“The Talk with Greg and Dan will be broadcast commercial free at 6:06 p.m. Tuesday on 1470 and 100.3 WMBD.
The program will center on recent gun violence in the City of Peoria and steps that can be taken by the community to try to curtail it.
“The program is going to be an umbrella for anything we think is needing extra time,” said WMBD’s Greg Batton.
“We’re going to have 54 minutes of uninterrupted, no commercials, conversation and we’ll be joined by Carl Cannon with Peoria Park District’s Elite program and two guys who are best described as guys who grew up on the streets of Peoria and who are worried about all this recent violence.”
“They’re not only willing to come forward and explain what’s going on, these two young men came to Carl (Cannon) and said, ‘We are worried about what we’re seeing.’ I don’t know how old they are, maybe mid 20s, but ten years ago this was them out on the streets, they know exactly how this is going to end, either in a box or in a cell, if kids don’t get some other direction.”
The former street members’ idea is a Peoria Park District Peoria Design Summer Camp.
“It’s an eight-week camp. A lot of it has to do with giving back to the community, they’ll be out working in our town,” Batton said. “There’s a fun component because they’re still kids. And there are classes on life skills and bettering themselves.”
“Some of these kids (on the streets), they want money and they want to work,” Batton said. “But, there’s nowhere for them to work. And so they’ll find another way to get money.”
Batton hopes listeners will come away with an understanding on what is happening on the streets that contributes to the gun violence and a sense of wanting to be part of the solution.
“The thing we can do, and I hate to make such a bold, flat out request for money, but this program got put together on a whim by these two young men. There’s no money for it. They need money to have it go,” Batton said.
