Jeron II gives more context to their breaking news about the Philadelphia Youth Commission

So how are you, Jeron?

I’ve been better, definitely been better, yeah. Thanks for taking the time to conduct this interview.

Thank you for giving me a chance to help tell your side of the story and to shed some light on some of the recent things you announced.

Yeah, I mean. Sure, I do think it’s needed. I kind of am dropping this huge news on everyone without any context and I wanted to provide that.

So, where does this story start? We do know that you were formally appointed to the Commission in May of 2023, but you cite January instead.

Right, and you know, that’s when I started my work on the Commission, in January. I was told by our then-Executive Director that I could start acting as a Youth Commissioner in an official capacity. We opted for the term “Youth Commissioner-Elect”, but “Acting Youth Commissioner” would have probably been more accurate. That’s public notice as well.

I remember that. It was a busy week for you!

Yeah it really was. I started on MLK Day in 2023 at Girard College. That was my first day in the role. And if you’ve ever been at Girard College on MLK Day, you know it’s always a star-studded day. The Governor and U.S. Senators always make an appearance, as well as local politicians and of course the Mayor. So, there’s a picture of us at Girard College on that day floating around. And then I met him again the next day for Governor Josh Shapiro’s Inauguration, which was an amazing event. So, we got a picture there too. And you can’t go to an Inauguration without going to the Ball, and we met Superintendent Tony Watlington and Philadelphia Board of Education Reginald Streater there as well. And that was just Monday and Tuesday. The rest of the week is a blur.

I bet it was. So, obviously, meeting so many important people on the first days can be daunting. What was that like?

Yeah, exciting and overwhelming, I would say. Definitely more overwhelm than excitement. I recall being extremely tired at the end of that week. [chuckles] But you know, I was in the right rooms at the right time. And hilariously enough that wasn’t the first time I was in a room like that. It was-

Oh really, when was it?

Right, it was October of 2022, where we had a closed-door meeting with a bunch of leaders in Philadelphia. The Mayor was there — Mayor Kenney, he was there. And the First Deputy Commissioner at the time John Stanford, of PPD. Uh, Erica Atwood, who works on Gun Violence Prevention initiatives for the City. Pastor Aaron Campbell was there with a young person. Dr. Watlington, and I believe Kevin Bethel was there, who was of course the Chief Safety Officer of the School District and he’s now the Police Commissioner. And a few other people. There’s a picture of that floating around too.

Oh wow, that’s a lot of big players.

Right, and that was my attitude. But I think I was pretty comfortable at that point, so — I mean with being in those rooms with people like that. You know, I had done it a few times up to that point. I knew most of the people in the room. The most, I guess, daunting person was the Mayor himself. But I guess I made a good impression.

Of course. He was impressed with what you said so he appointed you to the Youth Commission, yes?

Yeah, I suppose so. I mean by the end of his term, he referred to me as “friend”, so that’s nice.

That’s really personal and sweet. What you shared sets up the context for your entrance into the Youth Commission. Bring us back into the modern day, starting with some of the points of your video.

Right, and you know, that video was I suppose a little… emotional — I guess it was just kind of a spur-of-the-moment situation. I’m not entirely —

Things like what you described can be emotional though, right?

Yeah, but I’m not entirely sure what the goal of the video was supposed to be. I mean, I want it to serve as like some sort of information as to how the old guard was treated per se. There are many things that I want to say but none of them are very nice. [chuckles] It’s one of those things that is just high in emotion. Dealing with the onset of a new year and its challenges and the exit of so many amazing people I had the pleasure to work with and collaborate with. You know, Jeanette, our former ED obviously transitioned as well. She’s probably one of my favorite government employees ever, you know? And I guess it’s the sign of the times. New admin brings new energy and new interactions with certain people and you don’t really get a say anymore. So, since I was appointed by Kenney, I was already in the line of fire.

But that’s not necessarily true, is it? You were allowed to stay on by previous Chair of the Youth Commission.

Right, she knew that most of us were going to be reappointed, and I had plans for what that would look like. I also knew that we had a new incoming executive director, and I wanted to respect her office. I was expecting us to collaborate on the proceedings of the Commission. That’s not what —

What did happen then?

