Former member discusses changing gang culture

A former gang member who now works with troubled youth will give a free public lecture Friday, April 27, at 4 p.m. in the Red Gym, 716 Langdon St.

Ron Johnson, with the Social Development Commission in Milwaukee, will speak on “The Changing Nature of Youth Gangs in Wisconsin.”

Johnson’s speech will kick off the annual Skornicka Seminar for Communities, sponsored by the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW–Madison. More than 40 persons from selected Wisconsin communities and tribes will attend the weekend conference to develop strategies to fight gangs and youth violence.

A former gang member himself, Johnson now works in Milwaukee to prevent youth violence and gang activity. He works closely with Project UJIMA, a youth violence intervention program that provides intensive social work services to youth and their families when young people are admitted to emergency rooms as victims of violence. Johnson also leads workshops for youth on issues ranging from teen pregnancy to reclaiming ethnic heritage.