Former gang members steer youths off streets

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Ron Shannon knows the Mardi Gras riots and the shootings in Des Moines leave some people wondering whether gangs are to blame.

But Shannon, 34, who walked away from street life years ago, stops short of calling it gang violence. Violence is violence, he says: It doesn't know race, religion or class.

"Let's just give it the name of `violence,' " he said. "We don't know in some of those cases who committed those crimes. But we do know in all of those cases that it was violence."

Shannon is no stranger to violence, and he has been talking about his own gang experiences to steer Seattle's youths away from violent confrontation. Since Shannon joined other former gang members - some once rivals - in founding Seattle Street Connections in September, the group has appeared on radio programs and spoken at schools and the King County juvenile-detention center.

This morning, Shannon and three others will be recognized for completing a course in conflict mediation - another step for a small group trying to make big changes in Seattle's gang climate.

It's a climate that some say is growing volatile. Police officers have said that many of the youths involved in Mardi Gras assaults have gang ties.

In Des Moines, the shooting death last month of police Officer Steven Underwood, followed by the slaying of four people in a family's home, left residents wondering what was becoming of their small, waterfront community.

But when members of Street Connections talk to kids, they relate to them by sharing their own experiences. Kids don't think about the consequences of a crime, said O.G. Special. And many of them turn to gangs because a gang becomes their family.

"These kids running around out here `wilding' out of control - there ain't nothing at home for them," he said.

Special, 35, explains to kids that this lifestyle leads to one of only two outcomes: death or prison. It's a harsh message, but a credible one coming from men known to these kids by street reputation.

"When these kids hear about us and hear about our past, it's the things that they're already going through," said Robert Bash. "When they see us (now), they see hope."

Bash, 29, said he turned his life around because of his son. Having grown up without a father, he didn't want his son to have the same experience. But Bash said he is not a role model.

"We don't want them to be like us. We're trying to make them better than us," he said.

Street Connections' efforts got the attention of Seattle mediator Alan Alhadeff, who is usually associated with resolving business disputes and lawsuits. Last year his firm opened a nonprofit arm to serve the community. After hearing the group on radio station KUOW-FM (94.9) last fall, he contacted the members and volunteered to teach a mediation seminar.

The evening sessions this winter elicited problem-solving strategies through role-playing exercises. A scenario of a stolen wallet or violence at school would launch the group into discussions about how to resolve disputes.

Alhadeff sees members of Street Connections taking their mediation skills into more schools, youth detention centers, even prisons. Their experiences on the street should earn the trust of the people they're trying to reach, he said.

Helping people who are released from prison is necessary to fight the gang problem, because people who come out and see few options in life are more likely to return to crime, Shannon said.

In time, Street Connections will work to connect ex-convicts with housing and work. Shannon, who now works as a technician for computer and communications equipment, spent several years homeless before he turned his life around.

"In some cases, I can admit there's a lot of things on my record that I did and I had no problem doing because at that point in time, those were the options I had," Shannon said.

"We want to give people options so they don't have to worry about getting told no."

Frank Vinluan can be reached at 206-464-2291 or by e-mail at fvinluan@seattletimes.com.