Ex-gang member hands out blankets to Raleigh’s homeless, keeping promise to slain friend
Every Christmas Eve, while most of Raleigh is sipping eggnog, Brandon Anderson walks the downtown streets with a bag of blankets, handing them out to homeless souls alone on the pavement.
He’s kept this holiday tradition for nine years — a promise to himself to live a purposeful life out of prison, and a deeper promise to his best friend killed by the same gang violence Anderson escaped.
He and James Alston III grew up together in Southeast Raleigh, where Anderson joined a set of Bloods at 14 and rose to leadership by 16.
They both served stints in prison, and they both pledged to quit gang life for a peaceful path. Handing out blankets was Alston’s idea.
But before they could act on it, someone shot and killed Alston, Anderson’s friend, on Quarry Street only hours before he was to speak at a gang truce he’d helped organize. Nine years later, Anderson still keeps his pledge.
“That would be a big deal for him,” said Anderson on Monday. “I know it would. One thing I can say: I know he’s proud of me.”
Helping Raleigh’s homeless
This ninth anniversary of his annual blanket drive comes as Anderson’s scope on homelessness has drastically expanded. Wake County estimated just under 1,000 un-housed people last year, but Anderson would describe that number being much higher.
He spent the last year until very recently working for Healing Transitions, the Raleigh nonprofit serving the city’s homeless and addicted population. He spent most days outdoors as part of the rapid-response team giving out clothing or clean needles, and he learned the map of homeless camps covers a far wider area than his downtown walks. All the camps, he learned, have names.
“They’re where they’re at because they’re where they’re at,” he said, describing his clients. “A lot of them are scared to come out. A lot of them got people looking for them. A lot of them are embarrassed by their situation, feel like they don’t deserve to be out in the world. So they just hid out there.”
Anderson isn’t sure about his next steps, but he expects to take his outreach beyond Christmas, and he hopes to hand out more than blankets. Hats. Coats.
“Whatever keeps people warm,” he said.
He knows the road back from hard times can seem impossibly long, but he knows it’s an easier walk with a positive person taking your hand. He wants to be that person.
How to donate to the blanket drive
To donate to Brandon Anderson’s blanket drive, email him at unityinthecom@gmail.com or drop off supplies at Grind Time Cafe on 321 Chapanoke Road in Raleigh.
This story was originally published December 10, 2024 at 5:00 AM.