CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Charles McKenzie recalls defusing a confrontation recently in Englewood by stepping into the middle of the dispute – and into the path of a young man with a gun.
When the youth demanded to know why he was interfering, McKenzie says, "I looked him in the face said, 'I care.'"
That situation ended peacefully, he says, but there is no shortage of problems in the South Side neighborhood. McKenzie, 30, is an activist known by some as the "Mayor of Englewood." A major focus is mentoring at-risk youth, he says.
"I used to do a lot of bad things, a lot of things that kids do now, but I lost a lot of friends and family," he says. "I used to be a part of the problem in the community, but now I'm part of the solution."
At just 12 years old, McKenzie joined Chicago's CeaseFire, which relied on former gang members to prevent violent confrontations.
"I saw a very close friend of mine -- we were real tight, he was like family --and he lost his life over stupidity," he says.
McKenzie also helps organize events. When it snows, he makes sure the elderly in the community get their sidewalks and driveways shoveled, he says.
He hopes one day to develop a youth center for the neighborhood.
"I've been searching around Englewood, a couple of boarded-up places, been looking and calling a few numbers," McKenzie says. "I'm going to go all the way until I find it."
