! Music Alright children settle down, settle down, come on. We only have two days to get this right, come on. Alright I need my boys on the left and I need my girls on the right. Alright you already know the dance moves, but I need you guys to focus. Black history month is coming up, you gotta do a great job for this performance, okay? Alright boys, do your monkey dance, arms up high. Arms up high, come on, here we go. Girls, move your hips. That's right, move those hips. Music You are looking for a better place. You're looking for a place. Is there a place? The place of my dreams. The place where in your dreams. Freedom and equality. Is there a place? To cover me. The place where in your dreams. You're looking for a place. Is there a place? The place of my dreams. The place where in your dreams. Freedom and equality. Is there a place, a place there in your dreams? You are looking for a better way. You are looking for a better way. You are looking for a better way. You are looking for a better way. You are looking for a better way. You are looking for a better way. You are looking for a better way. You are looking for a better way. You are looking for a better way. You are looking for a better way. You are looking for a better way. Let's go around in the studio. Let's start over. Yes, my name is Reverend Timothy J. Terry. And again, I'm so excited to be here with you guys today. What I do is that I go around in the community, especially in the Compton, Los Angeles area, and I do my best to encourage the young people in the area that everything is not without, but everything is within. And so in order for a positive change to come, it's not from without, but it's right within. Okay. So I'm going to ask you to come up to the stage. Hi, good evening to all and God bless. This is Pastor Susan Bowen of Faith Outreach. We are an outreach organization, nonprofit, and we're reaching out in the community also, starting an after-school program called Posse, Positive Optimizing Scholastic Soulful Education. And we're going to work with at-risk youth and gang members and parole board and everyone that needs help. Good to be here. All right. And I'm Kayu Toomey. I'm an activist for the last 20 or so years, presently with Los Angeles Community Action Network in Skid Row. We are for the homeless people and try to keep the police from attacking them. And I'm also part of news and literature committee that... and I'm also part of news and letters committee that we we study the system that's what we do yeah okay Bobby Buck from Bobby book calm with work with our LAK and myself and everything and I come up with coming up with the action network where I want to promote for all organizations and individuals doing real action in the community okay and also early in his early and Anthony co-host of the Coon round report part of drama stage since the beginning actor writer director producer and member of MacArthur Park neighborhood council okay now I would like to start off by playing a clip from Tony Brown the executive director of Ola and Ola is one of the best athletes in the community and I'm going to talk about Tony Brown and Ola and Ola and Ola and Ola and Ola and Ola and Ola and Ola and Ola and Ola and Ola and Ola and then we come back and discuss how can we create how can the city create more after-school programs like Ola especially in gang infested area since we don't go the Ola went into a gang infested area and was successful how can we use that as a model for a lot of the little areas in the city of Los Angeles sure you know I think one of the things to do is to start with someone who really really cares to spend consistent time with the kids in that neighborhood wherever that neighborhood might be you know and I think the consistency is key when you're starting something out now I get it you're a volunteer you have other things you have to do you know my predecessor our founder probably ran the same challenges when he was first starting out of heart of Los Angeles but if you're going to be there on a Saturday be there every Saturday pick one day we start that way don't try to say oh I'm gonna start this nonprofit and I'm going to you know open the doors I'm gonna be here every day and we're gonna make this work and this is gonna be incredible do what you can do and do it consistently because you know these kids rely upon a lot of hope you know hope for an alternative hope for a brighter future than the one in which they're living and we're talking about going into gang-infested neighborhoods you know they've been let down by many times in life and that's part of why they've joined the gang because the gang is coming and said hey listen I know this person's let you down I know that person's let you down whether it's your parents your school but don't worry me and the homies we're there with you you know we won't let you down and so if you're gonna create something make sure you don't over commit and do what you can do and do that consistently I think that will help you launch something that kids will want to come back to because trust is a major issue that's what's been broken you know I think you know our country has this social contract that we're gonna take care of our children you know we're gonna send them to schools that are safe we're gonna you know create neighborhoods and parks that are safe for them to play in we're gonna give them outlets to where they can be creative and express themselves without being bullied for it or without being you know jumped into a gang we're gonna do all these great things well you know if you're