Ron Moten Co-founded the District of Columbia-based Peaceoholics with Jauhar Abraham in 1997. Since then they have turned the loosely formed organization into an established nonprofit that fights crime on the street level, urging young men and women to turn away from a life of violence and become active citizens.
Wahat inspired you to start Peaceoholics?
I grew up on the streets in D.C. and was incarcerated in 1988 and in 1991. While I was away, my brother and one of my best friends were killed, and I decided when I got home I would make a difference. While incarcerated I earned my GED and a college degree. I came home in 1995 and have been working in the community ever since.
What is the Peaceoholics’ primary message?
We’re about rebuilding the village, and we call our approach the “Triangle of One,” focusing on prisons, schools and communities. Violence will continue if you’re not working on all three.
What do you teach people to prevent violence?
We teach people about the difference between being a snitch and being a citizen. A snitch is someone who tells police something to get off of criminal charges against them. A citizen is someone who sees a crime and reports it. People on the streets get bamboozled out of their freedom. About 60 percent of our employees are ex-convicts — we understand the code of the street. But we also know 95 percent of the community isn’t doing anything wrong. We can’t let people scare us from upholding the law. We also don’t honor or respect snitches.
How do you combat the “street code”?
There’s a gap in the code. If someone steals your car, kidnaps your daughter, you’re going to call the police. If you’re going to call the call the police when it benefits you, you should call them when it benefits the community. That’s the responsibility that comes with being a citizen.
