A different avenue

27129807

It’s a Friday afternoon and Rennie Mayo isn’t being indecisive, he’s just being cautious.

As a member of Men United for a Better Philadelphia (MUBP) and captain of the South Philly team, Mayo would love to be able to know which neighborhood he and some of his members will take their antiviolence message to on Monday.

But he can’t, because in the 72 hours they have before hitting the streets, it’s more than likely at least one person will be killed or shot in South Philly.

Since the team often visits blocks where recent violence has erupted, advance planning is often futile.

ABOUT SIX MONTHS ago, MUBP implemented a new approach, enabling members to target specific neighborhoods where violent crime was occurring.

"After a couple of years, we thought we could be more effective if we split up. The purpose of the team is to keep us based where we live," Mayo, who lives on the 2300 block of Franklin Street, said.

There are MUBP teams in every city neighborhood, including Frankford and Southwest. Teams go out on different nights of the week, so members are free to overlap. As South Philly team captain, Mayo and his volunteers take their activism to their own streets Mondays from 5 to 6 p.m.

But, according to Mayo, the group desperately needs more men to join its cause. Many people are under the impression MUBP is an all-black organization, but any man can join.

"It’s Men United for a Better Philadelphia, not Black Men United for a Better Philadelphia," MUBP Director Mark Harrell said.

Asians, Hispanics and whites number among the hundreds who belong.

The group is holding local recruitment April 24 at the Houston Community Center, 2029 S. Eighth St., and May 1 at Dixon House, 1920 S. 20th St.

Ijlal "Ish" Simms, from Fifth and Shunk streets, is one of Mayo’s faithful fellow activists.

"I like to help kids in trouble. I feel like they are my sons and daughters," Simms, who is a security guard for Rite Aid in North Philly, said.

Sometimes Harrell, from Southwest Philly, joins Mayo and his men to get a feel for different areas.

Police district community relations officers often indicate and areas in need of special attention, Mayo said. While cooperation with law enforcement helps, MUBP feels community outreach is key to cracking down on violence. Before people can change, they need to unite, Harrell said.

"We are all on this earth together. If it’s not acceptable to you, then it’s not acceptable to me," he said.

A neighborhood of neighborhoods, South Philly is the perfect partner for the MUBP team approach, Harrell continued.

"The Men United method works especially well here because it is a neighborhood. You don’t have to go far. You just have to come out of your house and stand on the corner," he said.

"South Philly is geographically prone to that kind of outreach and South Philly has a lot of heart," Mayo added.

Every Monday, Mayo and his team comb troubled neighborhoods, handing out information on health, education, fatherhood and employment. Members point those in need to resources right here in South Philly, Mayo said. They also talk to residents about crime and their concerns.

"We don’t wait for something to happen, we go out before it happens," Simms said.

When members take to the streets wearing organization hats and jackets, it’s not uncommon for residents’ applause to greet them, Harrell said. "That’s why we do this. If you can make somebody feel safe, that makes you feel like you are doing something."

The support members experience when they walk into some neighborhoods illustrates the citywide stature and respect MUBP has achieved in its four years. Politicians like state Reps. Harold James and Ronald Waters number among its ranks, as does Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson, who works closely with the group and often turns to them for input in crafting crime initiatives. Johnson recently consulted MUBP for Operation Safer Streets, Harrell said.

Recently, the organization used its clout for the local removal of rap artist 50 Cent’s billboards for his film "Get Rich or Die Tryin’," some that depicted the singer with outstretched arms, a gun in one hand, a microphone in the other. MUBP also was instrumental in convincing local merchants to stop selling "Stop Snitchin’" T-shirts.

The group works closely with other crime prevention organizations, among them Mothers in Charge, Operation Town Watch and the Philadelphia Anti-Drug Anti-Violence Network.

WHEN MAYO AND his team go into South Philly neighborhoods, their main targets are young men hanging around street corners who may be leading a life of crime – or are about to go down that road.

"We develop a level of rapport with street credibility. They know we are not cops. They know we are not vigilantes. We’re just trying to save lives," Harrell said.

Not being members of law enforcement often gives MUBP an edge. Sometimes folks will open up to them and provide information on crimes – even going so far as to turn someone in, Mayo said.

Many members are ex-cons who lend street credibility to the group’s activism, Harrell said.

Mayo is one such member. A product of the foster care system, Mayo grew up in South Philly and turned to a life of crime and drugs at an early age. When he was 13, his own brother turned him onto heroin, he said.

When Mayo got out of Graterford in 1994 after serving almost 12 years for robbery, most of his friends were either dead or in jail. Mayo, 31 at the time, knew he had to turn his life around.

"I didn’t want to die in the streets. I wanted to do something different. I wanted to save lives," he said.

Today, he is a married father with an 8-year-old girl. He is also one of MUBP’s most dedicated members, according to Harrell. In addition to his street work with MUBP, Mayo regularly visits schools as an intervention specialist and works with youths and men at county correctional facilities.

Most young black men do not have positive male role models in their lives, both Harrell and Mayo said. When Mayo lectures at schools, he said he’s found 90 to 95 percent of the young men do not have a responsible male figure in their lives. Even worse, a majority of the boys have a father in prison.

Temptations of the street can be especially enticing for those who wish to belong to something and connect with other males.

"These young men can’t be good men if they don’t see good men," Mayo said, adding that is why it’s so important MUBP teams make return visits to neighborhoods.

Reaching a troubled youth is often easier than most people think, Mayo said. Most of the time it’s as simple as just being there.

"You talk to them like you would your son," Harrell said.

"Most of the kids just need to know that we care about them," Simms added.

If a gang of kids is hanging together, members will often try to gently separate them to alleviate any peer pressure that might hinder their efforts.

The activists say they know their message is getting through because it’s not uncommon for troubled teens to approach members out of earshot of their buddies and say they are looking for a way out.

If they can’t do it at the scene, sometimes youths will call MUBP the next day.

"A lot of our children are looking for a way out [from a life of crime]," Mayo said. "We bring hope. We bring options."

�

Men interested in joining the group may contact the organization at 215-236-3372 or Rennie Mayo at 267-575-2465.