Praise for Mural Arts' 'Guild' effort

Mayor Nutter took time out Monday to laud the city's partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice to reduce and prevent youth violence.

Standing alongside Assistant U.S. Attorney General Karol V. Mason at Strawberry Mansion Community Garden, Nutter singled out the city's Mural Arts Program's "Guild" initiative for praise and thanked the federal government for its help.

"These young men from the Guild are the reason we are here today," Nutter said.

The Guild provides arts-based training and support to former inmates reentering society and to at-risk youth, teaching them skills they can use to attain and keep a job.

Michael Whittington, who said he spent five years in prison for robbery and other offenses for a crime he committed as a teenager, mentors at-risk youth and other former inmates involved with the Guild. The turning point in his life, the 26-year-old said, came when his victim forgave him.

Whittington said he got involved with the Guild after meeting Jane Golden, executive director of the Mural Arts Program, while he was in prison. He was helping paint a mural for the prison visiting room when his art teacher noticed his talent. Golden promised him a job once he got out, and he got one.

"I'm a firm believer in second chances. Working with these guys is one of the best joys of my life," Whittington said.

He sees the young men in the program "come in as hard as nails and transform. They soften up," Whittington said.

Nutter agreed.

"What I hope people take away from this is the power of transformation, of second chances. The community is going to heal itself if given the opportunity," he said.