teny oded gross – RI Future

October 1, 2015October 1, 2015

Teny Oded Gross says goodbye to RI, will pursue similar work in Chicago

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Teny Oded Gross, executive director of the Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence and an important role model for Rhode Island, is leaving the Ocean State to start a nonviolence institute in Chicago.

Ed Fitzpatrick broke the news in the Providence Journal this morning, writing:

“This is a big loss for Little Rhody. Since 2001, Gross has been helping to salvage lives and make our city streets safer, using a group of street workers (including former gang members) who mediate disputes and try to steer teenagers away from gangs. Institute staff members bring the message of nonviolence to street corners, classrooms and prison cells. They work with victims, rushing to emergency rooms, helping families deal with shattered lives. And they help people find the jobs and training they need to turn their lives around.”

Robert McConnell, chairman of the board of directors at the Institute, said in a statement:

“The great news is that the model we developed here is going to be put to work in Chicago. While we will certainly miss Teny’s role in our day-to-day operations, he will continue to serve on the board and we will have an opportunity to collaborate with him as there is still plenty of work to do here in Rhode Island.”

And here’s a sampling of how Twitter reacted to the news (You can send Teny a tweet here):

This is a tremendous loss for Providence community. An important voice in our work to bring positive change to RI https://t.co/eCzKnJTVFu

— Alex Lucini (@AlexLucini) October 1, 2015

Huge loss though sure to help troubled Chicago. https://t.co/ewS0qk6KKd

— David Dadekian (@dadekian) October 1, 2015

Bummer, sad to see an important member of Providence's community go. Good luck @tenygross ! https://t.co/RxTyiummTd

— The Wilbury Theatre Group (@TheWilburyGroup) October 1, 2015

We will miss Teny enormously. The work must go on….& best of luck Teny! @tenygross https://t.co/TNihqU2dlz

— Barbara Fields (@barbarafields_) October 1, 2015

Our loss is Chicago's gain. Good luck @tenygross. https://t.co/sUy5DTrqqR

— 🧨Chas Walker💥 (@chasbwalker) October 1, 2015

Godspeed @tenygross. #thankyou

— Stephanie DeSilva Mandeville (@Steph_DeSilva) October 1, 2015

So happy for my friend @tenygross on an exciting new gig in Chicago. Sad to see RI lose another inspiring change agent.

— Saul Kaplan (@skap5) October 1, 2015

He will be missed! @FitzProv: @tenygross leaving R.I. to launch Chicago nonviolence initiative https://t.co/rZ0aRTWzwY

— Judge McConnell (@JackMcCJr) October 1, 2015

June 10, 2014

Blessing Way fundraiser to feature Teny Gross

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The Blessing Way is pleased to announce the guest speaker for its annual summer fundraiser Thursday, June 12, is Teny Gross, executive director of the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence.

The Blessing Way, a nonprofit organization based in Providence, offers faith-based residential support and guidance to men and women newly released from prison or out of a drug rehab program.

The Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence is a nationally recognized organization that aims to reduce gang and group-related violence in Rhode Island, including in prison settings, schools and the streets.

Gross will headline the event, to be held at the Riviera Restaurant in East Providence. A buffet of Portuguese and American fare will be offered, including vegetarian selections. Festivities include live music, a silent auction, raffles and community awards.

Tickets – $45 a person, $80 a couple, are available at the door. For more information about The Blessing Way, you can access the website here. You can read a story about their landscaping program here.

March 19, 2014

Teny Gross: Does the gun lobby have a racial problem?

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Teny Gross, Executive Director of the Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence, did not pull any punches yesterday as he spoke to a crowd gathered under the dome of the Rhode Island State House about class, race and gun violence. Guns are the leading cause of death for young black men and it’s the second leading cause of death for young men in general in the United States, according to Gross.

