YORK, Pa. — Abdullah Jamison’s son known as “Poppa” was killed in December 2020 in a drive-by shooting. Jamison decided to start his non-profit organization the APJ Foundation to make a change.
"As a parent that has a child that was murdered, my initial reaction is finding solutions. That [way] I can help that young man change his way of thinking so he doesn’t go back out there and repeat the same thing over and over again," Jamison said.
“You live with it and it’s a constant," he continued. "You have your good and your bad days. Somedays I’ll look at [my son's] picture and I’m like, 'Is this real?' But this is the reality of it."
He says doing nothing is not an option for him.
"One of the things that we do at the foundation is having one-on-one conversations with [men and boys], group meetings and things like that, we’re getting solutions from them," said Jamison.
The Movement is a non-profit organization in York that helps provide resources to the community, including helping families who have lost loved ones to gun violence with funeral arrangements and mental health services.
The non-profit says the calls are becoming more frequent.
"It’s not a monthly thing anymore, this is going on weekly that families are looking out for help and support," said Tonya Larry, one of the organizers of the non-profit.
Jamison says it’s all about providing mentorship to the youth.
'When you change your way of thinking, you change your way of living, and that’s the main focus with our youth. We have to change their thinking," he said.