Memphis Allies Stories
This is ‘Heart Work’
His name is Earve Mathis, but around Memphis Allies’ South Memphis office, he is better known as “Mr. E.”
A life coach supervisor in the adult SWITCH program, Mr. E knows well the cost of making bad decisions. As a teenager, he was affiliated with a gang and served six years in prison for aggravated robbery.
“I was a disappointment to my parents, and even to myself,” said Mathis, now 44.
Back then, he says, there was no gun violence intervention program like Memphis Allies. And the guns, well, they were different, too.
“The guns, they just went ‘pop, pop, pop’” he said, referring to single-action shots that today have given way to the altered pistols that fire like mini-machine guns.
“And back in the day, there was more loyalty,” he said. “More respect for older [gang members]. Now, there are cliques within cliques making it more divisive and dangerous. People saying, ‘This is my territory, what you gonna do?’”
I appreciate this honor. I don’t take it lightly.
– Carl Davis
Managing director of operations, Memphis Allies
All of it means Memphis Allies’ core mission—intervening to stop the next shooting—is a massive challenge. SWITCH, which stands for Support with Intention to Create Hope, can only live up to its name if those who need it most are willing to give it a chance.
That’s where Mr. E comes in, says Memphis Allies Managing Director Carl Davis.
“Mr. E, he is relentless when talking to guys about the SWITCH program,” Davis said. “Starting off as an outreach specialist before becoming a supervisor, he is all too familiar with guys not being sure about Memphis Allies.
“He takes time to build relationships. He talks to the person about real-life situations and the way the program could improve their life.”
The thrill of victory
When participants enroll in SWITCH, they not only gain access to an outreach specialist, but a life coach, case manager and a clinical specialist. Suddenly, they have help with everything from learning how to navigate their emotions and family relationships to obtaining an ID, earning a GED or learning how to conduct themselves in a job interview.
Mr. E celebrates each small victory on a participant’s journey, recalling one hopeful young man who after getting his first ID, said: “I feel like I just won the Super Bowl.”
Mathis is also there when yesterday’s bad choices come back around.
“Mr. E is great at situational analysis and helping guys consider the pros and cons of how they deal with situations that could alter their lives forever,” Davis said. “He is a man of many words and often comes up with different sayings and riddles to make people around the office think.”
One of his favorite mottos about present-day society: “Cars are keyless, phones are wireless, families are parentless, kids are mannerless, relationships are meaningless and feelings are heartless.”
Until, that is, people are willing to consider a proactive change. That’s where Mr. E and the SWITCH program come in.
“This,” he said, “is God’s work.”
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