gonna take this on and recognize that you have a responsibility then right to be consistent and to be consistent and to be someone that these kids can trust okay let's let's go around talk about what he just anybody want to pick up on that comment I'll pick up mm-hmm the main thing that I picked up was in what he was saying was that it's with consistency and so many times we have started we have started things but in the end we ended up stopping it and so I love how he said pick just one day don't try to conquer the whole mountain but just just try to do one day and just do one day and stick with it and be consistent in that which we do try to provide for the community I think that's awesome mhm georgiana you want to say something well I was gonna say the same thing that brother said like you said just one day if you get the kid interested in one day you know that day you're sure to give me us they'll come back the next day because they'd like what you had yesterday mhm okay Susan you also I would like to say too uh the best thing way is by example start where you yourself live start on your block talk to your neighbors talk to your neighbor's children if you can talk to the local market around the corner find out what's going on in your neighborhood go to your neighborhood council go to whoever has activities pay attention to what's going on in the neighborhood talk to the mothers um and one by one that's how i began to get started and they've watched me for several years now and i didn't blow up any big expectations but the things i said i would do i started classes in my own home and now we're reaching out going a little bigger but we're trying to go consistent and i'm trying to get other people say get on board you're on earth you got to find something to do and you'll be happier when you lay your head down at night okay go ahead really got the parents first and then the florence and normandy area we're not going to have a problem because i know everybody we we just need to get some funds and get a building and get us and start it up we need to get them before they get into junior high because when the kids at raymond avenue they'll meet and they're almost then when they go over to john mirror that's when i noticed you see a change in them they find out about gangs and marijuana and beer and sexual we want to reach them them before we before they go to junior high we want to instill into them there's something better there is a better life okay and that can go to cars and we want to make sure the kids learn how to read you got so many kids who graduated from washington high school right in in the area that i lived in that cannot read we want to put a stop to it we want to make sure that they're not going to be in the middle of the middle and this is one of the things that uh uh the after school programs can encounter uh uh can you say something about that i know uh the peace kids are trying to do a reading program along every saturday or something like that absolutely um i work with a group of um young people up at usc campus called the peace center we call them the peace kids and we try to instill in them true uh peace kids and we try to instill in them peace making ideas how to be a peaceful person and also along with that after the um class day session is over they have tutors come in from the campus of usc or other groups that have volunteered to come in and uh tutor them and they're teaching them also um how to um get from high school to college or college to universities and also these things to inspire them to be a peaceful person and be a peaceful person and be a peaceful person and be a peaceful person and be a peaceful person and be a peaceful person and be a peaceful person and be a peaceful person extraordinary things okay now let me ask this question how do you get the interfaith community more involved in setting up after school programs and we're talking about the churches the masters synagogue anybody want to pick up on that well uh i myself have faced outreach uh by this being new to me from coming from working from the government, being in the Skid Row area, having children, myself, that come from different areas of South Central. I found that a lot of times you have to start with the parents. A lot of times the children tend to do what they're doing because the parents haven't been taught anything different. So I reached out to a lot of parents as another parent in a kind and loving way. And then as I got closer, I found out some of the things they were dealing with. They seen me interact with my children, asked me, well, how did you do this? I had some input to show them how to do that. We currently are working with several politicians in the area of some new upcoming things, like Sister George Williams said, funding is needed, finding ways for funding. The biggest thing we need is locations. I'm not too far from where she's at, so hopefully after this I will be getting in contact with her and we will hook her up. Now, this is one way we can do it. I'm doing something. She's in the area she's in. I'm a couple of blocks away. So I'm looking at some properties in that area, and I'm looking at funding, and the funding is on its way, and the licenses have been done. The biggest thing is doing everything compliance by law, getting all your people with degrees and getting all your licenses and approval from the government. I've talked to Los Angeles Unified School District, and other people have been successful in this area. Okay. Yes, it definitely is possible. And one thing is just once we get out there is to, you know, even if we're meeting inside the church or inside of a small building, we're going to have to take it beyond just talking about it and get down on a piece of paper and sit down, write down a date in which we're going to start, you know, start making these changes. Because the changes are out there, and it's going to take us getting together and supporting one another to get the changes that we want to see. And it's possible. It definitely is possible. Okay. You want to say something, Georgianne? Well, we know that we've got Reverend Charles Biden. He's right at Vermont and his door is open to us. That's great. And I think that. Every church should have an after-school program. Every community center should have activities for an after-school program. And I really think to make these after-school programs work, you need to network with someone that already has an established program, excuse me, program that's set up and working, and find out what they did or what they're doing now to make it work. And also, just network with people like this because you need a support system. We can't do everything by ourselves. One little area over here and one there. And you're fighting for the funds. So you need to network, you know, and get together. Like Pastor Susan's saying, Georgianne is saying, they're only a couple of blocks away and they probably didn't even know each other. But this is a good way to get introduced and get together and do these fundraisers. And get these after-school programs going. Mm-hmm. We got a fundraiser planned. Mm-hmm. Yeah. We want to talk about that too so we can get all of the dates for it. Everybody know I can cook, that's for sure. Hey, did you want to say? Yeah. We plan to have a big family last Saturday of February, right, Melvin? Yes, the last Saturday of February. Right. And I'm going to make some peach cobbler's and potato pies. Mm. And I'm asking my granddaughter. Mm-hmm. And I'm asking my granddaughter. Mm-hmm. And I'm asking my granddaughter. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And I'm asking my granddaughter to make the red velvet cake and some old ladies to make the seven up. So we'll be at 1323 West 69th Street. Okay. So come on by, get out of that bakery, and come on by where I'll be and I'll guarantee you, you'll be pleased. Give us that address again. That's the last Saturday in February. We're going to be at 1323 West 69th Street. Okay. Okay. And what time? We'll start around 11. Okay. Peach cobbler's, all of that. We're looking forward to it. Right. Kay, did Kay wanted to say something? Well, I just read this 20-page report put out by Youth Justice Coalition. This is about, they have a lot of young kids in their organization, considered a gang member and all that. This is about the gang injunction, the Cal, California gang database that they track all these young kids and the STIP Act. And I think all of these, you're trying to outreach to some faith group, I believe if they read this report, it could convince them. Okay. Okay. And let me just read one thing about the STIP Act. It's been, it was passed in 1988. The gang injunction was passed in 1982. The STIP Act lists a whole lot of criminal acts as what constitutes a crime. But, and with the gang injunction and the Cal database, you could be part of a group of, say, gang member, even your family, if he's a gang member. You don't have to commit any of these crimes to be put in the gang database. And you could be labeled, surveilled, and prosecuted as gang members. Mm-hmm. So, that's just one part, one little part of a 20-page report, I think. Yeah, we need to get our hands on that. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Okay. Look, let me get another clip from Tony Brown, because he's going to talk a little about gang intervention, and then we'll come back and discuss it again. How did you craft after-school programs that deal with gang intervention? We've talked about it. I love it. I'm a little early. Well, you know, first of all, Heart of Los Angeles tries, I think, step one is to do the prevention side. Mm-hmm. Right? I mean, we want to prevent kids from joining them in the first place. So, we start with kids really young, but we do meet kids along the way. We're middle school and high school. And there are times in which we have to try to intervene. The answer to the question, I think, really is create alternatives that are relevant. Create opportunities. Alternatives that will help those kids to feel connected to what's happening in their neighborhood, at their school, in their life. I think a lot of kids, well, at least in our neighborhood, the gangs tend to prey on those kids who are having problems with the language. You know, if they have a kid who doesn't speak much when they're spoken to, very shy about language, they become a target. If they see kids who, you know... Trying to push away from their parents. You know, walk a few steps ahead, walk a few steps behind, don't necessarily want to be associated. If they see kids who are starting to try to emulate this pop American culture. Mm-hmm. All of those things, and kids don't realize this, but all of those things become identifiers. Pick me, pick me. Mm-hmm. You know, for the gangs. Mm-hmm. They say, because they'll come in and their psychology might be something. Like, so, you know, I see that your parents don't... You always have to walk these five blocks alone. But your parents, let me guess, your parents aren't around. They must work all the time. Mm-hmm. Let me guess, they basically tell you to come straight home, turn on