Precious Lives

Stories about kids, guns and how to stop the violence. Precious Lives, created by 371 Productions, is a 2-year, 100-part weekly radio series about gun violence and young people in the Milwaukee area. The series applies a public health lens to each story to help listeners understand the full scope of the problem: who are the victims and the shooters; how are the weapons obtained; and what can we change about the environment that contributes to violence in Milwaukee?

#034 Precious Lives: Not a Violent Kid, a Surviving Kid

WUWM 89.7 FM

Published September 1, 2015 at 10:58 AM CDT

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Tyrone Williams enjoys a light moment while talking about life experiences at his music studio on Thursday, July 30, 2015, in Milwaukee, WI.

Angela Peterson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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Angela Peterson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

At age 15, Tyrone Williams was the youngest person in Wisconsin waived into adult court for a robbery case. He rapped at his sentencing in 1997. He wrote lyrics about his life hoping for leniency. He was sentenced to 33 years and served 16 and a half.

This was before truth and sentencing, when long sentences were given with the expectation that individuals would be paroled. He got out two years ago at age 31. And for the first time in his life, he’s out of survival mode.

Hundreds of Milwaukee County organizations are working to address the causes of youth violence. Precious Lives has a searchable map to help you find organizations for services and for volunteering.

Corresponding Content:

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Waived into adult court in '96, he now wants others to avoid it