“I’m not a prophet,” said Gross, “but I will make a very sure prediction today. You can take it to Wall St. and bank on it. There will be another Sandy Hook. There will be many more Sandy Hooks in the United States. It is partially, in large part, because of the proclivity and the looseness and the stubbornness of a small group of leaders in the NRA and their local supporters. I recommend to the NRA members that are here: Start thinking about a compromise. This is not about the Second Amendment. No right is absolute.”

Gross had some tough words for Representative Doreen Costa, who at the time was outside the State House at the anti-common sense gun laws rally.

“The one comment from last year that really rings in my head and it was recently reawakened is Representative Costa saying at a hearing that [gun violence] doesn’t happen in Exeter, [gun violence] happens in the inner city. Recently a letter to the newspaper… also said this violence is an inner city problem. Last I checked, the inner city is part of the United States of America and they’re citizens.”

“I have a question,” asked Gross, putting it all out on the table, “Does the gun lobby have a racial problem? Let’s put the elephant right here in the room.”

Not compromising on reasonable gun legislation and refusing to work with law enforcement suggests that, “you think that your children are not dying, it’s other children. Are some Americans worth less if their skin color is darker?… On some streets it’s okay when there’s death and some streets it’s not okay? Some children dying is okay and some children dying is not okay? Tell us? This is an open question.”

“Let’s be honest,” continued Gross, “Sandy Hook got a lot of press partially because it was white kids in a privileged community.”

January 6, 2014January 7, 2014

Teny Oded Gross talks about locating a parole office in downtown Providence

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Teny Oded Gross, the executive director of the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence, works with people who are trying to turn their lives around after being in trouble with the law. And as such, he had some choice words for Angus Davis, Ed Achorn and others who don’t want the state to locate a parole office in downtown Providence. But his choice words were, to my mind, surprisingly balanced.

He said Davis, the Swipley CEO who ignited the debate, made some good points that may have been overshadowed by his use of the term “criminal convention centers.” He said it was “unfortunate” that the Providence Journal editorial chose to re-purpose that phrase rather than the more reasoned points in Davis’ letter. He also took issue with the ProJo headline: “Protect the downtown.”

He also said parolees may prefer to drive to their parole visits, and downtown isn’t the best place for that. And that the NetworkRI location on Reservoir Avenue may be a better locale considering all transportation options.

My favorite thing he said: “The business people are not leeches on our city and the poor who are being serviced by the government are not leeches either. We cannot step on each other.”

Listen to the entire podcast here:

March 5, 2013March 5, 2013

Teny Oded Gross’ Unique Look At Gun Violence

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Teny Oded Gross at the State House. (Photos by Ryan T. Conaty – for more, check out his )

Something nefarious happened last week at the State House in regards to reforming the state’s gun control laws, and it wasn’t that an NRA lobbyist came to push his conservative agenda. It’s that Teny Oded Gross was the only member of the public to ask him to take it elsewhere.

‘It’s a deceitful organization,” Oded Gross told me later. “The NRA knows very well that panic and fear is good for business. If you have more deaths, you have more people buying guns.”

Oded Gross is not your typical advocate for greater gun control legislation.

For one, he’s a former Israeli Army sergeant. “I come to liberalism from seeing carnage,” he told me. And for another, he is the executive director of the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence, an organization that works with inner city gang members. “I saw and see a lot of violence,” he added.

Teny Oded Gross at the State House. (Photos by Ryan T. Conaty – for more, check out his )

“We respond to the hospital when someone gets shot,” Oded Gross said. “I work with the people who are the shooters.”

The Institute, he said, responded to more than 150 instances of gun violence last year, and they were involved with all 17 homicides in Rhode Island.

He doesn’t buy the NRA talking point that gun control measures will only affect the legal gun owners. He says many guns get to the streets through otherwise legal channels.

“People who are denying gun availability leads to violence are either disillusion or straight liars,” he said. “The NRA has made it so easy to get them. We need to have a better ability to track down and monitor guns. But for some people this is contentious.

“We are reaching out to the people who invited the NRA. If you don’t want more gun control, come and work with us. Roll up your sleeves and help us reduce the violence.”