Flying down a concrete artery from Wisconsin to Minnesota, Kevin Johnson peeked back at the 38 cops chasing after him on his motorcycle. “I didn’t care if I lived or died at that point,” Johnson said. “Because I knew at that point either way my life was going to change.”
Johnson, a former drug dealer, sold illegal substances in the Duluth area for 20 years before being busted in 2011. Since then, he has turned his life around and fights for those in need. Without being paid, Johnson fights to house the homeless population and make a better life for people who are going through similar situations as him.
His children, Johnson said, were a major motivating factor in him wanting to turn his life around.
“I didn’t want to die and my legacy to be that 'daddy was a drug dealer and drug addict,'” said an emotional Johnson. “I want my kids to know I made a difference.”
Johnson had much to overcome to get to that point. When he was younger, Johnson said he was sent off to various juvenile delinquent centers where he was to deal with issues of violence.
“When I was 13, I had a family member try and sexually assault me," Johnson said. "I put a knife to his throat and I got arrested.”
From there he said that he met the wrong people at the right time. Johnson started selling drugs and just about anything else he could make a buck off of. He created a reputation for himself, saying that he had a hard hand when dealing with people.
Johnson said that today, the community as a whole seems to turn a blind eye to what’s going on.
“Every knock on the door is stressful,” Johnson said. “It could be a cop or someone who wants to rob you. It was always nerve-racking, you never knew if it was a set-up. I thought I was bullet-proof, and I was proven wrong on a few occasions.”
Johnson recalled a time when he was down in Arizona collecting money. As he was leaving the home he was at, a car pulled in front of the house. He said the windows dropped and gun barrels appeared. A barrage of 168 bullets riddled the home, five of which struck Johnson. At that point, Johnson said he should have had the realization that he needed to change.
About a year ago, Johnson met Matt Traynor, a worker at CHUM and an advocate for the homeless and those in need. The two met when Traynor asked Johnson to help him with a petition.
“I strive to achieve what Matt has,” said Johnson. “Matt’s a real inspiration. He affects people's lives in a positive way. He’s such an important part of our community and no one even realizes it.”
Johnson said that for a while after he quit selling drugs, he felt lost. When he sold drugs he said it gave him purpose. He said when he saw the opportunity to help others and fill that void, it became huge for him.
Traynor, who has come to know Johnson really well, said that he has a lot of respect for what Johnson has accomplished and continues to pursue.
“Kevin has a lot of perseverance,” Traynor said. “When he gets beaten down he keeps getting back up because he knows the impact he can have on people."
Johnson now uses the skills he acquired while dealing drugs to have a positive impact on the community.
“He’s able to adapt his skills for a good cause,” Traynor said. “Now he’s not only seeing the impact he can have on Duluth, but the people he could help nationwide. He’s starting to see the bigger picture.”
Currently, Johnson is working on a project with housing issues in Duluth. A project, which he calls Project My House, will meet the needs of the hardest to house in Duluth. It will give a place for people with chemical dependency, mental illness, and felony backgrounds a place to stay. He said that this in turn, will eliminate a good amount of homelessness in the Duluth area.
“It’s awesome when you can see the impact you’ve had on the community,” Johnson said. “Just that people are asking me to do these things are good for my mental health.”
Johnson described what he does as a full-time job that he’s not getting paid for. However, he said that he has the goal of being a pillar for the community and helping people as much as he can.
Photos by Daniel Badhwa