My Friend’s Birthday

A young man growing up in the Racine Courts housing projects in Chicago’s Southside in the 1960’s did not have much of a chance for advancement in life except for what the street gangs could offer.  Today is his 60^th birthday and I wanted to share his story. Coincidentally it is also the date of my Mother’s birthday.  She passed 36 years ago; the two had totally disparate lives.  Without her, there would no me. Odd that he and I are friends coming from such different backgrounds.   I won’t reveal his identity until the end of the piece, so see if you can guess.

The young man became a member of Chicago’s largest street gang, the Gangster Disciples (GDs), founded by his childhood friend Larry Hoover.  He rose through the ranks, becoming an enforcer, and in 1975 he was convicted of armed robbery.  Sentenced to Stateville Penitentiary in Joliet, he was reunited with Hoover, who was serving a 150- to 200-year sentence for the 1973 murder of William Young, who allegedly stole drugs and money from the GDs.

Hoover and his friend realized that they needed to change their lives and decided to transform the GDs into a community service organization.  After my friend left prison, he devoted himself to community work with Chicago’s inner-city youth.  On January 5, 1980, Illinois Governor James Thompson issued my friend a pardon and this young man committed his life to political activism and community service.  In 1981, Hoover changed the name of the GDs from the Gangster Disciples to Growth and Development, with a mission to bring positive change to inner-city youth through education.

My friend became involved in politics through the campaign of Cook County Commissioner Jerry “Iceman” Butler and became the Commissioner’s assistant until 1992. He ran for the seat of Chicago 3^rd Ward Alderman in 1991, and while he lost that race to incumbent Dorothy Tillman, the race earned national attention.

One of the highlights of his life happened in 1994, when he was invited to the White House to visit President Bill Clinton to give the president a briefing on violence in the inner city.

He has worked with many politicians and was an early organizer with Barack Obama when the President was a community organizer at a Southside church.  He has been recognized for his work and, along with many other awards, in 1989 he was presented with the United Negro College Fund Meritorious Service Award.

Today he consults on political campaigns and I am honored to have met him through our mutual work on Justice Joy Cunningham’s campaign in her race for a seat on the Illinois Supreme Court.

When we first met, we had a number of clashes, but we found peace with each other and now share a deep mutual respect.  I am saddened at meetings of Editorial Boards and Forums when Justice Cunningham is asked about her involvement with this man and the questions are presented in a contentious light.

He was pardoned 32 years ago and has proved his devotion to enhancing the lives of black youth.  When will the unfair questions stop?  Happy Birthday, Wallace “Gator” Bradley.

(Gator at his birthday party with Mancow Muller and Justice Joy Cunningham)