Reducing violence in our communities isn’t just about what happens in the courtroom or with law enforcement. Some of the most powerful solutions are found in people—specifically, those who have walked the same streets and lived the same struggles as the young people now at risk.
These individuals are known as credible messengers. They are men and women who may have once been in a gang, served time, or survived cycles of violence. Today, their lived experience gives them a voice that carries weight in places the system often cannot.
For Julius Buie, that voice was forged through more than two decades of gang life. The pull toward the streets, he says, came from the need to belong and the crowd he chose to run with. “I wanted to feel accepted. I wanted to be a part of something,” he explains.
That choice led to years of violence, quick money, and survival in a world where retaliation became normalized. “When there are no programs, no education, no mental health or trauma response—nothing like that to educate us—it becomes normal,” he said.
Today, his story looks very different. As a credible messenger in Pulaski County, he coaches youth, mentors participants in court programs, and walks alongside people in crisis. His testimony of change opens doors of trust for young people who often reject advice from authority figures.
“How could you talk to a gangster if you never been a gangster?” he asks. “My testimony is what allows them to open up, to be vulnerable, and to let me pour into them.”
Research shows that in nearly every city, only a small number of individuals drive most of the violence. The Group Violence Intervention (GVI) strategy identifies those individuals and engages them directly—not just with consequences, but with opportunities for change.
Credible messengers like Buie are critical to that approach. They can speak with authority, relate through experience, and offer hope in a way that professionals outside the life cannot.
“The streets say trust nobody,” Buie says. “But when someone with lived experience sits down and builds trust, that makes a difference. That is vital.”
Smart Justice is a magazine, podcast, and continuing news coverage from the nonprofit Restore Hope and covers the pursuit of better outcomes on justice system-related issues, such as child welfare, incarceration, and juvenile justice. Our coverage is solutions-oriented, focusing on the innovative ways in which communities are solving issues and the lessons that have been learned as a result of successes and challenges.
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