“Anything that's done now needs to be done by people from the streets who’ve been through stuff, not no suit and tie. We've done that; it doesn’t work.”

On August 13th, all eyes turned to Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood. Protesters jumped on police cars and set buildings on fire, outraged over the police shooting of Sylville Smith. Vaun Mayes-Bey and a group of organizers had been in the area all summer, long before the news crews came. Vaun works with “Program the Parks” to provide activities and food to the teenagers who congregate in Sherman Park, outside of the Boys & Girls Club. Vaun says the work they’re doing is not only fun for the teens, it’s also making the park safer and keeping kids out of the grip of law enforcement. But after the unrest, a 6pm park curfew made it harder to do their job.

Precious Lives producer Aisha Turner talked to Vaun about why “Program the Parks” is effective and learned how they’re moving forward. You can learn more by visiting the group’s facebook page.

Vaun Mayes-Bey (center) discusses the Sherman Park curfew with a Sheriff’s officer over Labor Day weekend -- three weeks after a 6pm curfew went into effect.