the television, and don't go outside. Man, my dad was the same way. Oh, you didn't have a dad? Yeah. Actually, I don't have a dad either. And they start to do all those things. They try to pull away any connection the child has to staying away from gangs. Oh. Yeah. And they drive those wedges in between what connects kids to this culture here. Oh, wow. I bet you're doing really bad in school. Yeah, I get it. They don't get you. They don't get us. Wow. And they do that. And so, after school programs should be the ones to come in and say, hey, listen, we value who you are. We have all the patience in the world. Mm-hmm. We believe that if we give you a chance, you can realize whatever dream you have, you know, it's not a silly dream. Mm-hmm. You know, and we support the kids in that way. And we let the kids be the kids. Mm-hmm. And we let them feel important for who they are and who they'd like to be. And even if they don't know who they'd like to be, we still give them that confidence and try to empower them to feel good about who they are right now. And it's okay not to necessarily know quite yet. And then we start to expose them with the arts, music, athletics, dance, painting, graphic arts, filmmaking, anything and everything, robotics. Anything and everything. And to give them alternatives so that they have to then, when they're faced with the alternative of getting involved in some sort of criminal activity, they can say, you know what? I don't need to do that over there. Because if I did all of that over there, I'd be giving up all of this over here. Okay. Who want to pick up on that comment, what he was talking about there? Sister Susan here. I love what Tony Brown said. He brought some very real points. One of the tools that I was able to use, even though my age in some instances from these young people is sometimes multiplied several times. I don't walk up on them when I say. I don't see them in a group with fear. I walk up. I'm humble. I walk up. I let them know I'm coming up with love. A lot of time gang members. I don't care if they're in Jack in the Box or where they're at. Sometimes they're strapped, standing on the corner in Jack in the Box, subway. I come up to them. I take one of them's hand, one in one hand, one the other. I say, can I pray for y'all? When I pray for them, I don't talk down to them. I tell God to protect them. I say, can I pray for y'all? When I pray for y'all, I don't talk down to them. I tell God to protect them. I tell them, look, we went through this before you did. We just went through it a different way. Your generation is facing some things that we face, but in a different way. And if you would allow us to come help, there are people here to come help. Let them know where we're at. Hand out our cards, our phone numbers. But shake the fear. You see, young children, when they see fear, they know you're not real. They know you're not real. Because what are you fearful of? And one of the other things I do, I've apologized for my generation of parents that they feel have let them down. Because a lot of them have told me I'm the way I am because of the way your generation is. I say, well, what do you mean by that? Because you don't know me. I'm a stranger. On the bus. I speak on the bus. Sometimes I think the bus driver might pull over and make me get off. But every chance, because I'm a minister, I'm a little mouthy, as you can tell. But somebody's going to tell somebody. I keep a pocket full of cards. If you don't know anybody to call me, if the police pull you over, call me. They know me. If you're stuck somewhere, you ain't got nobody to call, call me, collect. Because even though I'm not rich, I don't make a lot of money, but I use what God gives me to take care of someone else. If I can't help but one other person, then maybe that person will reach back and help another. So first of all, approach them. Everyone that sees them standing around, yeah, they got 40s in their hand. Yeah, they're smoking a blunt. So what? We did worse. So now we want to do something else. We want to take the 40 out of their hand. We want to put a pin in it. Now we can put a computer in it. Now maybe we can give them a book of something that they're interested in reading. So one of the things that we're going to do in the curriculum of Posse is, first of all, teaching them culture. Teaching them coping mechanisms. Teaching them compliance to this world. Now, there's no such thing as no one, everybody complies to someone. So understand that with intelligence and with somebody leading you, just like someone I explained to them had to teach me, I was hard in it. Someone has to teach you. And there are people out there. I said, but the problem is that you're not looking. So if you get caught in a gang with the wrong person, you can't blame me. You can't blame your neighbor. You really sometimes can't blame your parents. Once you reach the age of accountability, you have to really ask yourself, what do I want? You see that man driving that fine car. He got a job. He may have took one class a week. It might have taken him two years to get a high school diploma, GED or whatever. But one step at a time. Let me ask you this. You too, John Tanner. I want to hear your comments on this. Why is we so afraid of our young people? What do you think the reason? I'm not afraid of them. I don't have any problem with them. I show them love, but I'm afraid. With so many of our grownups out there, where do you think this fear comes from? What do you think, George Tanner? What did you say, Nelvie? So many of our grownups out there