Clowning is no laughing matter for Tommy the Clown (born Thomas Johnson). Instead, it’s a way to combat deeper issues like gang involvement, boredom, hopelessness, violence, and inactivity.

Born in Detroit, T.J. moved to LA as a teenager, where he soon found himself in trouble with the law. He had plenty of time to reconsider his life’s direction while spending 5 years in jail, where he decided to turn his life around. He’s done that and more–he’s changed the lives of youth around the world.

How? By clowning. It started out as a favor for a friend’s kid’s birthday party, but soon evolved into a way to help at-risk youth, youth who were in danger of falling through the cracks the same way that T.J. had been. Young people were allowed to join his clown/krump/hip hop crew on the condition that they did well in school, stayed out of gangs, didn’t do drugs, and acted as positive role models. In 15 years, this has grown to become a world-wide phenomenon, with 60+ dance crews in LA, performances across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, and motivational lectures in schools across the country. It has also spawned a new form of street dancing (y’all know it as “krumping”) and even a 2005 movie by Dave Chapelle, called “Rize”.

Tommy is more than just a red-nosed, smiling face–he’s entertained millions, inspired thousands to get off the couch and off the streets, trained, guided, and helped countless urban youth, and spread a message of peace to us all: “You got problems? Don’t fight no more. Bring it to the dance floor.”

Being a teen is hard enough. Being a teenage mother is infinitely harder—and according to a study by John Santelli of the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, there are more and more teens who are becoming moms. Nearly 4 in 10 American teens will be preggers by age 20, and a whopping 445 000 of them will give birth. At those rates, America is the teenage pregnancy capital of the Western World.

Having a baby is a wonderful, beautiful act—but there is a time and a place for it. When a teenager gives birth, the odds of her or her baby having a fulfilling life are significantly lower than if she had waited until she was in her twenties. Teen moms are more likely to drop out of school, receive welfare, and have more children within a couple of years. In turn, the children of teen moms will statistically have poorer health and inferior results in school than their peers who had parents who gave birth later on. Children from teen pregnancies are also more likely to end up in prison (if they’re sons) or giving birth while still teenagers (if they’re daughters).

Which is why Santelli’s study is so disturbing. It shows that teenagers are having kids at a higher rate, not necessarily because they desire children at that stage in life but because they are not taking simple precautions to prevent it. The use of contraceptives is going down, leaving health educators wondering where the f*%# they went wrong. Because, instead of using a condom, youth are trying the “withdrawal method,” and even the “let’s not use anything” approach—otherwise known as the “I’m playing Russian Roulette with my girlfriend’s future” approach. Hell, the guys should be worried too, because STIs tend to spread a lot faster when there’s no condom to stop them (and by “tend to” I mean DO).

And while the need to place blame is both understandable and widespread—everything from teenage celebrities such as Jamie Lynn Spears who glorify pregnancies to sexual education programs that promote abstinence only and forbid any mention of prevention—placing blame only detracts from the real issue, which is how to reverse the trend.

Ultimately, the potential for improvement lies within each and every one of us. . . When it comes down to it, the only way these statistics will improve is if you use a condom next time you’re “gettin’ jiggy with it.”

That’s America, alright, and the numbers come from an article on prison reform written by Mark Lange in the Christian Science Monitor. As yall know, we’re big supporters of the Youth PROMISE Act over here at 99p.  The statistics from the American Prison system are horrendous; recidivism is practically guaranteed for many people who serve time, because they leave these “crime schools” with complicated paroles and no preparation in life after jail.  As Mr. Lange writes:

Mass imprisonment of nonviolent offenders amounts to justice by lock-down – and lets government off the hook for results. The only stakeholders this system serves are elected officials, including judges, who are rewarded for posing as “tough” on crime without solving it – and the lobbyists and interests paid to build and run prisons.

It’s hard to see justice in our country as a big business, but there are clearly many companies with stakes in the maintenance and expansion of our prison system.  But where does that leave the populace?  Especially in these tough economic times, resources are scarce.  More money for prisons means less money for rehabilitation.  But how can we decide the course of action: harsher sentencing and more police, or community education and maturity through mentoring?

Lange says it best: “The answer depends on what you think American society should more closely resemble: a school, or a prison.“

When Isaac started his voter registration campaign, he quickly came to realize there were many more issues to tackle in Colorado. Like the struggle of single mothers to hold jobs and raise their kids. Or ex cons who can’t find a job, anywhere.

What is it that sometimes turns us against the needs of our neighbors? We must look past the superficial, past our varied histories or roads taken, and see that we need each other to get where we want to go: a healthier community, with equal rights, and neighbors who help you get what you need.

As we have highlighted in past posts, the prison system in America is huge, incredibly flawed and extremely industrialized. However, there is a note we haven’t touched on yet: what about people who have been imprisoned for crimes they have not committed?

Take, for instance, the case highlighted above: Herman Adkins was sentenced to 42 years in prison, and served 12 before he was proven innocent by retrial. Allow me to reiterate this: He spent 12 years behind bars, away from his family, friends and loved ones for NO REASON other than witness misidentification.

What can we do to stop this? The people at the Innocence Project, as well as other organizations in the Innocence Network, dedicate their lives and resources to ensuring a fair trial for all, by bringing new technologies such as DNA testing to older cases. The work that these organizations are doing is unparalleled and extremely necessary in modern America. We must do our best work to ensure that no voice – no matter how frail – is unnecessarily silenced.

You got people in jail?  I do.  Ever since I can remember my friends, family and neighbors have been spending time locked up. I am not alone.  Today, there are nearly 7 million Americans behind bars.

And while bad people definitely need to be in prison, the truth is that for the last 30 years young people and people of color have suffered disproportionately in the American judicial system.  People don’t like to talk about it, but the War on Drugs and the over policing of inner city communities has created a generation of incarcerated scar-faces.

One of the sad realities of prison life is that you are disconnected from your people.  And it doesn’t matter how many letters you write or how many times you visit, the distance is most times unbearable.  That’s why AppalShop, a media justice organization in Whitesburg Ky, came up with a project called Thousand Kites. Every week this unique radio program brings the voices of prisoners’ families to the airwaves and gives them an opportunity to communicate to their loved ones via FM radio waves.

Check out today’s action video, I bet you’ll be inspired to do something for your people behind bars.

Got a story to tell? Drop it on our wall to the right, or email us at 99problems.org@gmail.com

Today’s Artist: Johnny Cash

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zgja26eNeY