"Our future is dying": Mobile community crisis unit tackles youth gun violence in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Michael "OG LAW" Ta'bon spent some time this week inside a casket along Chelten Avenue in Germantown. He was trying to catch the attention of any kids or teens walking by, and he did just that.
The casket, along with a flatbed made to look like a jail, is all part of his mobile community crisis event unit. It's being used to tackle gun violence and educate the youth.
"They are dying, I mean our future is dying. The whole city," Ta'bon said.
The unit travels. This month, it's in Germantown. It's equipped with surveillance, basketball nets, a stage, an audio studio, a dry-erase board, a t-shirt press and a movie screen.
The goal is for kids to have a safe environment to learn. Ta'bon calls it "sidewalk therapy."
"This is one of the ways that I found after 18 years of work on the ground in Philadelphia frontline neighborhoods to actually be able to reach the youth and then gather their attention enough to make them want to ask questions," Ta'bon said.
"They need it," Terrell Elias, of Germantown, said. "The kids definitely need it, even the young adults. You know everyone needs to see this. It's a reality check."
Ta'bon said he was incarcerated for 15 years, and now he's giving back and spreading his violence prevention message with creativity.
"Stay in the straight and narrow so you can make it to the destination of your dreams. You don't have to veer left and end up in prison and you don't have end up in the body bag," he said.
Ta'bon, who spends the night in the unit, said once he identifies any problems, he can make sure each child has the resources he or she needs.
"I can only utilize my talents to make sure that we have a future, that Philadelphia has a future," Ta'bon said.
The goal is to travel all over the city and even share the message and outreach around the country. The next stop is Kensington.
