A Good Gang

  • Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Is there a good gang?  To begin with, yes there are.  I was part of a bad gang in my youth, then a good gang.  Now I clearly see the whole picture.  

I was a bad boy involved in all kinds of stuff in my teens.  My parents were good folk, who really didn't know what I was doing. Then, in the 10th grade I found two life changers.  Christ, and Kirkman Tech.  I'll discuss my faith another day. 

KirkmanTech was the nationally renowned technical / industrial school that allowed the children of lower income, hard working, not so privileged parents to find a purpose, career, self value and ability to make a life, all in one institution.  We also had Howard and Riverside teaching technical and industrial skills.  To this day, we are still movers and shakers in Chattanooga, those of us from Kirkman Tech, Howard and Riverside.  Still working, contributing, helping, teaching and mentoring.  We still stand tall, have a value and always ready to reach out to help others find the same.  That's what we were taught. 

Now, in 2015, 25 years after shutting down Kirkman Technical High School to make a dollar on prime real-estate, without ever considering re-locating the school, we have achieved the following: 

We average between 50-60 gang related murders a year.  Mostly children-men, who never got a chance for a start.  Smart men, capable young men, caught up in a 'no where else to go' environment.  Chattanooga is in the top 20 cities in crime in America, we have one of the top 10 most violent neighborhoods in America.  Why, because we've polished the city from brass to vanier, for tourism, but the foundation has cracks down to the footing and the building is tilting.  Pretty rose bushes cover it up, but won't fix it. 

Solution .... teach them, listen to them, mentor them, and .... teach them.  Men, get involved in teaching men.  A good minister friend of mine, Eric, helps in a program where he and his fellow men, mentor 100 young men.  I have a friend, Don, a Kirkman graduate, the director of a training center in Chattanooga, who has been helping young and older men, who have been released from prison, with little hope, helping them find their new start and their value.  These men, are examples for the following generations.  I personally, have mentored with men for decades. 

Technical training is the out.  Trust me, I know.  I am surrounded by success stories from their 40's to their 70's, who were success stories because of technical training.  That was all they had to go to.  We're a bonded group.  

A technical program, some willing volunteers, some elbow grease and some patience.  These would be a group of adults, helping the upcoming gang population find another way. The new generation of youth, who, gathered on a corner could be considered a gang. 

But, they will be a good gang. 

Pete Burnette
Chattanooga

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