Leon Ford teams up with former Chief of Police Scott Schubert for ‘The Hear Foundation’

LEON FORD AND SCOTT SCHUBERT. Ford was shot multiple times by a Pittsburgh Police officer in 2012. Still, he has forged a friendship and partnership with Schubert, who, until July 1, was Pittsburgh’s Chief of Police. Their nonprofit is called “The Hear Foundation.” (Photo by Rob Taylor Jr.) 

An unlikely friendship. An unlikely partnership.

Let Leon Ford tell it, the last thing on his mind as he was undergoing his methodical recovery after being shot five times by a Pittsburgh Police officer, was that he would eventually become friends, and partner with, a Pittsburgh Police chief.

Which is why every facet of Pittsburgh—from education to public safety, from the political to the corporate, from those in community outreach to those in economic development—was represented at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, June 22, to witness Ford, the survivor of that horrific 2012 shooting in Highland Park, announce that he’s creating an organization with now-former Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert.

They were positioned next to each other—Ford in a wheelchair, paralyzed due to the shooting—and when their hands joined together in unity, cameras flashed incessantly.

The Hear Foundation is the name of the organization, the nonprofit dedicated exclusively to fostering collaboration between law enforcement, city officials, community groups and residents to help build a safe, thriving community for all.

While Mayor Ed Gainey has continuously pushed for better police/community relations in Pittsburgh, even he couldn’t have fathomed this unlikely partnership between Ford and Schubert.

“There’s a lot of times out here that we harbor issues with another and not even understand the damage or severity that we do,” Mayor Gainey said at the news conference. “And here’s a young man (Ford) who could have easily, as he said, lived in anger, but chose to live in love. And I think that speaks volumes.”

“My personal story as the survivor of a police shooting, the work I have done to share with others what I have learned about addressing trauma, and the relationships I have built with Chief Schubert and others are proof of concept,” Ford said. “No matter what you have been through, collaboration is possible.”

Kamal Nigam, a former Google executive who will serve as the organization’s executive director, discussed how the friendship between Ford and Schubert evolved over time. It grew from a foundation of mutual respect, into a shared passion for fostering healing and addressing the cycle of gun violence in Pittsburgh.

But Ford was quick to point out that when he woke up in the hospital after being shot, he woke up “with a lot of hatred in my heart…but it took a lot of community, a lot of love, a lot of mentorship to get me where I am today.”

Ford was pulled over by Pittsburgh Police in the Highland Park neighborhood in November 2012. Police then mistook Ford for a criminal suspect with a similar name, Lamont Ford, a known gang member. As officers tried to forcibly remove Ford from his vehicle, the vehicle began to move forward with Ford at the wheel. That’s when Officer David Derbish fired into the vehicle and struck Ford five times, one bullet striking Ford’s spine.

In 2018, the City of Pittsburgh settled Ford’s civil rights lawsuit against the city for $5.5 million.

What’s different about The Hear Foundation, Ford said, is that he and others will assist young people from a perspective where young people’s voices will actually be heard and respected. Now 29, Ford said he wants to understand what today’s, say, 13-year-old is going through, as some things have changed since Ford was in his early teens. But what hasn’t changed is Ford’s commitment to seeing change.

“My first year of high school (Peabody, now Obama Academy), I was deemed a problem child because I was skipping class all day, but none of the counselors said, ‘Dang, he lost his sister a year ago,’ and gave me help,” Ford said. “I have some friends who are serving life sentences and these aren’t horrible people; these are really good dudes that I love, and most of them are victims of violent crimes before whatever incident (occurred).”

Ford continued: “Nobody wants to go to the South Side, or go to any bar in Pittsburgh thinking, ‘I’m gonna murder somebody.’ These are people who are suffering from PTSD.”

He said that young people sometimes say that they’d “rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6. That’s PTSD. So what we’re offering is an approach where we are mindful of the lived experiences. We’re not making anybody into a monster because people need help.”

Schubert retired from the Pittsburgh Police force on July 1 after 29 years. He was not the Chief of Police in 2012 when Ford was shot.

“Many individuals and groups in our community have been working hard to respond to escalating gun violence and trauma in their neighborhoods, but they often work in isolation and lack the resources and tools to have widespread impact,” Schubert said. “As a new community partner, The Hear Foundation will come alongside these groups to fill the support gaps, and through collaboration with law enforcement and experts in trauma, mental health and public safety, (it) will help build stronger, safer communities for all. We are all Pittsburghers and there isn’t anything we can’t do when we come together as one.”

Nigam said the foundation will award three inaugural community microgrants this summer in the areas of gun violence reduction, trauma and workforce development. Those grants will go to support the summer camps of “Voices Against Violence,” “Hope 4 Tomorrow” and “Youth Enrichment Services.” Each camp is free and runs for six weeks. Grants also will go toward hiring five youth to develop a safety plan for Perry Traditional Academy, in conjunction with a school social worker and nonprofit leader focused on violence prevention; and to provide support to the “Center for Victims” to host 15 summer workshops to train 150 community leaders in the science and impact of trauma. Then, strategies will be constructed to build well-being and resilience.

“We talk about workforce development and mental health; that is gun violence reduction,” Ford said. “We have to put money in people’s pocket. Young folks have dreams and aspirations, but if they’re hungry…they’re stuck in survival mode. So how do you take a young person who’s trying to survive and help them fly? It takes the community. I’m a perfect example of that.”

Ford added: “I believe I am proof of concept from the mental health perspective, workforce development, love of community perspective. If we can love every person in the community and support every person like you all who have showed up here for me…if we could do that for every person in the community, imagine how they would be able to accomplish their dreams.”

The post Leon Ford teams up with former Chief of Police Scott Schubert for ‘The Hear Foundation’ appeared first on New Pittsburgh Courier.