Right, and you know, this is kind of where things get a little weird. I knew who this person was before she even introduced herself to me, I do my research and talk to people and pay attention. You know, all things a good leader should do. [chuckles] Right? I mean, at least in my opinion. But, you know, I got an email after hours on a Thursday, and I don’t mean a few minutes after 5pm. Shania emailed me at 9:41pm on a Thursday night to request a meeting. And she spelled my name wrong twice. The correct spelling of my name is in my email [pauses], so I’m not entirely sure what happened. [chuckles] I still find that odd. And you know she emails me and she’s like “I want to have a meeting with you and Hassan Freeman, the new Director of Neighborhood and Community Engagement where OYE sits under.” And I’m like, “Cool, I can meet with you on Monday.” At this point, it’s the following Friday when I respond. You know, I’m not a lunatic, I’m not responding to an email after hours. [chuckles] And I usually don’t take meetings on Mondays but I knew this was high priority. So, she doesn’t respond to me on Friday, or after hours on Friday, or Saturday or Sunday for that matter. Monday at 8 rolls around and I’m getting ready for work. Still no email or calendar invite. And the beauty of using Outlook is that you can see when people’s calendars are blocked off. So, I found a time that we were all free and sent an invite. It was for 11am that morning. So, I send it off, she responds and says she has a prior engagement, which I don’t believe is true for a number of reasons including the time I blocked off was free for everyone. And she’s like “Thanks for scheduling this meeting, it doesn’t work for us.” I’m like, “Cool, slap a time on my calendar for the week of the 20th.” It’s like the 5th of February at this point, I had been scheduling meetings left right and center, so I was busy. Anyway, so I send this off, no response. At 11:11, no lie, she sends me an email with no subject. The body says, “Please attached letter.” Like no joke. “Please attached letter.” And inside was a PDF letter of her removing me from the Commission. No letterhead, no —

Wow.

…signature, right? And I laughed it off and then stormed my way over to City Hall and saw her while I was getting off of an elevator. She was super stunned, I guess she thought she would never have to face me? I mean, that’s such a juvenile way of thinking. [chuckles] The consequences of your actions, you know? It, it was really odd. And this is like, not even a month after I was elected Chair. So, I’m tryna get my sh*t in — excuse me. I was trying to get my… ducks in a row, let’s say. [chuckles] You know, we had a not-so-active Chair for a few years, so I’m learning on the job and consulting with another former Chair who’s kind of giving me advice on how to lead the Commission. And I’m not like some a-hole who’s coming in and changing everything. They trusted me, the Commission trusted me, and I was expecting to be, you know, their leader. And it just kind of fell apart.

That’s a lot. I’m really sorry that happened to you. I’m curious, if you don’t mind me asking. You’ve been upfront in the past about your mental health and how, you know, your life affects you. So, have there been any notable or adverse effects of this?

It’s funny you ask, I’ve been on anti’s for a few weeks as a result. And that’s not —

Sorry, “anti’s”?

Oh, sorry. Antidepressants. And that’s not a place I thought I’d find myself this young. Or at all even, really. You know, I think you get to a certain age where things start to feel that heavy. Or maybe not. [chuckles] Maybe that isn’t a normal thing. But, you know, I’m not necessarily the most… you know, okay person, right? Like, my life is odd and it has a lot of layers and things involved. And I do my best at keeping it together. That unraveled me unfortunately, and I’ve had to do extra work to recover from it.

You might get some backlash for how you went about sharing this, between the video and parts of this interview. How do you deal with that?

I don’t think it’s fair to penalize me. I’m not gonna be the boy who cried wolf you know? But, this really happened to me. And it’s crappy, and wrong, and disrespectful in many different ways. It’s dismissive of my career and the hard work I put in, and it’s simply because someone wanted to do someone a favor. I never have gotten paid a glorious amount for any work I’ve done in youth spaces, and never got paid at all on the Commission. Suddenly I’m ousted by a woman who makes damn near 100k a year. I’m not touching that kind of money from youth engagement and empowerment. You know, good for those people, right? Get that bag. [chuckles] But you know, that’s how it is. We don’t criticize the shady dealings that happened in the Mayor’s Office at the top of the year. Those people on payroll now are all because the Mayor owed them. I was on the Commission because my work spoke for itself. Check the receipts.

That’s not fair to the people who also put in work. You have to see both sides.

And you’re right, but those people gained a net positive from this. I’m on the outside, and young people will suffer because of it. They won’t have someone speaking for their best interests in City Hall anymore. It’s not cool.

You’re not the only person that can be the Chair.

No, I’m not. It’s about the dedication and commitment and experience more than anything. And I didn’t even get a chance to get started, y’know? It burns a little.

So, what’s next for you?

I don’t know really. My work in youth spaces didn’t start in the Youth Commission and it definitely won’t end there. I founded a youth-oriented non-profit and I want to start working within it. It’ll be a good time I think.

And what do you have to say to Shania?

Girl, good luck.