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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Corinthian Black, Community Navigator from Fortune Society
9:12:34
ยท
144 sec
Corinthian Black, a former gang member turned community navigator, testifies about the importance of Alternative to Incarceration (ATI) programs based on his personal experience with the Fortune Society. He emphasizes the need for rehabilitation over punishment and the positive impact of ATI programs on at-risk individuals.
- Black highlights the effectiveness of programs like "thinking for a change" and anger management classes in teaching conflict resolution and self-awareness.
- He stresses the importance of credible mentors with lived experience in guiding youth through ATI programs.
- Black advocates for increased funding to establish more ATI programs in neighborhoods with high-risk populations, promoting proactive intervention for youth before they commit crimes.
Corinthian Black
9:12:34
Good evening to all, and thank you to council committee chair Solemn and committee members for the opportunity to testify today.
9:12:42
My name is Corinthian Black.
9:12:43
I am a former gang member and an individual who's known to carry a loaded firearm.
9:12:48
Today, you see a full time community navigator with the Atlas Hope program, partnering with the Fortress Society, a member of the Legal Access Center Youth Advisory Board, an emerging adult for the Annie E Casey Foundation, and much more.
9:13:00
As a product of an ATI program, I believe the concept of alternative to incarceration should be the staple in our communities.
9:13:08
I support law and order, but prison is not the only solution.
9:13:11
The ideology of the correctional system is based upon punishment, not rehabilitation.
9:13:16
Some say if you did the crime, you must do the but there are alternatives like ATI programs.
9:13:21
I was mandated into Fortress Society for a year.
9:13:24
If that's not doing the time, I don't know what is, and it wasn't easy.
9:13:28
Initially, I was skeptical, thinking it would be like Rikers Island filled with people from various backgrounds, including those with gun cases like mine.
9:13:35
After a few weeks, I started to open up in Fortune, which became my safe haven.
9:13:39
The thinking for a change and anger management classics was very therapeutic, teaching me about myself and different ways to handle conflict.
9:13:46
I learned that walking away from confrontation takes more discipline than reacting in anger, a lesson reinforced by mentors with extensive present experience.
9:13:55
This highlights the need for credible mentors for youth like those provided by ATI programs.
9:14:00
I realized that my decisions have wider impacts unless they carry into my daily life.
9:14:05
Fortune empowered me, even creating the first ever client of the month award for me.
9:14:10
They introduced me to influential settings and supported my development of a youth curriculum backed by the Annie E Casey Foundation.
9:14:17
Now I'm the provider.
9:14:18
Through my youth focus group and my work with Atlas Hope, I support individuals aged 16 to 40 who are just as impacted and high at risk.
9:14:26
I build trust within the community and motivate those I want stood alongside and others, assisting them in finding employment and achieving stability.
9:14:34
In neighborhoods like The Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, we often encountered smoke shops, Kennedy Fried Chicken, liquor stores that promote unhealthy lifestyles.
9:14:42
I believe we should allocate funding to establish more ETI programs in these areas, giving justice impacted individual individuals a better chance to thrive.
9:14:50
Instead of waiting to intervene after youth have committed crimes, we need to be proactive and support them while they're young.
9:14:56
Thank you for the opportunity to share my testimony.