Mission Statement

“As an organization of returning citizens and allies with vast, diverse experience, we are determined to reduce youth violence and addiction in the DMV, increase employment and housing opportunities, facilitate access to social services, enhance educational opportunities, and put trained individuals in troubled neighborhoods.”

Incorporated in D.C. in 2023 as a 501c(3), the “OGLs” is a group of nearly one hundred concerned citizens, most of whom have served significant time in prison. We are determined to reduce burgeoning youth violence in D.C. The District of Columbia’s murder rate increased by 35% from 2022 to 2023 (more than any year since 1997), and violent crime increased by 39%. (MPD https://mpdc.dc.gov/page/district-crime-data-glance). Nineteen of the fatalities were kids, 16 felled by gunfire. More than 100 children were shot. It has to stop. We do not want anyone, particularly the youth of the city, to make the same mistakes we did. We speak from experience. We use our experiences to impart our wisdom to create a better future. Every saint has a past; every sinner has a future.

Formal and informal education is critical in offering our young citizens a better life. But they can’t learn if they’re afraid to travel to school, and bullied when they get there. The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) collects data on school attendance. Its 2021-2022 report revealed that “chronic absenteeism in the District reached 48% and truancy reached 42% during the 2021-2022 school year. High-risk students, Black students and Latino students showed the highest levels of absenteeism. The report also found that schools with a higher concentration of at-risk students had lower attendance rates.” We have started a pilot program at a housing complex to make the streets safer. Every day does indeed count.

Returning citizens, some of whom have served many decades in prison, face many significant challenges to just surviving: unemployment, homelessness, ill health, mental illness, and so much more. For their sake and the good of society, they deserve help. The Optimistic Gentlemen and Ladys strive to do just that. We then can help transition these citizens to productive lives, particularly by harnessing their perseverance, resilience, and conflict-reduction skills to educate youth to the consequences of violent crime. We can all be assets to our communities.

Current Initiatives Include:

School to home safe streets; includes involvement at Kimball Elementary, and patrols at Mayfair Mansions. Two meetings with Mayor Bowser, and numerous police, government, and NGO officials, more to come.

Supporting Organizations Include:

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, The MBI Research Institute, the Alliance of Concerned Men, Murder Free D.C., The Nation of Islam, D. C. Health Alliance Network, Your New Beginnings Inc., the United Black Fund, NY Presbyterian Church.