Along with Craig (Real Action) and Nathan (Go Gettaz) I had the opportunity to chop it up with Ted here's some info on who he is, where he's come from and where he's trying to go. -Fonz
 Ted Sutton says gangster life in Baltimore is worse than on TV |
Ted Sutton joined a gang at the age of 14 and for the next decade watched people around him die in some of Baltimore's roughest districts.
He said: "I got caught up with a rough crowd, I started carrying a gun, then a sawn-off shotgun. I felt I belonged but I didn't know the price you paid for life on the streets.
"I got into my early 20s - then bad things started to happen all around me. My best friend died in my arms, he was gunned down. Another friend got a life sentence plus 20 years in prison. He'll never be out.
"My other friend was paralyzed from the neck down by a bullet. Someone else got through $175,000 of crack cocaine in a year.
"That same year my girlfriend died of cancer."
Ted thinks that there are up to 3,000 people involved in gangs in Baltimore at any one time. And he's trying to help them change their lives.
He said: "I was looking at a 15-year sentence for something I didn't do - instead of for all the things I did do wrong.
"But the judge dismissed all the charges. I went on to get two Masters degrees. I was g
iven a second chance, most people aren't going to get that."Ted thinks The Wire has been a mixed blessing for his city.
He said: "It's done an injustice to us and to Baltimore. It's glorified that lifestyle but it has let the world know how it went down."
Ted said the life of gang members was even worse than portrayed in The Wire: "Along with the money comes all the legal issues - we weren't out partying all the time. You always had to watch your back."
And he rejected the idea that some young people had no choice but to join gangs.
"I don't ever feel that people are forced to join gangs but if you are not strong then you will join. The problem is the kids' reality has been twisted.
"They think that if you get good grades you are a nerd, or if you put your hand up in class you are a punk.
"We are trying to change that."
Urban Youth in America is a collection of footage filmed by Mr. Ted Sutton while traveling the country saving the lives of young men "caught up" in the street life.
check it out below!
Edward 'Ted' Sutton
Edward 'Ted' Sutton is the CEO & Founder of Sutton House Inc, and CEO & Founder of The Ministers of Defense. He is a man devoted to changing the lives of young men in Baltimore and around the world who find themselves hopelessly lost in gang life. A troubled youth himself, Mr. Sutton's philosophy is that, "In speaking to people, you either speak life into them, or death into them." In an area that speaks so much death, Mr. Sutton is speaking life.
Edward 'Ted' Sutton received his Masters Degree in Criminology, specializing in Juvenile Delinquency Prevention from Coppin State College. He was affiliated with the characters in the HBO television drama, THE WIRE, a series about life on the streets in Baltimore, MD. The series featured Mr. Sutton's mentor, Little Melvin Williams, one of the main characters on the series; that was also featured in BET's documentary series, American Gangster.
Mr. Sutton's life began to turn around, and he made a bold decision to change. He is a sought after motivational speaker, and is a trained certified gang intervention specialist. He has traveled around the country speaking and training at community events, church functions, schools, Universities, and other organizations about youth-focused issues. Additionally, he renders his services to prison inmates and the community in an effort to create better relationships between rival gangs and its members.
Mr. Sutton has also provided relationship and communication training to police officers at the Baltimore City Police Academy to assist in building better relationships between urban youth and the police department. He has published a brochure, titled "What to Do When Stopped by The Police", a resource guide tailored to youth understanding the law and their legal rights.
He started the first library at the Baltimore City Correctional Center and has addressed Congress in Washington, DC, to speak on the plight of youth and young adults. In 2010, Mr. Sutton was interviewed by the British Broadcasting News, and in 2011 he was interviewed by the Rolling Stone magazine, and the Washington Post. Mr. Sutton was also nominated and selected to represent Baltimore, Maryland in the 2011 Who's Who Registry among Executives and Professionals.
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