POERTY empowered kweisi gharreau, a poet to write, meet and forgive his younger brother, Lemont's killers.

The follow-up from the PEACE LOVE & FORGIVENESS Forum on February 24th as The Marathon Continues...

The epidemic of gun-violence in Chicago is caused by several systemic issues from poverty, lack of resources for better education, training for trade skills, jobs and opportunities to the root of it all, trauma. Whether you are the shooter, the victim or the family and friends of both; this is the root of our city's societal ill of gun-violence. When we recognize and deal with this core mental health issue, we will begin the process to triumph over the trauma.

kweisi gharreau (kway-c ga-har-ro), personally has faced this trauma on several occasions within his family. kweisi gharreau has turned his pain into poetry. Poetry empowered kweisi gharreau to write, meet and forgive his younger brother, James Lemar Ford, 17 aka Lemont's killers. Come meet kweisi gharreau's family who has been dealing with gun-violence in his family since 1974...

Come meet his sister, shooter in a domestic violence from physical abuse, killed her son's father.

His nephew, whom kweisi had to empower with forgiveness to forgive his father in death and his mother for killing his father.

Meet his other nephew, who was shot twice and survived both shootings. He didn’t “snitch” on the shooters, so he went to prison instead.

His youngest nephew, who is 13, was robbed last year at gunpoint for his candy and money. He is angry. He wants to be a shooter now. Breaking the cycle!

Meet kweisi's mother, who turned in his sister to the police for the shooting of her son's father. Is his mother a “snitch”? When are we going to stop with this false narrative street code in being involved in a crime to being a witness of a crime?

TRAUMA TO TRIUMPH...NATURE TO NURTURE.

kweisi gharreau, Poet/Self-Published Author/Activist/Brand Strategist

NOMINEE, for the Mayor's Office office Inaugural Chicago Poet Laureate in coordination with the Depart of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, the Chicago Public Library and the Poetry Foundation. Follow kweisi gharreau on Instagram @2kgpr_

Come be apart of the conversation and the creative solution.