Moore-Ollie went outside and realized the beanbag was a punching bag: The man was teaching the boys to box. She introduced herself and the man explained who he was. Derek Brown, a former gang member who was trying to help local kids develop discipline and stay out of trouble. She liked him immediately, liked his passion. The boys seemed to respond to him.
The principal asked that he become more involved with the West Side school, which had been plagued with fights and gang recruiting. Moore-Ollie had reached the point where she was calling police at least once a week to arrest one of her kids. She would take any community help she could get.
Before long, Brown and his friend, Chevez Fitzpatrick, were a common sight in and around the school. Fighting dropped off and dozens of boys were taking boxing lessons. Brown and Fitzpatrick recruited other men to patrol the perimeter of the school in the mornings and afternoons, making sure kids came and went safely. Then one day, Moore-Ollie heard some boys referring to Brown and Fitzpatrick by names she recognized from her days growing up in the neighborhood. Brown was “Shotgun.” Fitzpatrick was “Black.”
