Oakland’s Marshawn Lynch, Marcus Peters tout community ties, violence prevention

Marshawn Lynch began his NFL career in Buffalo and won a Super Bowl in Seattle. Josh Johnson has spent time with 11 different NFL teams over the past decade. Marcus Peters was drafted out of college by the Chiefs and made two Pro Bowls in Kansas City.

But the three Oakland natives have never lost a connection with their hometown, which is why each spent Wednesday evening at the Impact Hub Oakland co-working space, participating in a forum on community interests and violence prevention.

The forum, titled “CourseCon: Oakland,” was moderated by Bishop Omar Jahwar, founder of Urban Specialists, a Dallas-based nonprofit that aims to effect change in communities of high crime and poverty.