Originally published on 31 December 2015 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, Monrovia Weekly, and Sierra Madre Weekly

As Ken Bell puts it, he might not be here today if it weren’t for a vice-principal’s timely and thoughtful involvement when he was a very young student living in Los Angeles.  

After Bell beat a gang member one Friday morning in school, word went around that there was going to be a showdown between him and the same gang member when school let out. The wise vice-principal sent him home 15 minutes before school ended and when the kids came back to class the following week, they had forgotten the incident. Thus, trouble was successfully averted.

That lesson he learned early in life taught him the value of intervention to avoid a possible combustible situation. It stayed with him during his years at the “Hard Core Gang Unit” in the District Attorney’s office.  And it was what prevented riots from breaking out after the Rodney King beating trial in 1992. 

Anticipating problems after the Rodney King proceedings verdict, Bell invited 19 inner city gang leaders to his church on 52^nd and Hoover Street in L.A. to meet with the various police chiefs in LA County. Bell smiles as he recounts that momentous event, “No one has ever managed to get law enforcement officers and gang leaders together. It was tough getting them there, but it was tougher getting them to leave – the communication was so good that a certain respect was reached among them.”        

As a member of the Duarte School Board, Bell created the “Yes, We Can!” (As in: Yes, we can have a safe campus and get along as fellow students) program in the city’s middle schools. The program wasn’t anti-gang, it was anti-violence. According to Bell, he selected 25 student leaders on campus to serve as role models for kids in elementary school. With them, he talked about how they could be agents for the positive, how they could help identify brewing problems, and how they could stave these off before they escalate. 

With the sponsorship of The Gas Company, Bell held an all-day summer camp at Monrovia Canyon Park for these “Yes, We Can!” student leaders. He invited several prominent city officials, including district attorney, Jackie Lacey, to be guest speakers. During the camp, they also discussed possible situations they might come across, and how to handle these.

Dressed in T-shirts emblazoned with the “Yes, We Can!” logo, this multi-cultural group leaders visited all six elementary schools in Duarte. There they spoke to 6^th graders and discussed transitioning to 7^th grade. Alums of the elementary schools spoke of their middle school experience; this helped calm the minds of kids about what awaited them in 7^th grade.

According to Bell, they also invited all 6^th graders to spend a day at Duarte High School to vie in sport competitions. Students from the six elementary schools were mixed to play in the various competitions, in a fun environment. Boundaries were broken that day – students played together and they all had fun. Everyone realized that each one was the same after all and it made for a seamless transition into middle school where they will all meet again.           

The “Yes, We Can!” campaign was eventually handed over to the school counselors and Bell went on to start yet another initiative – STAR or Students Taking Action Responsibly. Some “graduates” of “Yes, We Can!” are now in STAR. It is a two-year program aimed at holding various campus activities promoting campus safety. 

Now Duarte Unified School District (DUSD) is known as the place Where Everybody Belongs (WEB). Transitioning from elementary to middle school or middle school to high school can be a daunting prospect. To help Duarte’s youth ease into new grade levels confidently and smoothly, DUSD implements national programs called WEB and Link Crew. WEB is a middle school orientation and transition program that partners 8^th grade mentors with 7^th graders. Every transitioning student is assigned a mentor and all student mentors go through an application and interview process; those selected then receive two days of extensive leadership and mentoring training.  

Throughout the year, WEB and Link Crew mentors put on various social and academic activities for the 7^th and 9^th graders, ranging from holiday parties to team competitions, to classroom lessons on bullying prevention and school success. More importantly, WEB and Link Crew mentors are a source of encouragement and support for 7^th and 9^th graders on campus, and the programs ensure that all students feel they are in a place where everyone belongs.

Schools, parents, and society, in general, are all responsible for providing a positive and safe environment for all young people Duarte students. He knows that young people need to be able to talk to someone they can trust. Timely intervention can save one young man from a gangster life. Bell can attest to that with utmost certainty.    

Bell’s efforts on behalf of the youth have not gone unnoticed. For his dedicated service to the affairs of the community and numerous contributions to the residents of L.A. County, the  NAACP Pasadena branch honored him with the Community Award. He was feted during the 30^th Annual Ruby Knight Williams Awards Dinner held on October 8, 2015. 

For Ken Bell, it is a journey from a possible life on the edge of violence to one of model citizenship.