The Connection | Independent Television

Preview

Upcoming Shows

Past Shows

Schedule

Quotes

DVDs

Become a member

What if citizens in a Charleston community decided they'd had enough of gun violence and crime around the drug trade and organized to take back their neighborhood? What if that initiative spread all over SC?

What would that look like? What would it mean to be able to sit on your porch at night and visit with your neighbors? What if kids could play in the parks and shoot basketball under the streetlights?

What if the streets were thoroughly patrolled, not just by police officers, but also by volunteer citizens with flashlights and reflective vests, volunteers who enable citizens to take back their neighborhoods? And what if more jobs with better wages were available? What if a radical combination of jobs, education, and early childhood intervention could create communities of hope and confidence rather than fear?

CPAD: Citizens Patrol Against Drugs

Watch online:

.......

..Podcast (Right click and save)

CPAD stands for Citizens Patrol Against Drugs, but next week's show looks beyond the patrols to issues of crime and punishment, gun violence and economics, poverty and privilege, love and who gets involved in the lives of young people.

Citizens patrolling one Charleston neighborhood become the backdrop for our interviews with two elected officials, Teddie Pryor and Henry Darby, local residents and men from outside the community, taxi driver and great-grandmother, Brenda Brown, who has cooked dozens of meals at her own expense to feed the patrols.

Charles Tower talks about the influence of his father that led him to a life of service, which includes his willingness to patrol streets of a dangerous neighborhood.

Anthony Greene, who was in our first show, returns to talk about what works in the lives of young people to deter them from a life of crime. Anthony is one of the most disarming and sincere people we've met in a long time.

Citadel Graduate Clay Middleton, a first lieutenant in the Army Reserve home from Iraq, gives his insight into the issues surrounding community development and the ability of people to respond to crime. He also mentors in the local schools and works for the Democratic Party.

This week's show features a number of other interviews with leaders who believe in great possibilities for social transformation and are working to make that happen.

Oops...our apologies to Charles Tyler, whose name is misspelled on the CPAD show. He's a coach, patroller and mentor in his community, and we want to make sure he gets the credit he deserves.