in the community that fear our young people. Where do you think this comes from? Gossip. It comes from where? Because people don't speak good of the young people in their neighborhood. They're always very negative. They don't get involved. And they take Brother John's word or Miss Sally's word. If you say he's a thief or he's a gangbanger or he's selling drugs, then they believe it. And they afraid of them. They think that everybody sells drugs and takes drugs is going to do them some harm. Mm-hmm. Okay. Let me hear from Brother Terry. Yes, Reverend Terry here. It's so true. And I think another aspect of that comes from the media in which the media portrays our young people. I was giving a story on Saturday in my message where one day I came outside of my building. I live in Compton. And I looked out on the building and there was graffiti on the building. And so, you know, at first I got upset. I said, why does this happen? I said, why does this happen to our building? Why us? You know, but then I sat down and I thought about it. And I said, there's a reason why they did it. And I said, maybe the reason is why because they're looking for love or they're looking for direction. And this is a great opportunity for me to get up, get out of my building, go across the street, and speak to the young people. And so that's what I did. And I didn't take my Bible. You know, I didn't go out there with my clergy collar on. I made sure I left that to the side. And I, and like Pastor Susan said, we have to encourage them. So what? They smoke weed. So what? They, you know, they may fornicate. So what? It's not our job to beat upon them. It's our job to encourage them and let them know that we're offering them love and what's in, that's what they're looking for. They're not looking for someone to beat them down. And so I just encourage them. Listen, I'm proud. Anything, any small thing you can see, whether even if it's, even if there's, even if they are wearing a belt on that day that you see them. Encourage them about anything. Encouragement goes so far. And you'll never know the benefits that you'll reap from just a small word of encouragement or even a smile, a hug, handshake. Now, go ahead, Georgia. When they wear their pants now, make a joke out of it. Say, hey, boy, you know, you're good looking. You better get them pants up before you get raped. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Let me ask you this in relationship to after school programs. How important, how important it is for, you know, we got a lot of our young people who get caught up in gangs. They go to The Joint to have a record and all that kind of stuff. How do you integrate individuals with records into after school programs? Or do you separate, keep them away from the young people? What are your thoughts on that? that because you know most after-school programs even when they hire people they run these record checks on them you may have some outstanding people with the record they have all kind of experience to really understand but because they have a record been locked up juvenile or the joint what do you think it's it's impossible to mix the two or it's a danger in that a lot of people come out of prison change they don't come back they don't come out the way they went in because we have a lot of prison ministries we have a lot of professors going in and teaching you got a lot of kids coming out with math groups and phds i don't think that they that something happened when they are when they are teenagers i don't think we should hold it against them i agree with her as well we should hold it against them everybody's looking for a second second chance and they should be offered they have they have the right to have a second chance as well but how how do you work that into your after-school program how do you work because these are individuals trying to come back to the community they might want to they may be valuable um in in terms of uh um an example for these little youngsters that might follow in in their future let's talk a little bit about how you use them how do you use them how do you use them how do you use them how do you use them how do you use them how do you use them how do you use them how do you use them how do you use them how do you use them how do you use them how do you use them how do you use them how do you use them how do you use them how do you use them how do you use them how do you use them how do you use them how do you use them how do you use them how do you use them through from 12 and up, but he's now in his 40s. Some are in their 50s. We work with him. We stay with him until he gets steadfast, until he's level, until he's on board, until he sees another side. And then we influence him to say, okay, now, since the master smiled on you, what do you think you're supposed to do with this? And so if they don't want to hear from me because I've never been incarcerated, if they don't want to hear from one of my other teachers or mentors or outreach workers, we try to have someone on board that has had the same experience in or out that they'll feel free to discuss with them in privacy. We have groups sometime. We have ministers, Bishop Terry and I, we do one-on-one. We do one-on-one counseling. We do group. And I haven't really ran into that problem. And then when they get to a certain point, we're able to, what do you call it, since it's through the church, we compensate them or they find a way where they are now on their own salary and they give back. And they're glad to get a call from us. And one of the things that is going