BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WBRC ) - Teenagers are impressionable, and one Birmingham man is working to make sure they are getting the right message.
Jacobie Williams, a former drug dealer turned mentor, started the program Everybody W.E.N.S. in 2020 to reduce gun violence and provide guidance to young people. That mission became even more important this summer after a tragic incident involving two of the program’s participants.
This year’s summer camp, hosted by the Housing Authority Birmingham District, began with 15 peer counselors. It ended with 13. One counselor was shot and killed, allegedly by another, in what the group calls an accident.
Now, counselors like Demetria Brown, Cody Underwood, and Jamaya Smith are leaning on each other and pledging to stop the violence.
“Never play wi