RACINE - Jamel Garrett used to think he wanted to be in a gang. It gave him a sense of identity. He wanted to identify with the people he thought were powerful.

He knows better now.

Garrett, 17, a Park High School senior, knows something about the rebellious spirit of young men and women his age, the spirit that compels some to get into the gang lifestyle.

Garrett found a way out.

He wants something better for himself. He wants to go to college. He wants a future.

There is no future in gangs, at least not a positive one. Garrett, a member of the Youth Against Violence Group at the Racine Family YMCA, hopes to spread that message through an event Saturday that he helped organize.

Garrett hopes the event, "Soul Talk: The Politics of Gangs," will be a frank discussion about the culture of gangs. He'll do it with the help of local gang experts Sammy Rangel and Maurice Horton from the Gang/Crime Diversion Task Force.

"A lot of things motivated me to change. I hope I can motivate some brothers to want to change, too," said Garrett, who is headed to Carthage College after graduation this spring. "I'll admit, it's hard to let some of that stuff go."

The event is the next in a series of projects Garrett has helped organize in an effort to get the community involved in promoting peace in the community.

In January, Garrett organized the city's first human peace sign. About 200 people gathered in the parking lot of a former drive-in restaurant. The event was symbolic on many levels, Garrett said. He didn't want the push for peace to stop there.

"A lot of people do things for show. To me, this isn't show. This is real life," Garrett said.

The purpose of Soul Talk is to get people from different walks of life to talk about controversial issues, Garrett said.

This will be the second Soul Talk event. The first focused on stereotypes and labels. Garrett hopes this next event is equally successful.

It's an effort to move beyond symbolism toward action, he said.

He also hopes to encourage more residents to get involved in making changes in their communities instead of always relying on politicians and law enforcement.

"It has to be done within the community. Let's get ordinary people to talk about the issues," Garrett said. "People encounter issues in their daily lives and they know the

diagnosis."

If You Go

What: Soul Talk: The Politics of Gangs

When: 6 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: The Racine Family YMCA's Buhler Room