Guest Opinion | Mark Sutton: Help Us or Don’t Hinder Us In the Fight Against Gun/Gang Violence

If we are going to stop gangs from thriving and growing in Pasadena we must begin to break the cycle of gang-gun violence.

We must start within the Black community and have the help of non-profit organizations, so-called Black organizations, politicians, and leaders of the Black community.

But for the work to be successful those groups must stop backbiting and tearing each other down.

Attacking each other for personal gain helps no one.

Check your intentions and motivations behind the words that come out of your mouth.

Your Blackness, political strategies, and tactics don’t make you any better than the next Black man. These young people are watching us. They see and understand what’s going on. Oh, y’all telling them to “Do as I say not as I do” young people do what is modeled before them.

I became a gang member when I was just 12 years old.

By the time I was 19, I was very notorious in the gang community as one of the co-founders of PDL, the second-largest Blood gang in California.

I went to prison for the retaliation of the death of my little brother. During my incarceration, I was given an humanitarian award by the warden for reconnecting inmates to their children, and bringing over 350 inmates together.

After 26 years I was released by the prison board back into my community.

Since my release, I’ve worked with a number of nonprofit organizations. I am currently the chairman of the NAACP Pasadena Branch Criminal Justice Committee.

I was awarded for the World Day of Compassion by Watts Station Marketplace for my work with gang prevention and intervention.

I am also the Founder and Executive Director of Partners Building Community Groups (PBCG). And now, working with the city of Pasadena as a violence interrupter, I am a boots-on-the-ground, front-line interventionist.

Why question Ricky Pickens expertise? This man has been educating our community and serving families, helping many youths with jobs and mentoring.

This man has trained many of us and blazed a trail for many of the very same people that are doing “the work” today. I support his work and have worked closely with him and others behind the scenes to interrupt violence. We have quietly helped several young men and women get gainfully employed.

His work has led gang impacted people to put down guns and pick up shovels. I’m in the community everyday at the parks, and gang impacted areas. Yet, I don’t see any of you that claim to do gang-intervention. Walk a day in our shoes and then let’s see what you have to say. Do you have an LTO (License to Operate) to do this work in all neighborhoods? Your statements, comments, and divisiveness are hindering the efforts to do violence interruption.

To be frank, some of your statements and accusations are putting lives in jeopardy.

Help us, don’t hinder us.

Mark Sutton is a gang interventionist/violence interrupter, life skills and cognitive behavior trainer