Doral Myles
Violence Interrupter (West Oakland)
dmyles@youthalive.org | (510) 435-3592
Doral Myles grew up in West Oakland. He went to McClymonds High. Like so many of the staff here at Youth ALIVE!, he’s got deep roots in Oakland and Oakland in his blood. Doral had his own time on the streets and he understands the life, the lure, the great dangers and loss that go with it. At Youth ALIVE!, he’s responsible for violence interruption in West Oakland, walking the streets of the Lower Bottoms, Ghost Town, the Acorn and Campbell Village with a team of outreach workers on weekend nights, when violence is most likely to flare up. For Doral, Coming to YA! as a violence interrupter in his old neighborhood is really just formalizing something he was already doing: mediating conflicts, talking to people, trying to create or keep the peace. He says he loves to see the smiles on the faces of the young people he helps, to see them experience some happiness and especially some peace. He says he wishes there had been something like Youth ALIVE!’s Violence Interruption program back in the day.