Nekenya Hardy and Les Jenkins know the streets of the Austin neighborhood inside and out.
“That’s what makes them credible, gives them the license to operate,” Bryant said. “They know the people, they have the relationships. They’ve lived that life but they’ve also turned their lives around to a positive direction.” Hardy and Jenkins say the youth they work with have hidden trauma and that victims or witnesses of gun violence carry around anger or anxiety they might not be aware of.
“You could just be a face that they don’t know, walking up the block, you suspicious, you dangerous,” said Hardy. “They gonna watch you. If they aint know who you is and you just walking in their area, they’re going to be alert about you and any slight movement can get you hurt.”
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