--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When gangs took over the [abandoned…" description: "\"“When gangs took over the [abandoned public land in Philadelphia] and the neighborhood took a turn for the worse, horses became a way of saving lives. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62a/g-neri-48769_city-life_when-gangs-took-over-the-abandoned-publi_297644.jpg" --- # When gangs took over the \[abandoned public land in… ![“When gangs took over the [abandoned public land in Philadelphia] and the neighborhood took a turn for the worse, horses became a way of saving lives. By getting boys interested in raising a horse rather than killing another human being, these cowboys gave the youth something positive: father…” quote by G. Neri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62a/g-neri-48769_city-life_when-gangs-took-over-the-abandoned-publi_297644.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62a/g-neri-48769_city-life_when-gangs-took-over-the-abandoned-publi_297644.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62a/g-neri-48769_city-life_when-gangs-took-over-the-abandoned-publi_297644.jpg) > ““When gangs took over the \[abandoned public land in Philadelphia\] and the neighborhood took a turn for the worse, horses became a way of saving lives. By getting boys interested in raising a horse rather than killing another human being, these cowboys gave the youth something positive: father figures, focus, and the ability to stand tall.”” [G. Neri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-neri/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Horses offered at constructive outlet for at‑risk youth, providing mentorship and purpose instead of violence. **In simple terms:** Horses gave kids positive role models and focus. Key Takeaway Use animal programs to redirect youth energy. Themes youth development mentorship community safety Mood hopeful inspirational Type educational motivational When to use this quote - after‑school programs - urban youth outreach - community centers Key Concepts social intervention animal therapy role modeling Questions to Reflect On - How can similar programs be scaled citywide? - What support do mentors need? A Different Perspective May not address deeper systemic issues like poverty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [City life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city-life/) [Cowboy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cowboy/) [Father Figures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father-figures/) [Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horse/) [Horses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horses/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Role models](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/role-models/) [Saving Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saving-lives/) [Stand tall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stand-tall/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [Horses were a way to travel to get to where we are today, and it is our job to protect them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-nelson/horses-were-a-way-to-travel-to-get-to-where-we-are-today-and-it-is/) [Willie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-nelson/) > [The Jews are the conscience of the world. They are the father figures, stern, critical, and forbidding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raul-hilberg/the-jews-are-the-conscience-of-the-world-they-are-the-father-figures/) [Raul Hilberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raul-hilberg/) > [My father figures were my coaches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dabo-swinney/my-father-figures-were-my-coaches/) [Dabo Swinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dabo-swinney/) > [I've never known my real father, and I've never looked for a father figure in a boyfriend, but I suppose I have looked for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-campbell/i-ve-never-known-my-real-father-and-i-ve-never-looked-for-a-father/) [Naomi Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-campbell/) > [What does it mean to be a father? It's not about how much support you pay nor that a child bares your last name.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-nathaniel-butler/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-father-it-s-not-about-how-much-support-you/) [Eugene Nathaniel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-nathaniel-butler/) > [I had a lot of trouble with my coaches. Your coaches are father figures - you look to what they say. Well, the reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-o-neill/i-had-a-lot-of-trouble-with-my-coaches-your-coaches-are-father/) [Ed O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-o-neill/) > [“Chaebol-style capitalism was, and to some extent still is, very different from the dictionary definition of capitalism. Not only was industry directed by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tudor/chaebol-style-capitalism-was-and-to-some-extent-still-is-very/) [Daniel Tudor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tudor/) > [We just need more father figures and more older people to come and school these youth, because there will be a lost generation. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-rock/we-just-need-more-father-figures-and-more-older-people-to-come-and/) [Jay Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-rock/) > [Baseball always gets credit for the foundational part of masculinity - the father thing. The eternal game of backyard catch, 'Field of Dreams', the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-moehringer/baseball-always-gets-credit-for-the-foundational-part-of-masculinity/) [J. R. Moehringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-moehringer/) > [Growing up in Sunderland, I had two uncles on my mother's side - both of whom became father figures after my dad passed away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clarke/growing-up-in-sunderland-i-had-two-uncles-on-my-mother-s-side-both-of/) [George Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clarke/) > [“Oh God, I’m a cliché,” he said in despair. “Why do I care? If Dad decides he hates me because I’m not straight, he’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/oh-god-i-m-a-clich-he-said-in-despair-why-do-i-care-if-dad-decides-he/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Happy Fathers day to all the father figures that stepped up in the absence, whether it be uncles, cousins, etc..salute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happy-fathers-day-to-all-the-father-figures-that-stepped-up-in-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It no longer bothers me that I may be constantly searching for father figures; by this time, I have found several and dearly enjoyed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/it-no-longer-bothers-me-that-i-may-be-constantly-searching-for-father/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [My father figures were all gang members.