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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 10, 2018)
Martin Luther King Jr. January 10, 2018 2018 special edition Page 17 Putting At-Risk Kids on Path to Non Violence Youth mentor speaks from experience by Danny Peterson The Portland Observer Dontae Blake, 43, is an ex- gang member from northeast Portland trying to reconcile his past by connecting young- er gang members to nature in an effort to prevent them from going down the same path he once walked down. Blake has been working for over two years with a non-prof- it organization whose aim is to decrease community violence by doing outreach for at-risk youth and creating pathways to education, careers, mentorship and community service. He takes kids on nature excursions that include whitewater raft- ing, mountaineering, wildlife viewing, and hiking trails in the central Oregon area around Bend, through the program, Unify Portland, Living Free. “I haven’t had a disappointed kid yet. It’s like watching a kid Portland area. Blake started mentoring at- risk youth back in 2010 while attending Central Oregon Com- munity College in Bend, using his own tuition money and food stamps to fund the excursions. When he came back to Portland after college, he started attend- ing Community Peace Collabo- rative meetings held every other Friday at the North Portland Police Precinct, organized by the City of Portland’s Office of Youth Violence Prevention. Formerly known as Port- land’s Gang Task Force, the public forum changed its name in 2014 to Community Peace Collaborative. The meetings are designed to intervene and prevent youth violence in Multnomah County by build- ing support networks for youth and families, according to the Office of Youth Violence Pre- vention website. Community members such as individuals, photo by Danny Peterson/The Portland Observer law enforcement, businesses, Dontae Blake speaks from experience as he works to reduce gang violence in the commu- city bureaus, faith communi- nity through a program called “Unify Portland, Living Free.” A former gang member, he has ties, and neighborhood coali- turned his life around and now works with an organization creating outdoor excursions for tions have participated in the at-risk kids, helping them develop skills and interests that lead to productive lives. meetings. Outdoor excursions in the central Oregon area around Bend provide mentoring and recreation opportunities for at-risk youth as part of the “Unify Portland, Living Free” program born through the Community Peace Collaborate, Portland’s anti gang effort. at Christmas,” he said. “They just turn into kids, even active, young active gang members.” Blake was one of hundreds of people taken off a gang des- ignation list after the 20-year- old practice was phased out by the Portland Police Bureau in October. Mentoring and recreation programs, which are Living Free’s flagship services, were listed as two of the top strate- gies suggested by communi- ty leaders to reduce the gang problem in Portland, second only to jobs and job training, according to a Multnomah County Comprehensive Gang Assessment from 2014. The same report stated that there were around 133 gangs in the