The remains of a man shot in the face in a drive-by, an autopsy in progress, a man being repeatedly stabbed to death while a prison guard watched.
She began Saturday with her head bowed in prayer, but now Juliana Starr, 14, covered her face to avoid seeing images on a screen of the horrible fates of youths in gangs and crime.
“They could be living their lives instead of going through that,” Starr said.
While the video was gruesome, it was a tool to show the consequences of making poor decisions, said the Rev. Leon Kelly, who works with young people to avoid gangs. He gave his presentation to more than 100 youths at Epworth United Methodist Church in Denver at the Youth Crime Prevention Education Conference.
“I want to give them a dose of reality and take the glamour out of (being in a gang),” Kelly said.
Sponsored by the Denver NAACP Youth Council, the video was intended to reiterate the theme, “Jail is No Place to be Somebody,” and drive home the importance of education.
The conference featured a series of speakers and workshops. While Kelly addressed the consequences of gang life, Dr. Abayomi Meeks offered alternatives. Meeks, founder of Moyo Nguvu Cultural Arts Center in Denver, spoke to the youth about how to be honorable, how to transfer anger into positive results and how not to believe society’s portrayals of who African-Americans should be.
Meeks said his sons read something every day on the history of their culture, and that rappers are not good role models.
“Don’t believe the hype. Don’t let someone define for you who your heroes and sheroes are,” Meeks said.
Kelly told the kids he has grown callous after burying almost 700 youths killed from direct involvement in gangs or from being a victim of violence.
He held up a thick list of their names and their death announcements as he told stories of one being shot in the back of the head or another having his chest blown apart.
“I will use anything that will have an effect,” Kelly said.
It definitely had an impact on Daniel Dilosa, 14.
“He changed my mind,” Dilosa said. “Those pictures – they showed everything that can happen. I felt like I wanted to hurl.”
The conference also had an effect on 8-year-old Autumn Conner, who said she wants to be a famous singer when she grows up.
“You can’t make your dream come true in prison,” she said.
Staff writer Julianne Bentley can be reached at jbentley@denverpost.com.