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cabral/my-father-figures-were-all-gang-members/) [Richard Cabral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cabral/) > [I grew up being terrified of my parents, particularly my father figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flea/i-grew-up-being-terrified-of-my-parents-particularly-my-father-figures/) [Flea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flea/) ## More by G. Neri > [“They looking at the plates that shows we not from here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-neri/they-looking-at-the-plates-that-shows-we-not-from-here/) [G. Neri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-neri/) > [“Looks like you a cowboy after all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-neri/looks-like-you-a-cowboy-after-all/) [G. Neri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-neri/) > [“I can be better, Mama. I won’t skip school no more. I promise.” She looks at me for the first time, her eyes searchin’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-neri/i-can-be-better-mama-i-won-t-skip-school-no-more-i-promise-she-looks/) [G. Neri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-neri/) > [“It’s our right to be here. This is our home. So we ain’t leaving and that’s that. The people have spoken, so you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-neri/it-s-our-right-to-be-here-this-is-our-home-so-we-ain-t-leaving-and/) [G. Neri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-neri/) > [“That’s up to your daddy now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-neri/that-s-up-to-your-daddy-now/) [G. Neri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-neri/) > [“Don't steal nobody's cattle or their women. Treat your horse like your best friend, because sometimes that's all you got. Most important, trust and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-neri/don-t-steal-nobody-s-cattle-or-their-women-treat-your-horse-like-your/) [G. Neri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-neri/) > [“she already thought it was too late.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-neri/she-already-thought-it-was-too-late/) [G. Neri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-neri/) [Explore all 8 G. Neri quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-neri/) ## More City life quotes > [We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-will-neglect-our-cities-to-our-peril-for-in-neglecting-them-we/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [There are many people of cosmopolitan temperament who are not from the elites of their societies or the world; and while, for a variety…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-anthony-appiah/there-are-many-people-of-cosmopolitan-temperament-who-are-not-from/) [Kwame Anthony Appiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-anthony-appiah/) > [“...the solitude was intoxicating. On my first night there I lay on my back on the sticky carpet for hours, in the murky orange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tana-french/the-solitude-was-intoxicating-on-my-first-night-there-i-lay-on-my/) [Tana French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tana-french/) > [Any city, however small, is in fact divided into two, one the city of the poor, the other of the rich; these are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/any-city-however-small-is-in-fact-divided-into-two-one-the-city-of/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“This extreme treatment was among the proliferating regimens developed in response to the stunning increase in nervous disorders diagnosed around the turn of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/this-extreme-treatment-was-among-the-proliferating-regimens-developed/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“Now everything is done by machines, technology has relieved you of much work. What to do? You become aggressive, you fight, you get angry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhagwan-shree-rajneesh/now-everything-is-done-by-machines-technology-has-relieved-you-of/) [Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhagwan-shree-rajneesh/) > [London is on the whole the most possible form of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/london-is-on-the-whole-the-most-possible-form-of-life/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“She loved the way her city always sounded like it was celebrating.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-pekkanen/she-loved-the-way-her-city-always-sounded-like-it-was-celebrating/) [Sarah Pekkanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-pekkanen/) > [“One need never leave the confines of New York to get all the greenery one wishes--I can't even enjoy a blade of grass unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-o-hara/one-need-never-leave-the-confines-of-new-york-to-get-all-the-greenery/) [Frank O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-o-hara/) > [“city builders and rebuilders (Jerusalem) and city-loving exiles (Babylon). In New Testament times, the people of God become city missionaries (indeed, New Testament writings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/city-builders-and-rebuilders-jerusalem-and-city-loving-exiles-babylon/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [I was quite naïve, a boy from Southport. When I went to art college in Leeds, I lived in a basement flat, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-almond/i-was-quite-na-ve-a-boy-from-southport-when-i-went-to-art-college-in/) [Marc Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-almond/) > [Boston is a moral and intellectual nursery always busy applying first principals to trifles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/boston-is-a-moral-and-intellectual-nursery-always-busy-applying-first/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [Reformers have long observed city people loitering on busy corners, hanging around in candy stores and bars and drinking soda popon stoops, and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/reformers-have-long-observed-city-people-loitering-on-busy-corners/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [“Best Spa Abu Dhabi Cristal Spa is the best spa of Abu Dhabi. It is a place for you to avoid city life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristal-spa/best-spa-abu-dhabi-cristal-spa-is-the-best-spa-of-abu-dhabi-it-is-a/) Cristal Spa > [I have developed a visionary modern lyric, and, for it, an idiom in which I can write lyrically, colloquially, and dramatically. My subject is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-tonks/i-have-developed-a-visionary-modern-lyric-and-for-it-an-idiom-in/) Rosemary Tonks [Browse all 166 City life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When gangs took over the [abandoned public land in Philadelphia] and the neighborhood took a turn for the worse, horses became a way of saving lives. 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