At 19, Silvia was the one who found her brother-in-law lifeless, shot to death, lying on the pavement of a gas station lot. A few years later, she was the victim when a man snuck up behind her and held a knife to her chest.

At 19, Silvia was the one who found her brother-in-law lifeless, shot to death, lying on the pavement of a gas station lot. A few years later, she was the victim when a man snuck up behind her and held a knife to her chest.
Tony is working to increase community safety by giving participants support they need to change the trajectory of their lives.
Life Coach Florence “Flo” Brooks brings some much-needed light and support to participants in the Memphis Allies SWITCH program in Raleigh/Frayser.
James Kirkwood grew up wanting to be a pastor – and a police officer. He did both. Kirkwood served for more than 30 years with the Memphis Police Department, rising to the rank of colonel, leading two of the city’s police precincts.
The man was shot and killed in front of his 2-year-old daughter. It was another senseless homicide in Memphis; another child traumatized by gun violence. To Brandon and Bryan Mathis and the Memphis Allies team, this man, this incident was more than just a statistic.
In the spring sunshine of a recent Saturday, Sharika Carpenter remembered her darkest day – the day her 17-year-old son, Braylon Murray, was robbed, shot and killed at a Memphis carwash.
Troy Dotson’s face tells part of his story… there’s a six-point star with a ‘G’ for Gangster Disciples on his cheek. Two other tattoos there signify the “work” he put in for the gang and his high rank in the organization.
The non profit Youth Villages has announced the launch of a $60 million dollar program aimed at bringing targeted services to crime-ridden areas in the city, Memphis Allies.
Amid the gun violence epidemic in Memphis, Youth Villages stated it is starting an initiative called Memphis Allies which will work to curb gun violence.
For more than a year, we’ve been working with community leaders and national experts to build Memphis Allies to address one of our community’s greatest challenges: deadly gun violence.