License to Operate

Kanoya Ali and Peter Cunningham sit down with Bilaal Evans, founder of Restorative Project in Englewood, who has been doing gun violence prevention work since 2007.

Bilaal shares his incredible journey from growing up in Chicago's Henry Horner Projects, where he lost 26 cousins to gun violence, to surviving 15 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. Wrongfully convicted at age 17 by detectives connected to the notorious John Burge torture cases, Bilaal's experience with injustice became the driving force behind his community work.

Kanoya Ali and Peter Cunningham sit down with Billy Moore, site manager for Chicago CRED and author of "Until the Lion Speaks." Billy shares his remarkable journey from making a tragic mistake at 16 that cost him 20 years in prison to becoming a leading voice in Chicago's violence intervention movement.

Billy opens up about his unlikely mentorship with Larry Hoover at the Stateville prison, how losing his son to gun violence just weeks before starting his current work shaped his mission, and the heartbreaking story of Steven Ward—his first program participant who was killed despite his dedication to change. Through raw, honest conversation, Billy explains what it means to have "License to Operate" in Chicago's most challenging neighborhoods and how community violence intervention is helping drive down shootings across the city.

Kanoya Ali and Peter Cunningham prove that the most unlikely partnerships can drive real change on Chicago's streets. While Chicago saw a 30% drop in shootings compared with last year, these two men with vastly different backgrounds reveal what's really working—and what isn't—in violence prevention. Ali shares his journey through prison at 17 after taking a life, while Peter talks about his experience as Mayor Daley's former speechwriter and decades in Chicago politics. Their conversation explores how networks can either save lives or destroy them, and why sometimes illegal work becomes "the only door open" for young people trying to survive.

License to Operate (LTO) takes you inside the streets where former gang members now broker peace and grieving mothers choose forgiveness over revenge.

Hosts Kanoya Ali—a west side Chicago native who transformed his life after prison—and Peter Cunningham bring you raw conversations with the people actually reducing gun violence in the city's hardest-hit neighborhoods. This isn't about politics or preaching—it's about real relationships and proven strategies.

Hear the untold stories of transformation that are saving lives: outreach workers risking everything, survivors turning trauma into purpose, and communities building safety from the inside out.

This is what building safer communities looks like from the ground up.