RALEIGH -- Retired police officer James Johnson spent 20 years dealing with gangs in New York City and is now sharing his wisdom with Raleigh children at the J.T. Locke Resource Center's summer camp.
Johnson uses the same speeches he gave to members of New York's Crips and Bloods gangs, urging youths ages 9 to 17 to cultivate their talents to better society and to value themselves over fitting in.
The talks have proven successful; Johnson says the youth program he participated in helped reduce gang violence 62 percent in New York City.
"Every child is reachable," Johnson said. "Children's' strength is in their motivation for life."
Locke Center founder and president Sheila Jones said the speeches are the latest in a series of free events aimed at helping area youths respect their society and find ways to contribute. Started in 2007, the camps offer children from low-income families a mix of academics and activity, from math classes to movie outings.
Attendance isn't mandatory, Jones said, but those who show up for an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. day expect education and fun in equal measure. This year's camp, which runs to Aug. 6, has had 300 students since it started June 14.
"It helps the children to understand the consequences of their actions," Jones said. "They realize they can be positive rather than negative leaders."
Johnson knows the power of good and bad attitudes, having employed each during different periods of his life.
Speaking to a group of 9- to 12-year-olds Thursday, he said he knocked an opponent unconscious and earned the title "Knockout Kid" from his peers during an eighth-grade schoolyard fight in Brownsville, N.Y. After years of getting bullied, the battle changed Johnson, and he began starting brawls as a way of defending his title.
The father of two daughters said he now realizes the error of his ways, that being the victimizer is worse than being the victim.
"I was swimming upstream," Johnson said of his childhood. "Negative attitudes attract negative people. The biggest risk for these children is overcoming some of their environments and surroundings."
Johnson admits the schoolyard victory was more accident than aggression.
Terrified in confronting his tormentor, he said he closed his eyes and swung his fist as hard as he could. The acclaim the knockout won him rang hollow, he said, as the people who had hurt him took joy in it.
"They weren't accepting me for me; they were accepting me for my title," he said. "It is things like that which help me understand what kids go through."
Darryl Graham, a 14-year-old camp participant, said the Locke Center's mix of socializing and learning offered him new choices. Since joining the camp, Graham, a 10th-grader at Enloe High School in Raleigh, has made new friends and helped the organization by cleaning up after hours.
"This is more interesting than most of my summers," he said. "If you're looking in the right place, you can find some responsibility here."
