Andre Christian
Andre Christian is a Watts gang intervention specialist, member of the Urban Peace Academy’s Professional Standards Committee, founder of the Watts United project, and one of the founding members of the Jordan Downs Housing Developments’ Project Fatherhood leadership development initiative. A lifelong Watts resident, Andre commits his life to creating peace on the streets where he used to be a feared member of the notorious Grape Street Crips. He has been instrumental in building the community capacity of Watts residents to lead safety initiatives in partnership with law enforcement.
Presentations from Facing Race 2014
Violence Reduction Through Cross-Cultural Leadership Development
Less than a decade ago, Los Angeles residents living in Watts’ housing developments were unlikely to interact with police in a positive way and rarely ventured outside of their homes due to the lack of safety. In 2011, a unique and historic collaboration of unlikely allies—law enforcement, the housing authority, and Watts residents—formed the Community Safety Partnership in an effort to improve community relations and safety. The breakout session will discuss how an experiment to transform a violence-ridden community became a sustainable and widely successful program that uplifts community voices in a racially-tense neighborhood.
Speakers: Virginia Lee, Arturo Ybarra, Andre Christian