The Norwood News, WFUV Radio and BronxNet Television continue their five-part series on the impact of gangs in New York City.

Kareem Nelson used to live what he calls the “street life.” He was involved in gang-like groups, sold marijuana and participated in gun violence. A gunshot wound paralyzed Nelson, but he still continued to work the streets.

It wasn’t until after he did a stint in prison and was in a situation where he was forced to beg for his life, that he made the decision to change. In 2014, he created Wheelchairs Against Guns, using his experiences to serve as teachable moments to protect kids from gun violence, gangs, and bullying.

Nelson explained that the allure of gangs has infiltrated schools.

It’s common practice for gangs to find new young members inside of schools. In New York City, middle schools and high schools are worried less about gang members getting in and more about all the kids who want join gangs.

“The kids are gang members,” Nelson said. “They’re already in the schools.”

Nelson is contracted by the city to hold assemblies at schools and community centers, hoping his story will encourage students to go down a better path. Nelson teaches concepts that he believes schools are not offering students, such as conflict resolution strategies, critical thinking techniques, self-respect, and positive self-esteem.

“In the school system, they’re not teaching them how to think. They’re not giving them the tools to curb the gangs,” Nelson said about the ability of schools to handle the situation alone.

Nelson suggests that the best way to combat gang activity in schools, is to bring in people who understand what students are going through and how gangs work. He believes the knowledge he brings to the table is much more useful in combatting gangs than that of administrators and teachers who did not grow up in a gang culture.

“It’s different because I am them. I know what they’re going through. I know what they want to do. I know the challenges they’re facing,” Nelson said.

Ron “Cook” Barrett, a gang specialist based in Albany, agrees with Nelson’s assessment. Barrett pointed to the prison system as a point of origin for many gangs. One gang that came into the public spotlight after a series of high profile killings earlier this year, the Trinitarios, are a Dominican gang that was founded on Rikers Island in 1992. With such a high rate of imprisonment in cities like New York, it was only a matter of time before gangs seeped into the school system.

Along with the promise of protection and fraternity, Barrett said he has also seen young people drawn to gangs thanks to braggadocios portrayals in social media and the music industry. Barrett said that gangs advertise and show their pride by wearing certain colors or markers and post on social media to show their affiliation. This glamorization of the culture is what continues to attract new recruits.

Barrett wants administrators and teachers to practice zero tolerance policies, while also offering alternative activities and positive diversions at school, providing the kind of inclusion students crave from gangs.

“That sense of protection and belonging is going to come from being involved in these groups that are doing positive things,” Barrett said about offering a similar kind of affinity that gangs do, but through constructive activities.

Cure Violence, a non-profit organization, is one such alternative approach. It treats violence as a disease, using control methods to “treat it.” In schools, they use violence interrupters – former gang members – to respond and defuse situations when violence breaks out on school grounds.

Charlie Ransford, Director of Science and Policy for Cure Violence, said that instead of calling the police to handle situations, schools have the option to call individuals who can moderate the situation, instead of waiting for it to play out.

“If a conflict is brewing you have somebody that you can reach out to mediate that conflict,” said Ransford. “With a violence interrupter they can step in and do something beforehand that is much more preventative.”

Sorai King, one of Kareem Nelson’s mentees, was getting into trouble and was not focusing on his future before he met Nelson. He said that because of Nelson’s guidance he now wants to do well in school and concentrate on basketball.

“I would get into trouble and he kept getting on my back, and saying ‘get off the streets and play ball,’” King said.

Barrett said that kids stay in school for a number of reason. While some look at school as a place to graduate and socialize with friends, others see it as a means of keeping a low profile from police, a new drug deal market, and recruitment site.

“You have to show these kids and say, ‘listen we know it’s hard, but you’re so resilient and if you can make it through what you’re going through right now, the sky’s the limit,” Barrett said. You just have to get them to focus on using those skills in a positive way, and they can blossom.”