Anti-Violence Program Leaves Teens "Scared Stiff"

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) ― Solemn music plays as a group of young people gathers at a San Francisco mortuary. The casket before them is real, the flowers and music donated, and the eulogies are filled with emotion.

"You were my little brother, you will always remain in my heart," one mourner says haltingly.'

But this is only a mock funeral, an elaborate recreation of something Lawrence "Larry" Gray, Jr. has seen far too many of in his community. Larry is founder and director of the gun violence prevention program "Scared Stiff."

"We are hoping the young people from the urban area stop killing each other," he explains. "We try to take them through how it feels when someone is gunned down."

Kids ages 10 to 17 plan every aspect of the service, from the financial costs to the emotional toll. They also attend workshops, hearing from trauma room doctors, police, and families all touched by gun violence. There isn't a person in the room who hasn't been affected, including Larry.

"My stepson got killed, athletes got killed, friends," he remembers. "I said no! Got to stop... time to stop."

For 50 years, Larry has lived and worked in the Western Addition neighborhood of San Francisco. He's been a recreation coordinator, a teacher, and a coach, so when he saw the rise in violence he turned to his community for help.

It's a team effort. Larry coordinates parent groups and mentoring programs that blend the talents of health care workers, police officers, and neighbors. San Francisco Fire Department Captain John Cavanaugh says Scared Stiff is changing lives.

"The mentoring is a huge part of it," John says. "But it's also the sense of community. It's brining together parents, children, members of the community to understand that this isn't your problem with your child, it's our problem with our children. Let's work together."

It all pays off when a teenager really understands.

"It opened my eyes a lot," says teenager LaKenya Burke-Ray.

"It put my mind straight towards education," adds Antoine Hoskins.

So for bringing his community together to address the problem of gun violence, and presenting kids with meaningful alternatives, this week's Jefferson Award in the Bay Area goes to Lawrence Gray Jr.

By Kate Kelly

Related Links:

* Scared Stiff
* Midnight Basketball Program

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