Skipp Townsend

Skipp Townsend is an American gang expert from Los Angeles, California. For 27 years, he was a member of the Bloods gang; his first arrest came at age 13.^[1]

Townsend was raised in South Los Angeles. He attended a Catholic elementary school^[2] and went on to attend Dorsey High School, dropping out in his junior year.

Townsend is known for his role in several documentaries and movies: How to Make Money Selling Drugs;^[3] "The '80s: The Decade That Made Us,^[4] a television mini-series in which he played a former crack dealer;^[5] and the Gangland episode "One Blood".^[6] He also assisted the casting department in two episodes of T.I.'s Road to Redemption.^[7]

Townsend also is well known in minority communities, and has a reputation for being among the first to arrive at a scene when shots have been fired.^[8]

Townsend is the co-founder and executive director of 2nd Call, a gang intervention non-profit,^[9] and board member of the Southern California Cease Fire Committee.^[10][11] He is often interviewed as a pragmatic expert regarding police-public relations and as an "interventionist" regarding community conflicts.^[12][13]

2nd Call was founded in 2005^[14] as a community-based organization designed to save lives by reducing violence and assisting in the personal development of high-risk individuals, proven offenders, ex-felons, parolees, and others with society disregard. The organization provides alternatives to violence and abuse through intervention, counseling and support. It also provides a series of classes aiming to promote positive growth as well as post-release mentorship.^[15] 2nd Call provides free quarter-proof classes and trauma classes.

The organization also encourages judges to send individuals to 2nd Call classes rather than to jail, and it offers a pathway to union careers in building trades such as electrical and construction.^[16] 2nd Call has helped an estimated 2,000-3,000 individuals.^[17]

2nd Call provides classes on domestic violence, parenting, anger management, and re-entry, in Los Angeles and Pasadena. The organization also helps keep at-risk youth out of gangs. Townsend often helps former offenders find jobs in construction or electrical work once they have completed the program.^[18]

2nd Call works with activists and acts as a liaison between citizens and law enforcement and pushes for systematic changes in policing.

Townsend suggests that police officers address mental health and substance abuse: Having more community policing, law enforcement engaging with their communities more and understand any pain people may be feeling that relates to the involvement of police officers.^[19]

In 2020, Townsend supported dozens of formerly incarcerated individuals who helped build the SoFi stadium.^[20] During the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Southern California partnered with 2nd Call to help distribute protective supplies for community members, since many could not afford to buy masks.^[21]