I now? After Graduating from Mullen High School, Ryan, I attended Neb. Wesleyan University where I earned a BA degree in psychiatry. I am presently employed as an Education Counselor with Denver Kids, Inc. where I oversee a caseload of fifty students in the Denver Public School system. The impact of Open Door on my life “ The Open Door’s Summer Program helped me stay focused on my school work and grades and kept me out of the streets…After hearing Rev. Kelly talk about gangs and prison and what he had been through…I knew I did not want anything to do with gangs.” What I appreciate most “The Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives program has played an important part in my life, Rev. Kelly has been my mentor and a friend, not just for me but for my family as well. He has always been there when my mother or myself needed someone.” Tatiana and Symone Top Tatianna and Symone Vincent Ages: 14 and 10 Tatianna and Symone live with their grandparents in Northeast Denver. They have been involved with the Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives program for the past five years. Tatianna attended Columbine Elementary School and is now a student at Manual High School. She has remained an active participant in the Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives program, volunteering to help younger children with homework and supervising activities. Symone is a fifth grade student at Columbine Elementary School and attends the after school program. She has also been involved in the Summer Day Camp program. Grandmother Ruthie Bray, is a strong supporter of Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives. She attends parent meetings on a regular basis and is always ready to help however she can. She would like to see the program extend to middle school and high school in a more structured manner. “The Open Door program has helped the girls to mature. It has given them someone younger to relate to. Sometimes we older folks don’t always understand them.” – Mrs. Bray “The Open Door program has helped me to focus on school and look for positive friends and things to do”. – Tatianna Vincent “Open Door teaches us about God and love for one another and its fun going to camp.” – Symone Vincent Boo Top It was the Juneteenth celebration. And all these Bloods was coming up to me. Asking me was I a Crip. I had my rag, you know, symbolizing that I was a Crip. I ran to a bar and they tried to rush me, even with the police there. My uncle told me go get in the car. So I sat in the car for 2 or 3 minutes. Then I got out of the car, grabbed me a brick and you know, a 2x4 and went out looking for them. But I couldn’t find them so I went walking up 26th, I saw headlights of the car...chased me down the side street...first I heard the car pull up to the curb...then I heard them yelling my name. “Boo,” “Boo,” “Boo”...the car light pulled into the curb. I turned and looked and they started shooting. The first shot you know, the bullet when it hit me I didn’t really feel that, but the second one, I...God...I passed out. It was in the head. I remember a gang of babes running to me saying “Boo don’t die.” “Boo don’t die.” They loved that. Beat up all those mother f....s. Smoked some of them. There’s still two more out there I’m going to get. It’s like this-I got no peace for myself till I get the dude who tried to kill me. It’s like, why should I let them go so they can try and do it again? They’re Bloods now. I’m still sort a Crip, but don’t tell Leon that. He was there for me all through my operation, my comma, through my recovery. He was there for me . I have respect for him. I like what he is doing. I know if it weren’t for the man upstairs and Leon, when I got shot, I probably wouldn’t be here today. He’d say leave it alone. But every morning I wake up, I still got this limp, I still got these two bullets inn my head. I’m messed up. Ain’t nobody seeing it my way. I don’t really want to do it (kill) cause I have a little boy that’s five and I just had one August 31. If I do it I won’t go to jail. I just tell them the doctor got my medication wrong. I just went crazy. I’ll blame it on the bullets. Say I snapped. I’m positive it will work. A.J. Top I joined when I was 14. Started with problems at home. At 16, I was on my own. I had really, like, no place to stay. I started staying with friends. They were selling drugs and stuff. They had their nice little clothes. Their nice little cars. They had a place to stay. It was easy. I had no responsibility. Not really thinking about the future. Just thinking about the moment. It was easy money. And there was nothin’ to do. So I took it from there. I was a member 5 1/2 years. Leon came to my school. At the time, I didn’t really dig into him. I thought he was just all talk, you know, like everyone else. Then I got into trouble and I got committed as a juvenile. So when I got out part of my parole was to get involved in a gang-alternative. And Leon Kelly, you know, he was always on T.V. So I started coming down to the office and I started knowing him, doing different types of things. At the time, I was just doing it to keep out of trouble so obviously it was working. It was sinking in. He didn’t really have to say anything. It was just his actions, and the different programs he had. Being around opposing gang members and at the same time feeling comfortable around them. It started to sink in, hey, he’s another person just like you. I started meeting opposing gang members and you could see how they really were. How their actions were interested of, you know, seeing their colors. Well, I went to a board meeting (for Open Door) I just went with Leon. I kinda opened up a little bit. And there was a man there, I guess he kinda took interest in me. He told me if I graduated he’d try to get me a job at Martin Marietta. And so like a year later I went ahead and called him. I didn’t think he was true to his word, but I called him and he remembered me and sent me an application. He got me a job a Martin Marietta. If I hadn’t met Leon, I’d probably be in jail today. I want to get into school, be an engineer and minor in psychology. |
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