Houston actor holds camp for kids to escape scary reality
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A local actor is giving boys and girls the chance to be kids again weeks after one of their own was shot by a stray bullet.
"I think that it's dangerous for one," said 12-year-old Ji Broussard.
The kids who live in King's Row apartments have seen a lot in their community.
"It's affecting the children that live here because when they get older they are going to think that's right and it's not," added little Ji.
Sadly, gunshots and police lights have become all too familiar in this area.
Four-year-old Sir Romeo Milam was struck by a stray bullet as he watched TV inside of his apartment.
"I was crying and my mom told me to just lay down. I was sad Romeo got shot," said Christopher Brown.
Ron Johnson, a local singer, and actor watched the horror unfold on the news and said he had to do something for the area in which he grew up.
"From first grade all the way up into my second year in college, I lived here," he told the kids.
So Johnson came back home and brought his talents too.
"Down clap under. Down clap under," he yelled while teaching the kids a step routine.
It's called the Dare to Dream Camp.
"We learn stuff and we do things fun," said Christopher Brown.
From dance to singing lessons and even theater, kids get the chance to learn and escape from what's outside.
"I learned how to, I guess, deal with my emotions through dance," said Broussard.
Johnson's message to the kids, "don't adapt to the King's Row culture."
"That means you can have 1 million things going on around you that are not good. You can have a lot of bad things happening in your community that are not good, right? You don't have to be that way," he told them.
As their friend Sir Romeo fights for his life, the King's Row kids are dancing, singing and acting, daring to dream and hoping things will get better.
"We just enjoy ourselves as kids," added Brown.
The camp is Monday through Friday and will climax with a big performance, showing the community all the things they've learned.
"I just want to challenge them to dare to dream, to do something different that's unusual for their current circumstances, but know that someone is pulling for you," said Johnson.
