After the tragic events that took place in Ferguson last year, Be In The Know About Bullying founder and former NFL player Sean James had an epiphany. He realized that communication between urban youth and police officers isn’t getting better—it’s getting worse. So he decided to create a program to heal relations between the St. Louis Police Department and urban youth. The program is called Gateway and its main goal is to get people to identify with cops, not fear them.
“Police officers should be seen as heroes, not villains, and urban youth should not be seen as criminals, but as success stories,” says James.
Gateway is in coordination with Be In The Know About Bullying. This organization provides support to youth and families impacted by bullying, violence, and suicide through preemptive education and communication.
“160,000 kids do not attend school in fear of being bullied,” says James.
In order for parents to recognize bullying, they need to engage with their children and talk to their kids’ teachers. If kids are being bullied, it is important that they talk to an adult they trust.
“In order to flourish you need to be in a safe environment,” says James.
That’s exactly what Gateway is trying to create for urban youth, a safe environment in which to flourish. James is passionate about starting Gateway in St. Louis because he's from the Midwest and knows that urban youth in the area fear police officers.
In order to abolish this fear, police officers in urban areas need to build a better relationship with their community, he says, and Gateway presents them with that opportunity. After its launch in St. Louis, James plans on expanding Gateway across the United States.
A Gateway to Greatness Dinner will be held on Saturday, February 28 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Holmes Lounge at Washington University (1 Brookings) in order to celebrate communication and healing between the St. Louis Police Department and its urban youth. Alpha Epsilon Pi, Red Alert, Wash. U., and Be In The Know About Bullying will host the dinner. St. Louis Rams MVP Will Witherspoon will be in attendance as well as Joshua Peters, Jacue Lande, Chris Johnson, and Sgt. Catherine Dennis.
