BALTIMORE — We are losing people to violence in East Baltimore. Yesterday it was five people injured and a 38-year old woman killed.
A few hours later another woman shot and killed, and a man injured.
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Inside the walls of the COR Health Institute, Munir Bahar is building up young men to do something about it.
On Thursday night, a class of six young men graduated from a 10-week leadership program.
“Every great leader follows or has followed another great leader," said Khyree Brooks, one of the graduates.
The call of the streets is constant.
These young men chose to follow a different path called the Youth Core Leadership program.
“This is what I need to impart to some younger leaders who want to tackle the responsibility of community development," Bahar said. "It’s not enough to want, you have to be trained and go through a process of acquiring a certain knowledge base so that you can be effective.”
Phil Brooks said he learned how to care about more than himself and to lift others up.
“I’m hoping to become a leader in this community," Brooks said. "The best I can do is make an example. I got a little brother and a lot of people like little brothers.. I want make the world a better place for them, the next generation point them in the right direction.”
The day before this graduation and just a block away one person was killed, and five others were injured.
Munir says you don’t have to look far for the why and how this happens.
The rundown buildings, lack of resources, and overall neglect is apparent.
“We’re failing because this is a reality," Bahar said. "Our children are seeing this every day and it happens so quick and then it’s like it’s over. You go on the block now you couldn’t even tell there was a mass shooting yesterday, it’s like back to normal.”
Bahar has been training and educating young men in the neighborhood for years.
He’s hopeful the world they take over will look better than the one so many are currently living in.
“This is important because in Baltimore right now if we don’t train the next generation of leaders now, we’re going to be faced with the same problem in 10,15, 20 years," Bahar said.
Bahar is working to open up another building and could use some funding.
If you’d like to help out click here.
