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'We build trusting relationships with them' | Stockton Peackeeper program thriving during pandemic

Mentors work with area youth to help keep them off the streets.

STOCKTON, Calif. — Everyday Heroes are all around us and they’re making a difference in our communities, even through these difficult times. 

Every week, ABC10 highlights people and their heroic acts. This week, we would like to tell you about the Stockton Peacekeepers, a group of mentors who to reduce gang violence by creating relationships with young adults.

The Peacekeepers work under Stockton’s Office of Violence Prevention program. Since 1998, Director Daniel Muhammad says mentors have helped area youth avoid a gang lifestyle by mediating and resolving problems on the street. 

“We build trusting relationships with them once we have received a referral for them,” Muhammad said.

Peacekeepers have worked hard to maintain their relationships during the pandemic. One way they’ve done it is by delivering thousands of meals to the community and opening up a safe place for the most vulnerable. 

“We’ve been able to get people employment during this time period and help them with their essentials,” Muhammad said.

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Michael Martinez, one of the participants in the program, receives regular mentorship, which he says changed his life.

“Everything you guys have been offering us has been nothing, but love and opportunity,” Martinez said.

Peacekeepers are not law enforcement officers. The mentors work hard to gain trust with young adults in Stockton. Grover Crump, one of the Peacekeepers, believes they're even making a difference on the streets during the pandemic.

“Shootings have gone down; homicides have defiantly gone down," Crump said. "So, we are doing well because we are constantly staying engaged with our people.”

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