A former criminal, who has turned his life around, is finding it difficult to help do the same for young people.
Pat Graham, who runs Guardian Youth at Risk Services, says he’s currently trying to curtail gang violence in Williams Lake.
He’s wanting help from the RCMP, but he says they don’t want to work with him.
“Because I have a bad criminal past,” says Graham, “I haven’t been charged in nine years, I had a 10 minute talk with and RCMP officer that called my house from Williams Lake, her whole thing and her supervisors thing is we won’t deal with you because your ex-organized crime.”
Graham says he is in communication with one Williams Lake gang member who is willing to turn himself in.
He says he’s worked with seven youth in Prince George who were on the streets and have now turned away from a life of crime.