Philly employment programs kick off this spring to help end cycle of violence

Rasheed Abdus says when he got out of prison four years ago, at age 21, he struggled to find a job. “Maybe cause I didn’t know how to use a computer,” he said. A friend connected him to the Center for Employment Opportunities, a national work readiness organization with a Philadelphia chapter, and he started cleaning up parks in Kensington. Now, he’s learning to train other formerly incarcerated people.