YORK, Pa. — In 2020, the city of Harrisburg had 22 homicides.
Violence in the city of Harrisburg hasn't slowed down this year, and one local organization has been working for years to curb the violence in a city that seems to only be getting worse.
Kevin Dolphin is the founder of "Breaking the Chainz," a community outreach nonprofit organization that works with at-risk youth and ex-felons. He says he started hanging out with the wrong crowd at a young age. This led him to many years of getting into trouble.
Dolphin says his last time going to prison, where he served 15 years, was his turning point. He says it was seeing how it was impacting his family, that he knew he needed to get out of this violent cycle.
“When you go to prison, you’re not only locked up, but the individuals who love you are also locked up with you as well," Dolphin said.
When he decided to change his life, he was also able to see what was going on in the community that he grew up in.
“The abnormal is the normal and until individuals are able to see different, then they’re going to continue on in the same facet that they've been continuing on," he said.
Dolphin decided to start Breaking the Chainz because he wanted to be able to be a resource for those looking to change their lives.
“Providing mentorship, reentry services, and different services for individuals who may find themselves in a dark place, in a place of no hope, in a place where they need some guidance," he said.
Dolphin also said he brings a unique perspective in having been in that situation and knowing what’s it like.
“We’re out there in the corners, on the schools, and the prisons, wherever you name it, we’re there," he said.
Dolphin’s hope moving forward is that law enforcement can work alongside grassroot organizations like his, to curb the violence that is taking place in the city.
“Until we all sit down at the table as a collective, it’s not going to happen," he said. "We’re going to continue to see these things escalate, escalate and escalate, especially with the way the world is today."
To learn more about Breaking the Chainz, visit the organization's Facebook page, or check out the clip above.