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East Bluff community activist says politicization of Peoria's anti-violence talks makes it harder to find solutions

East Bluff community activist Jessie McGowan
Tim Shelley
/
WCBU
East Bluff community activist Jessie McGowan

Jessie McGowan says it's time to stop pointing fingers, and start getting to work preventing violence in Peoria.

The Vietnam veteran and longtime community activist on the East Bluff describes himself as being somewhere in the middle of the debate at the epicenter of Peoria politics for the last several months. But he said that's a difficult position to be in these days.

"All the fallout from S-Net, it's been going down those lines. Either you're for this person or you're against this person. You can't be in the middle; you get called names," he said.

He said while he understands it's easier for some conversations to happen behind closed doors, he thinks the public should have a chance to weigh in once a group consensus is reached.

He said it's hard for people like himself to gain the ear of those in power.

"It's sad it's gotten to that stage. That's where it is. I mean, if you don't know somebody that...it's not what you know, now, it's who you know, and that's sad," he said. "You know, if you don't know the right person - I don't care how smart you are, how great your idea is - if you don't know the right person you don't go anywhere with it."

For his part, McGowan said he's going to continue looking out for the kids, and trying to keep them out of trouble.

'What I say is what I do. I don't just say it and don't do it. I will take you out there to the streets and show it to you. If I say there's this thing happening over here I can take you right there show it to you," he said. "That's the difference. All I'm trying to do here is get people to come and join me on some kind of street outreach stuff."

McGowan walks the streets of the East Bluff day and night, talking to kids and building relationships with them. He encourages people looking to make a difference to get active with a street outreach program.

"There's many things a person can do if they wanted to get involved. But my thing, you get involved in some way with the kids, because that's where your future is. And that's basically what your street problems are right now, a lot of time has been caused by by unsupervised kids," he said.

He said there's also a problem with the "forgotten kids" not attending school because their parents are working and not able to supervise them. He said that's where a street outreach program can come in and intervene.

"I don't know. Thing is, just all I can do is keep on doing what I'm doing," he said.

Tim is the News Director at WCBU Peoria Public Radio.