Beyond the Gang

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 05:00:00

BEYOND THE GANG

These days news coverage is glued to economic woes. But difficult economic times filter down to the streets, and police say they are facing a worrisome increase in gang activity.

Danny "Big Dan" Mora once roamed the streets of East Oakland, Calif., as a gang member. Danny Mora now is a senior at the University of California at Berkeley with plans to attend Harvard next year. Danny believes it is important to not leave the community. In fact, he mentors young people, encouraging them to stay out of gangs.

Danny talks to Dick Gordon about why older gang leaders grant him permission to recruit younger members off the streets - and why he believes weathering the violence in his old neighborhood will create positive change.

View Danny's public service announcement about peace
Listen to Danny's songs "Let's Take a Ride," "A Fif of Memory" and "RIP Omar" (explicit!)
Learn more about Danny's work, and Youth Alive!, a program that helped him

Life After the auto industry

Carl Cooksey

People living and working in Detroit are at the heart of the current crisis in the auto industry. Not only have jobs been shipped overseas, fewer Americans are buying cars.

Carl Cooksey used to make a living in Detroit working for industries that provided materials to General Motors. He started as a non-union worker, but 20 years later he had a comfortable union job. Last spring, he walked out to protest a pay cut of $10 per hour and soon after lost his job. But Carl saw a new opportunity. He started a small company that designs clothes. This week, he heads to New York to see his first samples roll off the line.

The Story from American Public Media - Beyond the Gang

Beyond the Gang

BEYOND THE GANG

Life After the auto industry