CLUB PRESIDENT: Our guest speaker at the Youth Club tonight is Reginald Coleman. Mr. Coleman is a former gang member and convicted felon who turned his life around. He now goes around the country speaking to at-risk youth about how to resolve conflicts non-violently. It’s my pleasure to introduce Reginald Coleman.
[Polite Applause]
REGINALD COLEMAN: Thank you, Mr. President. I’m sure a lot of speakers would say that when they see a group of kids like you, they see themselves as a younger person. I won’t say that. When I was your age, I wouldn’t have attended a youth group. I was out shoplifting, drinking, and tagging buildings. I was and hotheaded and would throw a punch at anyone who looked at me the wrong way. At 17, I was arrested for robbing a convenience store of $87 and spent the next four years in jail.
You have a choice to make in jail - you can either make a vow never to return, or you can plot your next crime. I decided I didn’t want to come back, but how is a young man who has spent his teenage years gangbanging and his adult life in prison supposed to go straight?
I got lucky and had a parole officer who was understanding. While in prison, I came up with a controversial idea on how to avoid violence. I gave up drinking altogether and just smoke pot. All the time. In fact, I’m high right now. What I came to learn in prison was the only time I didn’t want to kill someone was when I was high. These days, nothing bothers me. The other…
CLUB PRESIDENT: Thank you Mr. Coleman. Kids, although Mr. Coleman’s life story is triumphant I urge you not to smoke pot.
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