By Mensah M. Dean, The Trace, March 14, 2023
An unexpected knock at the door in December caught Zeem off guard. He had not been expecting the visit from a social worker, a representative from the District Attorney’s Office, a mentor — called a credible messenger — two police officers, and a mother who had lost a child to violence.
They were from the city’s program for Group Violence Intervention, and they had come to offer the initiative’s services to Zeem, whose past included dealing drugs and associating with people involved in gun violence.
“I don’t know how my name came about,” said Zeem, 27. “I wasn’t doing too bad, but I wasn’t doing too good. I was, like, stuck in the middle.”
Zeem said the group sold him on GVI because it offered what he wanted: a GED, a job, and other options to help him avoid the snares and pitfalls of life in North Philadelphia.
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