HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The varying accounts of what led to Officer Darren Wilson fatally shooting Michael Brown in Ferguson have sparked conversation nationwide about how young black men should respond when stopped by police. A mentoring group for African American boys addressed that head on Saturday.
"So we want to give them a first-hand education and info directly from law enforcement officials so they understand the right thing to do and the wrong thing to do," says Reco Caston.
Reco Caston is the president of the 100 Black Men of Metropolitan Houston. The group mentors boys from six to 18, including Tyrik Walker.
"I think you should listen to authority and follow authority, and listen to all the instructions they have for you," Walker says.
"Seeing how quickly it can escalate and get out of control," adds his mother Deshuandra Walker, "I think one of the things they're showing our young men is how to be patient, how to remain calm , how to make good decisions when you're in situations like those."
According to numbers obtained through a public records request, in the city of Houston, from 2011 through this September, there were 86 officer involved shootings. Of those, 37 were fatal. 20 victims were black and 17 were white. Of the 49 wounded, 30 were black, and 19 were white.
Deshuandra Walker says what the 100 black men are teaching her son can help people of all ages and races avoid being added to that list.
"With any situation, whether they're with good cops or bad cops, we want our young men to remain calm, be respectful. And to make sure that even in situations that may not be to their favor, that they still come out alive and then after that we can deal with the consequences later."
"It's important for all youth, african american or any race, to understand that we don't want our young men to be a statistic," shares Reco Caston. "So it's important that as much information as they can get on the front side, the better off they'll be."
For more information on the 100 Black Men of Metropolitan Houston, check out their website: http://www.100blackmenhou.org/