Offering Troubled Lives a Fresh Start

OAKLAND — Jerome Young, 19, no longer hangs out on the streets selling drugs and living in fear of death threats.

Steve Lent, 28, got tired of bouncing in and out of custody, a pattern he had known since he was 11.

Both are residents of the Men of Valor Academy, a 2-year-old program in East Oakland that offers troubled men a chance to turn their lives around. The participants join the program voluntarily.

"It evolved after looking at the homicides in the city of Oakland," said the Rev. Bob Jackson, who developed the program and runs it out of a converted church in one of the toughest areas of town. "We came to the conclusion [that the homicide rate] was caused by a lack of money. These men were out there killing each other for dope turf."

Oakland's homicide rate is escalating; it stands at 107 deaths so far this year -- seven more than last year at the same time. City officials, police, clergy and residents have met to discuss the murders and possible solutions, but the homicides have continued.

Jackson, pastor of Acts Full Gospel Church in Oakland, thinks he has the answer to the epidemic of murder in urban core areas across the country. He says that if men receive skills in the construction trades, they will earn enough to avoid the lure of the streets.

The academy, funded with a two-year, $500,000 grant from former Gov. Gray Davis' office and donations from Jackson's 7,124-member congregation, has evolved to include a job-training segment.

The program focuses initially on character development, including self-esteem, anger management, identification of triggers that cause the men to relapse into negative behavior, and even money management. There's also a spiritual element, and exercise to help defuse anger.

After the first phase, participants attend classes. Some study for their high school equivalency degrees; others polish up their math and language skills. The final component of the program is learning carpentry, plumbing, roofing and other construction trades.

Jackson, 57, a building inspector in Oakland and nearby Union City before becoming a minister 20 years ago, said his program emphasizes construction skills because it's a field that doesn't discriminate against men with criminal records. When the men finish their training, they'll be able to land jobs as apprentices earning $15 to $30 an hour, he said.