RALEIGH, N.C. — Life in a gang comes with its own set of laws.

What You Need To Know

  • Anderson joined a Raleigh gang when he was 15 years old

  • It’s the first time Anderson's been out of prison for longer than a year

  • Aside from mentoring kids, Anderson delivers meals to the homeless

“They get us. We go back and get them, it was like tag… but people were really getting hurt and dying and stuff," says Brandon Anderson, a former gang member.

Anderson made bad choices and it's something he lives with every day.

“I was in it so hard, I got in it really deep because I was young and wanted to prove to people I was just as tough as the rest of them," says Anderson.

He was 15 years old when he joined a gang in Raleigh and says he was arrested for three attempted murders. And the deeper he got, the easier Anderson says it was.

"To this day, I haven’t seen those people again. But I've always wanted to see them and apologize to them. Even though the incident I started by a long shot, but it’s something I could have prevented," he says.

Today, you won't see Anderson in the streets but as a mentor to kids in his community. The opportunity was made possible by the group Justice Served NC which helps offenders get the support and resources they need to stay out of jail for good.

"I lost people when I was in prison. You know, my grandma that was my best friend in the world and I lost her as well so, all that motivates me," says Anderson.

Anderson is protecting his second chance; it's something his best friend James Alston never got.

“They caught him. Police caught me, and somebody else caught him," he says.

It was James who motivated Anderson to start a new life, a life defined by helping others. Anderson says James started to speak to people about a gang truce and finished it.

“He was starting to finish it when I got locked up. And he was murdered because of that," Anderson says.

Anderson is now making blankets in James's honor, displaying photos of James and his close friends, and family. He says he wouldn't be the person he is today without the love and support of his best friend.​

"He was just an all around good dude. He would break his neck to help anybody," says Anderson. "He was on such a positive wave when he left earth. So, I know he’s proud."