Philadelphia Man Opens Community Center In Community He Used to Sell Drugs In

A Philadelphia man was recognized for his efforts to improve lives in the community he once sold drugs in. Tyrique Glasgow started Tyrique’s community center on Taney Street in South Philadelphia and devotes his time to supporting the children of his neighborhood. He runs the community center out of a building he used to use for drug-dealing, and now gives children a safe place to enjoy summer camps, after school activities, or just play and get away from the violence and despair.

Glasgow went down a tragic road through a life of drug-dealing, crime, prison, and accumulating 11 gunshot wounds before he made the choice to focus on helping the kids in his community avoid the violent path he went down. “I got tired of my community following me in a negative direction and I wanted them to follow me in a positive direction. The kids really gave me a purpose” he said.

He coaches a flag football team, a girl’s dance squad, and runs the Young Chances Foundation to create safe programming for urban youths and low income families to grow and thrive. His approach of activities and community roundtable engagements with police officers has had a radical effect on the well-being of his neighborhood, with shooting rates dramatically falling within the 17th police district, even while increasing elsewhere in the city.

Glasgow doesn’t stop at youth however, he also helps connect people with addiction therapy, rental assistance, GED classes, and mental health counseling. He also recently renovated a vacant lot from an eyesore and known drug stash into a community vegetable garden. Glasgow said “It helps reduce poverty, stress, trauma, and when your quality of life is up, the crime goes down. I try to bring people to the table to take them off the menu. They accept me because I don’t point the finger at them. I look at them and see me. I’m one of them.”