WASHINGTON — As the District closes a grim year with the highest homicide rate in two decades, a returning citizen has launched a hotline to get residents the resources they need to get out of cycles of violence.
"I did 32 straight years in a penitentiary by hanging out in those corners," Rickey Bryant told WUSA9. "I don't want that to happen for you."
With the support of the seniors at the Colony House in Northwest D.C., Bryant activated the hotline (855-753-2368) that will connect callers to get help for violence prevention, conflict resolution and mentoring.
"There is no repercussion," Bryant said. "The calls are totally confidential."
As a returning citizen himself, Bryant became part of faith-based violence intervention programs and also served in the pilot that later became the District's Safe Passage program, which helps usher children to and from school safely.
"We want to make sure that you have a chance in life," Bryant said. "The corners are not it. I can tell you that from real life."
The native Washingtonian does not shy away from the time he spent in prison, because he says it helps him connect with the struggles that youth are dealing with currently. Violent crime is up 39% in D.C. compared to the same time last year, according to the latest police data. There have been 264 homicides so far this year, which is 67 more cases than the year prior.
Bryant's concern for youth crime prompted him to testify in front of the D.C. Council as they discussed Mayor Muriel Bowser's third and latest crime bill.
"There's a different way -- we can show you a different way," he said. "We can talk to you about a different way, and we are going to talk to you. We aren't going to preach to you."
In October, City Administrator Kevin Donahue launched a new 211 hotline designed to help residents concerned about troubled loved ones. The service provided under the Child and Family Services Agency is intended to help callers navigate the social services for their friends or family members who might be involved in a potentially harmful situation.
Bryant has taken his idea to the DC Council and Bowser's office in hopes that he can get the support he needs to make Street Line bigger by 2024.