to be included in the after-school program with Posse is a big-time, big-time, big-time, big-time, big-time, big-time, big-time, big-time, big-time, big-time, big-time, big-time, big-time, big-time, big-time, big-time, big-time, big-time, big-time, big-time, not here in Los Angeles, but my oldest son, he has, one of my sons has implemented a big-brother program starting in San Diego. We're going to try it here. Of course, you know, we have to look for the right types of people. We have to run background checks, scan fingerprints, and make sure we're not hiring the wrong. But the young men respond that we've been dealing with. We leave the judgment out. There was a man who walked the street one day that said the words, love conquers a multitude of sin. I'm not in a position to judge anyone. And like I said, that's where that fear, fear is false expectation appearing real. Now, if something's going to work and you've got the right heart for it and you have the right calling and you know you're doing what you're supposed to do, the good Lord, that's all I can tell you, that's all I can say. Well, Georgiana, I want to ask you this. How, the program that you're planning on putting together in the Florence and Normandy area, Georgiana's Afterschool Arts Program, I think is what it's called. How can you... They get the junior high school. I want to reach the little children and teach them. So that when they get in junior high and high school, they'll know that they don't do drugs and they're not going to drink and they're not going to be shoplifting. We just want to try and just give them a new outlook on life. We want them to know that they're loved and that they're somebody, that they can go to college, they can be a doctor, they can be a lawyer. We just want to just build their trust up and let them know whatever they desire, whatever goal they have, they can achieve it. Now, how can a lot of these, you know, a lot of the OGs, the old timers that you know in the neighborhood, how can they help make this afterschool program in that Florence and Normandy area for the young people successful? By bringing most of them have children, they can bring their children to our afterschool program and so they can learn. And we can also, you know, if we have time or the space, those brothers who come, they cannot read. We can have a teacher there who will teach them how to read. There's nothing wrong with teaching the fathers and daddies how to read. Mm-hmm. Okay. And I don't like that word, OG. I don't like that word. Yeah. Stereotype. Yeah, I know what you mean, the old gangster, huh? OG gangster word. We have to remember, there's no sin that Jesus won't forgive. Yeah. Well, that's the way we gotta be. Mm-hmm. Whether you're in the gang, whether you're a mob, whether you're a prostitute, I don't care what you are, there's something good in you somewhere. Mm-hmm. Okay. Now, George Allen, before we let you go, we want you to have some closing comments about your afterschool program and tell us one more time about the address and the date of the... of the bake sale. Okay. We're planning to open an afterschool program in the Florence and Normandy area. We want to reach the kids before they get to junior high. We want to make the children feel loved and let them know that they can go to college. They can be a doctor. They can be a scientist. They can be an airplane pilot. Anything that you design, if you make up your mind, no matter how long it takes, your son, your daughter, your grandkids, don't care who it is, I want you to come out and get involved. It will be in the Florence and Normandy area wherever we can find a suitable place. Brother Charles has offered to let us start at his church, but we know that church is small and we intend to make this a big group in the Florence and Normandy area. So if you're a mama, you're a daddy, you want to see a change, you want to see a change in Florence and Normandy, my cell phone number is 310-590-6468. You call me, leave your name and your phone number so when we get it started, you can come out and be a part of it. This is not just Georgiana and Melvin. This is the entire community. I want you to be involved. We're having a bake sale the last Saturday this month at 1323 West 69th Street. I want to make pound cakes. We're going to have peach carbons. We're going to have potato pies. We're going to have red velvet cake and we're going to have seven-up cake and maybe some ice cream and some cold water. So come on back. Okay. Now, is that the last Saturday in February? Yeah, it's on the 22nd, right? Yes. Okay. Okay. Last Saturday in February. Okay, Georgiana. Hey, thanks very much. We're going to let you go. Thanks. All that insight for information. Okay. See you Wednesday? See you Wednesday. See you Wednesday. Okay. All right. God bless everybody. You too. God bless you too. God bless. Okay, let's take a break for our community calendar and then we'll come back and talk a little bit more about Skid Row and the homeless. This is the community calendar for the month of January. Tuesday, January the 28th at 7 p.m. The Nasana Zone Overpass. The and much more will be served. The location of the event is DeVortex, 2341 East Olympic Boulevard. This is at the corner of Santa Fe and Olympic. For more information on the open mic, please contact Drama Stage 1 at yahoo.com or 213-908-6587. Wednesday, January the 24th, I'm sorry, the 29th of January, the Robie Theater Company will begin their celebration of 20 years of black theater. From 1994 to 2014, community as history detective. You are asked to explore, discover, learn, and come with a curious mind to this first workshop beginning. At the SoCal Library, location 6120 Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles. The time is from 1.30 p.m. to 3 p.m. And Jaime Cruz is the curator and founder of the Latino Museum of Art and Culture. He will be the workshop mentor. He will be showing a short film about the zoot suits and the 40th dress style, that was in Los Angeles at this time. This is a free event. And if you stay for the refreshments, you'll have a chance to discuss the film. And for more information on this event, please call 626-486-2460 or email gotorobie at gmail.com. If you have a community event that you would like announced on our show, just send the information to Drama Stage 1 at yahoo.com. Attention Earlene Anthony. And the call-in number for our show is 800-893-9562. Now back to our host. Okay, thank you, Earlene Anthony. We're back with our in-studio guest, Pastor Susan Bowen, Reverend Timothy J. Terry, Kay Unsumi, and Bobby Buck. Send the studio with us. Susan. Susan, I want to ask you about your program. What is the first stage in getting your program off the ground? The first stage, the way I went about it, well, first I seen the need. And then I secured the legal litigation and so forth and so on of the necessary licenses, permits, paperwork. I went to the right city. I went to the right city hall offices because I didn't want to get started, get down the road and have somebody come knocking. I arrested somebody talking about, well, who are you and what you think you're doing? So that was my first stage. That red tape, get that paperwork, make sure everything's legal. All the, like they say, all the T's are crossed and all the I's are dotted. My next thing was networking. People began to send me information on different people. Uh, I'm coming. I'm from Skid Row myself. So I did go back down to Skid Row and talk to some key people. Uh, SRO Skid Row Housing Trust, the wine guard. The biggest thing that helped me get started, uh, by me being a minister and having a desire and taking what I had already started when I was on Skid Row. People knew how to contact me. So when they got out of jail and they needed a case manager, I started a case manager office. Uh, I met them afterwards. Uh, I met them afterwards. Uh, I met them afterwards. Uh, I met them afterwards. Uh, I met them afterwards. Uh, I met them afterwards. Uh, I met them afterwards. Uh, I met them afterwards. Uh, I met them afterwards. Uh, I met them afterwards. Uh, I met them afterwards. Uh, I met them afterwards. Uh, I met them afterwards. Uh, I met them afterwards. Uh, I met them afterwards. Uh, I met them afterwards. Uh, I met them afterwards. Uh, I met them afterwards. I liaison with Department of Children and Family Services. Some people have children issues. So I deal with the superintendent and department heads and let them know who I am with that. Let me ask about this, and then we'll get some comments going around. What are your thoughts on Skid Row? I have to—a lot of people may not understand this. I have to give a thumbs up on Skid Row. Let me tell you why. I lived out in the neighborhood. I'm from back east. I come from a Crenshaw area in the 60s after the Watts Riot. Crenshaw area is very different today. You hear a lot of things about downtown. You hear a lot of things about Skid Row. They made movies about them. And then one day I landed on Skid Row only to discover a lot of lies had been told. People were eating out of the trash can and just all kind of horrible stories. I put on more weight on Skid Row than I have in my entire life. You know, because there was a lot of good programs. Also, I had the opportunity to meet Melvin Ishmael Johnson, Earlene Anthony, Bobby, and these lovely people sitting around the table. So what happened to me on Skid Row was that— I found myself. If there's any such thing as somebody fighting themselves and what you're meant to do, I always know I had a love for people. And I wanted to serve people. And I wanted to do it for God. And I wanted to do it the right way, unselfishly. How about—let's talk a little while. I want to get comments from everybody, too. You know, they're discussing the Feed and Clean program. They're having a lot of problems with that. As a matter of fact, I think one of the city council, it's getting ready to try to push a motion or something to ban the feeding down there. Anybody want to pick up on or talk about that? I've heard about that. It's a political thing. And I have a lawyer, but I don't know if he's that good. So I know what that's about. I'm not going to comment on that. So I'm going to leave that open for somebody else. Okay, Bobby. I ain't going to say a whole lot about it, but what it is, it's just like when I went down there. When they had the march down there in Hollywood, like you had more people down there fighting for it that want to feed than the people who's hungry. So it's kind of like a different type of ordeal that they got going. But it's a lot of people that's kind of fighting for it, that want to be able to supply the food. So and then we got with O.G. now, they got the Feed and Clean resolution, which they started that a while back. So. They're going to bump that up this year. And what's the solution? Well, I don't have a solution right now, but I just wanted to horn in on. I think a lot of people that have not been homeless is trying to tell the homeless people what they really need, and they don't know what a homeless person really need. So I think that's part of the problem. It's like, how can