Alabama Barbers Combat Gun Violence by Mentoring Youth: A Community Initiative

Alabama barbers are doing more than just cutting hair—they're helping to reduce gun violence, one haircut at a time.

David Almon, who owns D and R Barber Shop in Anniston, has been cutting hair since he was in eighth grade. For over 20 years, he's been more than a barber to the youth in his community; he's been a mentor and a role model.

“Some of these kids see us as father figures,” Almon says. “If you’re just giving them a haircut without teaching them something, you’re letting them down. I do this because I care and want to give back. I was once one of those kids who needed guidance.”

In 2023, the Agency for Substance Abuse Prevention launched the Barbers Against Bullets program after finding that young people, aged 16-23, in the Anniston and Talladega areas were often the victims of gun violence. Gun-related deaths are the leading cause of death among youth in Alabama. The program aims to use barbers' influence to help steer kids away from violence and towards positive goals.

Seyram Selase, the executive director of the agency, believes that barbers are key community figures who can build trust with young people. Each haircut is an opportunity to guide them toward a better future.

Almon, who knows several people affected by gun violence, including his two brothers who were incarcerated and many others who were killed, takes his role seriously. He organizes community service events and fun activities for young clients and offers them transportation, food, and advice on staying in school and becoming leaders.

Parents often call Almon because they know their children will listen to him. Once, a concerned mother reached out when she discovered her son was using drugs. Almon talked to the boy about his future, and now that young man has served in the military for 10 years.

“I want these kids to know there are people in the community who care about them,” Almon says. “I try to show them it’s okay to be different and that they can be leaders.”

The Barbers’ Influence

DaMarco Curry, a prevention specialist with the Agency for Substance Abuse Prevention, also works with the Barbers Against Bullets initiative. He joined because he doesn’t want other kids to go through what he experienced. In 2018, at 20 years old, Curry was caught in a shooting. Two strangers took him to the hospital, saving his life. His so-called friends had already posted about his death on social media, thinking he wouldn’t survive.

“That experience changed my life,” Curry says. “Seeing my mom and younger brother cry was a turning point.”

Now, Curry meets with barbers monthly to discuss the challenges their clients face and to share new ways to connect with them and plan community events. He emphasizes the powerful role barbers play in reducing substance abuse and gun violence.

In 2023, the program held an event where local barbers and rapper Young Joc spoke to young people about the consequences of gun violence. The kids wrote down how gun violence had affected their lives on cards and placed them in a casket, symbolically burying the violence in their community.

In June, the Agency for Substance Abuse Prevention hosted a symposium called Ballers Against Bullets, where over 100 youth heard from gun violence prevention advocates, including actor Omari Hardwick. The agency also launched a Barbers Against Bullets podcast, where barbers share their stories and start important conversations in their shops.

In the first episode, Thomas Zimmerman, owner of Pooh’s Barber Shop, shared how he grew up without his father and witnessed gang violence in his neighborhood. He found positive role models when he started cutting hair at 15 and now strives to be that same influence for the youth in his shop.

The program is growing, and organizers are calling for more barbers to join the movement. “The more barbers get involved, the more kids get involved. When you do the right thing, more people are willing to change,” Almon says.