HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Kids and guns — it’s a dangerous and often deadly mix.
Freddy Barton from Safe & Sound Hillsborough tries to un-mix that combination as he and counselors work with kids from all parts of Hillsborough County.
“Even though you may think this doesn’t affect you, gun violence affects everyone,” Barton says, gesturing to a county map.
Inside the King Forest Park community center, Barton runs a program trying to combat youth gun violence. Boys are court-ordered to attend the daily sessions. Depending on the severity of their gun crime, the teens are in the program from 21 days to six months.
The program’s goal is to somehow give the boys the skills to make better decisions in the future.
“Every kid deserves a second chance,” Barton says. “Because they’re young and they don’t understand the consequences of their choices, we have to work aggressively as soon as possible, so that they don’t make these mistakes down the line.”
The Youth Gun Offender Program focuses on experiential learning. On this day, the boys learn a life skill—how to plug a tire. They gathered in the parking lot, pulled out a nail from a Jeep’s tire and worked hard to plug the leak. A skill like this is a way the boys could help out their families.
During the program, the boys will also visit a morgue, listen to a parent whose child has been gunned down and hear from ex-cons about their experiences in prison.
Phil Crane, out of prison now, volunteers to tell his story.
“I’m hoping that I may help save others,” he previously told 10 Tampa Bay.
Does the program work? Not all the time, but there are success stories. Most of the kids do not re-offend.
Program Manager Thaddeus Wright is a no-nonsense former Marine. He gives the program his all because he believes it makes a difference. He works for the kids, for the community and for his own family, so that all can be “safe and sound”.
“I have sisters, I have aunts, I have nieces,” Wright explains. “If I can prevent these kids from committing crimes, I’m helping my own family stay safe.”
10 Tampa Bay and the TEGNA Foundation are pleased to support the work of Safe & Sound Hillsborough with a $2,000 grant.