you deny a hungry person food? Okay. Hey, you want to say something? I think it's something that is definitely necessary. And a lot of people, they depend upon this. I remember when I was watching a documentary when the levees broke and all these people were inside of this side of the dome. And one of the politicians, not naming anyone, they walked around, you know, I'm sure they stepped out of there. You know, Bentley. They're Bentley. And they walked in with all this devastation going around. They looked down at the people and said, oh, I'm sure the people here are doing better than they were before. And so some of them don't have, they don't know, they don't know what's going on. And so they need someone to step up and let them know what really is going on and that it's something that is definitely needed. And people, they depend upon this. So another question I want to ask. When you look at the Skid Row area, the center point of the homeless population in the county of Los Angeles is Skid Row. But Skid Row is about 85% African American. Is this an African American problem? Biblically speaking, no. This is a man of sin. And evil and degradation that sat down a long time ago and made this plan to try to destroy God's people. Well, let me ask this then, from a practical point of view. Should the African Americans be in the forefront of trying to provide the leadership of solving this homeless problem down in Skid Row? Getting these 85% of the African Americans that's laying in the streets down there off. Skid Row is back into the community. I think it starts with us because the Bible tells us charity begins at home. Okay. What do you think, Rob? Yes. Even if it takes somebody stepping to the forefront to accomplish this, somebody's going to have to stand up and say, you know, there needs to be a change. And, you know, and just going out there and letting them know, even if we have to get more media involved and more... you know, backing from Congress so that we can see more speedy changes, something we need to do, we need to devise a plan that's going to work and that's not going to fall through the cracks as so many other plans have in the past. You know, this is a new year and it's time for new changes. And I believe it's on the horizon. Well, you know, one thing that Los Angeles, the black community have a lot of, and that's churches. You know, how can we get more of these churches involved in what's happening down in the Skid Row area? Yes. I... Oh, it starts with awareness. That report that one of the speakers was talking about, I believe that needs to be taken into the church so that the people can become aware. If we're not aware of it, then there will be no help. So we definitely want to get a program, even if it's on one Sunday, and invite... Invite churches to one big church, you know, so that maybe slides or something like that can be shown. And not only just with that, starting with that, but also having... Coming up with a plan. I'm always about having a plan of action. Okay. Now, we're winding down. Now, let's run around real quick and give me your contact information to the audience, and then we'll close out. Let's start over here with your contact information. All right. Again, my name is Reverend Timothy Terry, and I can be contacted at area code 323-268-7000. That's area code 323-272-7721. Again, that's area code 323-272-7721. And again, my name is Reverend Timothy Terry. Call me anytime. Sister Susan, Faith Outreach, area code 323-971-2417. KU to me, Los Angeles Community Action Network, 530 South Main Street. I just want to say right now, gentrification of downtown is wreaking havoc on the homeless people, and Chief Bratton put in the Safer City Initiative that criminalized a whole lot of homeless people for simple things. So, yeah. All right. This is Bobby Buck at 213-293-7983. That's bobbybuck.com, 213-293-7983. Okay. I would like to extend a special thank you. Thanks to my in-studio guests over here. We got Pastor Susan Boyne over here from Faith Outreach. So glad to have her in here with us. On the line with George Hannah Williams. We got Kay Usumi over there. We got Reverend Terry over here, Bobby Buck. So glad to have you here. Thank you for tuning in. Thank you for tuning in to the QMRAB Report. Please tune in to the QMRAB Report. Coming up next month, quickly, March to February the 3rd, we'll be talking about Marcus, Malcolm, Martin, and Mandela. So we tune in. You can check the QMRAB Report on iTunes, Facebook, Stitcher, Tumblr, Google, or skidrow.la. Thank you for tuning in to the QMRAB Report from your host, Melvin Ishmael Johnson. May the peace and blessings of the life-giving, creative spirit be upon you and upon your family. I leave you with Willis and Shante of Positive Life Ministry, singing Reverend Eaton. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. This is a day that the Lord has made. Everyone, get on your feet. Because you're in for a real treat. I give you the Honorable Reverend Eaton. Amen. Amen. I'm Reverend Eaton. And these are the E-Tats. And I want to tell y'all how the Lord done blessed me. There was something missing in my life. But I knew if I talked to God, He could make things right. So I got down on my knees, and I began to pray. And this is what I believe the Lord had to say. Teach your children about God. He want me to teach your children, y'all. Teach your children about Jesus. Amen. Teach your children about God. Hallelujah. Teach your children about Jesus. I need somebody to help me. I need somebody to help me. I need somebody to help me. Come on. Come on.