ST. LOUIS — Former criminals took to the streets of downtown St. Louis to have conversations with area youth.
Their hope is to deter teenagers from a life of crime.
Darren Seals, CEO Sankofa Mentoring and Training Center, held a roundtable Friday to discuss how the community can help with the violence in the city.
The group took those plans into action Saturday night to have conversations with teens.
Seals said their hope, at the end of the day, is to steer kids in the right direction.
"We're trying to get the kids back on track. Every kid in St. Louis, EVERY kid in St. Louis, we let them know there's a way out," he said.
Seals now spends most of his time sharing his own mistakes, as someone who served three years in prison.
"I did a lot of destruction. Like when I say a lot, a lot. I've been locked up over 60, 70 times. Name mentioned in so much mess," he said.
Seals said he does it because he's hoping the next generation doesn't make the same ones.
"My mother said, 'Aren't you tired of embarrassing me.?' So, I said, 'You know what, Mama? You're not going to bury me,'" he said.
Saturday night Seals was joined by others in downtown St. Louis, who understand what that's like.
"I went and got guys with a history of being on the other side. We're going to come down, we're going to show guys and say, 'Hey bro, I did 25 years flat,'" he said.
Former drug dealers and gang leaders spent their night canvassing the city.
According to Seals, they just want to spread positive messages and get through to teens and young adults.
"We're just going to have simple conversations. We're not trying to get in nobody's business. Just any kid that might need help," he said.
Seals isn't in it alone though. Whether it's through conversations or just giving them things to do, many in the community are working weekly to put an end to teen violence, in hopes of saving more lives.
"I try to talk to them, let them know the only outcome is either death or jail. No matter how you look at it, you're still in a box, whether it's a coffin or a jail cell," he said.
All Seals wants is for the teens to listen, but he is also calling on others to step up and be a part of the solution.
"Everywhere we go we pray; we make sure we are on point, and we are just trying to change St. Louis," he said.
Saturday wasn't the last night for the group. Seals said he is going to keep having conversations with teens and they are going to go into neighborhoods next.