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Measure Y
"...Even though I’ve always been what most people would call a “good kid”, here, you can become a target whether you’re good or not."
By D’Mariey Johnson
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Youth Radio's D’Mariey Johnson is one of many young people growing up in the inner city exposed to drug violence. He wants to help alter the mentalities of other young people in areas like his by using Measure Y to his advantive, so that youngsters can have a better chance at becoming successful.
I’m only sixteen years old, but already I’ve become a leader of a group of young people most traditional teachers haven’t been able to reach.
I work in Oakland with teens from challenging backgrounds.
I know where they’re coming from. I live in a place where you’re as likely to hear gunshots as a plane soaring overhead. It’s easy to get caught up in the violence. And even though I’ve always been what most people would call a “good kid”, here, you can become a target whether you’re good or not. I learned that lesson last year when one of my friends was shot and killed for no apparent reason.
I figured the best way to avoid that fate was to stay off the street and help other teens do the same. Now most of my free time is spent teaching them skills that they can turn into careers.
But even with all this progress, almost every time I watch the news, I hear about more people becoming victims to the random violence in my community. They make me wonder if things will ever change. I know it’s possible, but I also know there’s no guarantee.
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