A community fighting against economic inequality, homelessness, health disparities, and gun violence has three women filling in the gaps.
Cara Anthony | KHN
April Roby-Bell felt abandoned by her own family when she joined the Gangster Disciples in middle school. The street gang treated her like a member of their own family. She was seeking stability, acceptance, and love.
“As young children, they trained us. How to own your neighborhood and street: Roby-Bell said, “This is my territory.”
She also learned important lessons about life and death from the experience at a young age. She has lost at least half of the friends she had growing up. You just get tired of fighting, which made it hard at times, she said. I should probably have died a long time ago.
Roby-Bell
Roby-Bell, 42, is no longer protecting gang territory. She is, instead, advocating on behalf of the children’s right to play outside without fear of harm in the communities of East St. Louis and Washington Park in southern Illinois. As an overcomer of the viciousness, Roby-Chime fills in as a wellspring of solidarity for other people. She provides counseling to victims of gun violence. She has planned victims’ funerals. She has also officiated over friends’ and strangers’ funerals for a number of years. So that she doesn’t miss a cry for help, she sleeps with her phone next to her.
In close proximity, 47-year-old Larita Rice-Barnes carries a phone that serves as a lifeline for grieving families. Similar calls are also received by 50-year-old Terra Jenkins. She responds to messages from locals and funeral homes throughout the day by checking her phone.
All three of them were young women who joined street gangs to run around East St. Louis and the communities that were nearby. Roby-Bell currently mentors high school students for a school district. Rice-Barnes is a published author who devotes countless hours to volunteering and running two nonprofits, while Jenkins is the outreach leader for a nearby clinic.
Even so, their faded tattoos and battle scars are reminders of their past. Some people have more faith in them than they do in the police because of their experiences on the front lines. The ladies fill in the holes for a local area battling financial imbalance, vagrancy, wellbeing differences, and weapon viciousness.
Jenkins
Jenkins stated, “In East St. Louis, you’re into it with death.” Due to my position at the morgue, I am usually involved in a lot of deaths nine times out of ten.
Jenkins, who goes by the name “T-baby Ooh-Wee,” claims that she stumbled into helping others. She joined the Gangster Disciples, more commonly referred to as “GD,” as a teenager in the late 1980s. She rose to the position of queen and became the organization’s leader over time.
She opened a barbershop in the basement of her grandmother’s Washington Park home. Clients who confided in Jenkins while she trimmed their hair turned her business into a therapeutic space.
Jenkins stated, “The guys want to talk, just like in the beauty shop.” They started talking to T-baby when they sat in my chair because they were unable to communicate with their homeboys. They began discussing their issues. They’re crying, the big gangsters. They are merely revealing their secrets to me.
She grew into a trusted friend and activist who many people in the city could turn to in times of need. She stated that the gang life she knew changed at some point, even though she is still regarded as an “OG,” or original gangster. The rival gangs began to communicate less and shoot more.
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Jenkins stated, “These kids act like their hands don’t work.” Additionally, they never got into a fight.
They use weapons all things considered, she added. ” Then you inquire: What do you all want? Furthermore, neither of them is aware of the reason for their conflict. It couldn’t be money because nobody has been robbed recently here, lately here. She continued, “Most of these kids still had money in their pockets and jewelry on them.” It’s on Facebook, like.”
Jenkins is to blame, as is her generation. We failed,” she said. She is currently attempting to restore order.
Jenkins stated that although every case is unique, the majority of grieving families require compassion, funds for the funeral, and practical assistance, such as a haircut for their deceased loved one or a location for a memorial service. Jenkins stated that she is shy but rises to the occasion when she is informed of a community need. She gathers food, clothing, and other basic necessities. After the funeral is over, when the families are left alone to deal with their grief, she sits with them.
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She opened a barbershop in the basement of her grandmother’s Washington Park home. Clients who confided in Jenkins while she trimmed their hair turned her business into a therapeutic space.
Jenkins stated, “The guys want to talk, just like in the beauty shop.” They started talking to T-baby when they sat in my chair because they were unable to communicate with their homeboys. They began discussing their issues. They’re crying, the big gangsters. They are merely revealing their secrets to me.
She grew into a trusted friend and activist who many people in the city could turn to in times of need. She stated that the gang life she knew changed at some point, even though she is still regarded as an “OG,” or original gangster. The rival gangs began to communicate less and shoot more.
Jenkins stated, “These kids act like their hands don’t work.” Additionally, they never got into a fight.
Roby Bell
In the case of Roby-Bell, her life changed in 2009. Keyatia Gibson, her cousin, was shot and killed in front of a city liquor store at that time.
Roby-Bell stated, “It took a while for them to come cover her up.” She went on to say that the two young children of her cousin stood over her body. They also saw that. I also observed the agony.
Roby-Bell made the decision to alter her life as a mother of three. She began attending church and began focusing on helping those in need. Roby-Bell opened the Restoration Outreach Center in Washington Park two years ago, a church where she frequently tells her story.
Roby-Bell stated, “I hustled” as a gang member. In any case, I endure the most awful time of my life. I didn’t just survive for myself, either. I was able to support my three daughters.
She frequently prays for the youngest members of her congregation at her church. We always pray over them. Roby-Bell stated, “We pray for their safety and longevity.” Since I work in schools, I constantly pray for their future.
However, religion is not always the answer. Rice-Barnes said that when she meets with the grieving family, she chooses her words carefully when a child is caught in the crossfire. She keeps parents in the dark about their child’s transformation into an angel. She does not use rhetoric of that kind.
Rice Barnes
Rice-Barnes stated, “People need the ministry of presence.” Most of the time, they don’t need your input. They only require to be aware that you are present.”
Rice-Barnes held Joseph Michael Lowe’s family close earlier this year when he was killed by gunfire while riding in a car with his older brother. But she has to deal with her own painful past as well as the pain of each family.
Rice-Barnes was a member of the Gangster Disciples when she was younger, but the majority of her time was spent with the Vice Lords, a rival gang. She had her own close calls as well as the deaths of two close friends to gun violence. She dreaded for her life when a man held a weapon to her head. Furthermore, a couple of years after the fact, she wound up level on the ground in a field after somebody in a close by vehicle began shooting.
Rice-Barnes said, “I fell while I was running.” I had no idea what to do. I wasn’t sure if anyone was watching me.
She left that day yet conveys the memory as she assists the people who with encountering misfortune. ” Rice-Barnes stated, “I’m still dealing with the devastation of what happened.” I find myself recounting those tales in recent years, but they were simply condensed and suppressed.
Overview
Rice-Barnes organizes events in East St. Louis to honor gun violence survivors, victims, and their families. Residents are brought together by her non-profit Metro East Organizing Coalition to discuss potential solutions. At a June event, Rice-Barnes reminded city leaders of the need for policies and programs that could potentially save lives. Dozens of people attended.
Rice-Barnes believes that her efforts have contributed to a decrease in crime over the past 18 months because her nonprofit collaborates with other organizations working to reduce crime to analyze data. Nevertheless, she is aware of the city’s lengthy journey. However, neither Jenkins nor Roby-Bell nor Rice-Barnes are willing to give up on this city. The trio is focused on the future because they believe their community will once again flourish.
Roby-Bell stated, “It doesn’t matter how you start, but it matters how you finish.”
