My name is Shawn M. Richard; I attended school in San Francisco and graduated from Balboa High School. I had a brief stints at Skyline College, City College of San Francisco and San Francisco State University.
As a community leader, I began to do teach-ins at local juvenile detention centers, speak with victimized families and youth in the schools about stopping violence. I counseled my peers, mentored youth who were warded to juvenile court, organized youth sports activities and sponsored community peace gatherings, which attracted hundreds of young people. I launched an anti-gun advertising campaign aimed at some of the city’s most violent neighborhoods with the message: “Buying a gun on the street is cheap: a human life is priceless.”
I am blessed that I am in the position I am in today. In my youth, I was involved in gangs and drug sales. I also spent three years in the penitentiary. A lot of my friends and family are not here today, but I am. My brother’s death was a wake-up call that told me I could no longer straddle the fence. I had been to college, I am one of the first eight that started in the Omega Boys Club and a community activist, but I was leading a double life. I felt that God was telling me that if I did not make a change, I would be next to die. Now everything I do, including going back to school is to build Brothers Against Guns. I work to save the lives of youth because I could not save my brothers life. I do Brothers Against Guns to keep my brothers memory alive.