GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Some children in Grand Rapids wouldn't need help finding a path forward without first arriving at a fork in the road — turn to a life of crime, or turn their life around.
“If they're not introduced to vision, just like we're not introduced to a road map or GPS, we'll drive somewhere and be perpetually lost and then we'll get frustrated," said Jerry Bishop, senior pastor at Lifequest Urban Outreach Center.
Every journey starts somewhere, but they don't always come with that road map guiding you where to go. Bishop knows; he was once lost himself.
“I'm a former homeless kid," he said. "My junkie, alcoholic mother died right in front of me at age 13. That's not a soapbox. That's the reality. But, you know, I think I fell through the cracks because there weren't enough adults around to plug the crack that I fell through.”
Bishop's journey led him down the path of ministry to provide that road map for others, when others couldn't do the same for him.
“Well, there was a lack of access to resources for young men, lack of activities, lack of connectivity, lack of relationship building. Just the word lack," he said.
It's a word he's been trying to wipe out since he founded Lifequest Urban Outreach Center in 1998.
Grand Rapids' Chief of Police Eric Winstrom has been leading a similar effort since he took over two years ago.
“Every successful adult that I know can point to at least one, and many times numerous, adults who took an interest in them when they were children," Winstrom said.
A life without direction can become a life of danger. Winstrom said that spike in car thefts FOX 17 has reported on constantly mainly came at the hands of misguided youth.
“This was just a fun thing for them to do with a group of friends," he said. "Very illegal, very dangerous, headed down the wrong path. But, it's what they did to do to get acceptance.”
Winstrom said the best way to deal with crime is, of course, to prevent it. However, that solution is not as simple as it sounds when it comes to kids.
“They see us, oftentimes, as the enemy," he said. "They will get disrespected if they're having a positive interaction with a police officer.”
That's when GRPD turns to organizations like Cure Violence, Realism is Loyalty and people like Bishop to pick up where they leave off.
“Oftentimes, I ask decision makers, from judges to law enforcement officials, legislators: 'Let's look in totality at how they're living, and let's try to change how they're living so we can save their life,'" Bishop said.
Bishop believes that change can only be fostered through relationships, and the current one between GRPD and the community is the best Bishop has seen in his tenure.
“What I view as a transformation in communication, availability and desire to listen with Chief Winstrom and Deputy Chief Trigg, I think that it has changed the entire mindset of a community — I don't think we're there yet, but I think tremendous strides have been made, especially in the engagement and policies of Third Ward," he said.
Vision is more than just a word you'll see inside Bishop's religious facility. It's the foundation for a fresh start on a better path.
“Vision helps us plot the course," he said. "Without it, we’re lost.”
Winstrom added that community connection has played a key role in addressing crime in Grand Rapids. Data shows car thefts are down, while police recruiting and retention is up, according to Winstrom.
He admits there is still room for growth, and there always will be, but said we are headed in the right direction.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube