Pubdate: Mon, 22 Nov 2004 Source: Winston-Salem Journal (NC) Copyright: 2004 Piedmont Publishing Co. Inc. Contact: http://www.journalnow.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/504 Author: Jessica Guenzel, Journal Reporter Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) UNION BAPTIST PROGRAM TRIES TO TURN LIVES AROUND Former Drug Dealers, Users Discover That They Can Put Mistakes And Bad Choices Behind Patrick Thomas said he was raised in church but did most of his learning on the streets. For nearly 20 years, Thomas said he sold marijuana and crack cocaine. He carried a gun and served time for the crimes he committed. This past weekend, Thomas was one of many former drug dealers and users who worked together with Union Baptist Church to hold the four-day Corner to Corner conference. It drew former drug users and dealers, families affected by drugs and other substance-abuse problems, and those who simply wanted to show support for people looking to change the direction of their lives. "We've all got a past," said Thomas, who said he is now clean from drugs. "No matter whether you're white, black, Hispanic, elderly, young, whether you live in the suburbs or the projects, everybody knows somebody affected by drugs or addiction. This conference was just what we needed. It gave people out there a chance to hear from other people who could honestly say, 'Hey, I've been where you are.'" The conference included a variety of workshops such as "The Hip-Hop Culture and My Life," "Cleaning Up Your Record" and "Making the Transition to Do It the Right Way," run by religious, educational and community leaders. The conference also included a job fair, luncheons, worship services, and testimonies from former drug dealers and people affected by drugs. "A lot of the guys I used to be out there on the streets with were at this conference," Thomas said. "Some came voluntarily; some were coerced to come. When you're out there selling, you say a prayer, 'God, let me get through this.' It was a blessing to see those guys wanting to come into the church and wanting to look for another way. A lot of t-hese guys sell drugs to fit in or support their families. This conference showed them they don't have to. There are better ways." Corner to Corner grew from an idea of the Rev. Sir Walter Mack Jr., Union Baptist's pastor. He drove home one Sunday afternoon after a service and passed a man dealing drugs in a car outside the church and realized the depth of the community's drug problem. "I thought and I prayed for an answer," Mack said. "I knew there has to be a way for us to make our religion ... relevant." That thought led to the formation of a "C2C" committee, established to organize and get the word out about the conference. Thomas headed the committee, which included a team of 10 volunteers who visited neighborhoods, knocking on doors and passing out flyers to dealers and users on their own turf. The committee also enlisted the help of officials, rehabilitation centers and judges in the area. Ten judges agreed to make mandatory attendance of the conference part of an offender's probationary status, and rehabilitation centers also made attendance mandatory for their current residents. Those who attended the conference "graduated" to loud cheers and applause from about 1,200 people at yesterday morning's service. "Many of these people have never completed anything in their life," Mack said. "For the attendees, their self-esteem was raised, their awareness of God and their communities was raised.... Whenever you see people doing better with their life and wanting to do better with their life, it has to ignite a passion inside of you. The purpose of life goes beyond the sale of drugs. Now, I think, they understand that. They realize that they have an obligation to God, to their families, to the people around them and to themselves." Roderick Martin said he was skeptical when his parole officer ordered him to attend the conference. "I was angry," Martin said yesterday, wearing a red sash after the C2C graduation. Martin was incarcerated after being caught with crack cocaine. "I kind of laughed about it. 'For what?' I asked. But once I started coming, on that very first day, I appreciated it. I seen what was going on, what they were trying to do and I started appreciating myself a little better, thinking about the bad things I was doing that I shouldn't have been. I want to better myself. Everybody really put a hand out for us." Although Antwan Hauser wasn't forced to attend the conference, his parole officer strongly recommended he attend. Hauser, 30, said he started selling drugs in the eighth grade and was caught with 78 rocks of crack cocaine in the ninth. Today, he has four children and said he has lost everything he owned to drugs. "I've done everything - sold drugs, shot people," Hauser said. "It's time to do something else. I hate being broke like this now, but there's got to be a better way. This showed us we got ways to make money, don't have to be looking over our shoulder all the time. I want a better life for my kids. I don't want them to grow up like that." Mack said that the church has received such positive reactions from people who attended the conference that it will be held again next year. "This week, the church was challenged. Many times, in church settings, we often stigmatize people because of something they are doing. But what we have learned this week is that these are some good people who got into some tight situations, made some bad decisions and got caught. This conference was about letting them know that we're not giving up on them. It was absolutely unbelievable. I knew that it would have an impact, I just didn't know the impact would be so great." - --- MAP posted-by: Derek