"I don’t want to plan ahead. Cause it’s expectations. You can let yourself down you, could let somebody else down, somebody could let you down. It’s kind of like to avoid the disappointment just don’t don’t set yourself up for failure.”

We featured 22 year old Carlton Dewindt over a year ago on Precious Lives. Neighborhood feuds and shootings eventually culminated in the death of Carlton’s close friend, Lil Ray. Ray died in an alley next to an orchard tended by Walnut Way Conservation Corp. The staff at Walnut Way gathered Carlton and other men affected by Ray’s death. They talked, they boxed, they camped… They grieved together. But before Walnut Way’s efforts had a chance to foster neighborhood peace, police conducted an undercover drug investigation in the area. Carlton Dewindt ended up getting charged. The last time we spoke with Carlton, he was getting ready to go to court.

PHOTO CAPTION:

Caption: Carlton Dewindt, then 21, is seen at his home in Milwaukee in April 2015. Carlton's friend, Raymond Harris, was killed in a homicide and Carlton took part in Walnut Way's Peace Program after that.

Credit: Mike De Sisti | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel