SWITCH Posts

Recently, Memphis Allies and its co-hosts presented the Third Annual Breakthrough Conference, which brought together many community organizations and stakeholders invested in reducing gun violence locally and nationally.

This line of work chooses you, you don’t choose it. For Memphis Allies and partner organizations, the work to reduce gun violence isn’t just a job; it isn’t just clocking in 9 to 5, it’s a 24/7 commitment.

We are heartbroken over the senseless act of gun violence on Wednesday that claimed the life of a Memphis Allies program participant at one of our sites. Our hearts go out to the victim’s family and to the staff members who had been working with the young man.

This is ‘heart work,’ says Memphis Allies SWITCH supervisor

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.

Step-by-step, SWITCH participant finding the light For decades, Gary was in hiding. He just didn’t know it. “Growing up, I created the mask,” he said. “Be the tough guy to exist in society.”

‘These guys have nothing to lose’ is why Memphis Allies’ Tito Porter does what he does A gun, Tito Porter says, is just a means to an end. In fact, at age 19, it enabled Porter to have his own place. “My first apartment on my own was a jail cell,” he said. Porter stayed more than four years. By the time he got out, he had learned money was worthless compared to freedom.