NORTH BRUNSWICK — To show students the impact that gangs can have on a multitude of lives, the North Brunswick Township Police Department and the North Brunswick Municipal Alliance Committee hosted a viewing of the play “One Hour 2 Live” at Linwood Middle School on Oct. 20.
“One Hour 2 Live” is the gripping, fictional account of a young man, Keshawn Davis, and the anguish he experiences while awaiting execution for murder.
As a gang member, Davis finds solace in blaming society for his problems, which ultimately led to his own downfall. But while in prison, he encounters the spirits of the victims he killed, and the audience enters the psychological realm of a killer.
The 21-year-old gang member doesn’t realize he has had a profound impact on so many lives. The message “murder impacts the universe” and “you cannot take someone else’s life without taking your own” pervade the play as the victims give their first-person accounts of their last minutes on earth.
Although Davis begins with an apathetic attitude, as the ghosts speak to him, he begins to question why he got caught up in the hype of gang killings, and why he was seeking attention outside of his family environment. He said being aggressive made him feel powerful for the first time, but eventually he realizes how horrible his actions were.
Written by the Rev. Princeton H. Holt, pastor of D.A.W.N. Christian Fellowship and CEO of Soul of Dawn Inc. located in Plainfield, “One Hour 2 Live” was created to inform communities about the value and sacredness of human life.
“I believe in using performing arts as an entering wedge to help curtail gang-related violence and murder in the community,” Holt said.
“This educational program will make a radical impact on our middle school students,” North Brunswick Director of Police Kenneth McCormick said. “As police officers and educators, the Police Department is continually striving to look for innovative ways to form partnerships that will help us to deter and to prevent young people from any involvement with gangs and to resist peer pressure. This dramatic opportunity will complement and enforce the lessons taught in our Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) program.”
The presentation marked Linwood’s observance of School Violence Awareness Week, held Oct. 19-23.
The students also participated in anti-violence slogan designing, the signing of an anti-violence and anti-bullying pledge, and various discussions about bullying.