A former Los Angeles gang member who later became a prominent violence-prevention advocate will not face charges in an alleged murder plot, while his son has reportedly been charged in the case.
Clifford “Skipp” Townsend, 62, was arrested around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday outside 2nd Call, the nonprofit he co-founded. Detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division took him into custody on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder.
Townsend was arrested with Lenita Sinna Dee Lewis, Shamond “Lil AD” Bennet, Nichole Aaliyah Smith and Jeremiah Abdelhameed, according to the Los Angeles Times. Townsend was initially held on $2 million bail, while the other suspects were each held on $50,000 bail.
The Los Angeles Times reported Friday, citing a defense attorney and three law enforcement sources, that Townsend will not be charged in connection with the alleged plot.
Instead, the outlet reported that Townsend’s son is facing a murder charge.
Townsend is widely known in South Los Angeles as a gang-intervention specialist. He co-founded 2nd Call, a nonprofit that works to broker truces and reduce violence between rival gangs.
According to its website, 2nd Call was established in 2006 “to save lives by reducing violence and assisting in the personal development of high-risk individuals, proven offenders, ex-felons, parolees, and others who society disregards.”
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The organization has secured nearly $700,000 in contracts with the city of Los Angeles. During construction of SoFi Stadium, 2nd Call also partnered with officials to enroll more than 100 formerly incarcerated people in the program.
Townsend spent nearly 27 years as a member of the Rollin’ 20s Bloods before leaving gang life. His first arrest came when he was 13 years old.
“Until I know the case against Skipp and I understand it in detail, this in no way bears any resemblance to the man I know,” Jorja Leap, a gang expert at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, told The Times.
Los Angeles activist Najee Ali likewise described Townsend as “that one person you could rely on.”
The arrests follow the fatal shooting of Reginald Foreman, a 51-year-old 2nd Call employee, in August.
Foreman was pulling weeds when a masked gunman chased him and shot him in the chest. Police have not said whether his killing is connected to the reported charges involving Townsend’s son.
