Kanoya Ali and Peter Cunningham sit down with Aaron Rivas, an outreach leader with New Life Centers, serving Chicago's Little Village community. Aaron shares how a life-changing moment at a funeral, seeing his own name on a young victim's casket, led him from church pews to street corners. He discusses the remarkable 75% reduction in shootings his community has achieved, the challenges of working with heavily armed teenagers who trust him enough to call at 3 AM, and the success stories like a fo...
Aug 19, 2025•37 min•Ep. 10
In this episode of License to Operate, hosts Kanoya Ali and Peter Cunningham sit down with former Chicago Police Sergeant Vivian Williams about her transformative 30-year career serving the same South Side community where she lived and raised her children. Vivian shares her philosophy of policing with dignity, the hidden trauma affecting officers, and how authentic community relationships can break cycles of violence. From paying a family's rent to prevent eviction to facilitating historic peace...
Aug 12, 2025•50 min•Ep. 9
In this episode of License to Operate, hosts Kanoya Ali and Peter Cunningham sit down with Sadiq Ali, co-founder of Muslimatic University and owner of Baahir Imports. After converting to Islam in 2005 following his own journey through gang life, Sadiq has become a transformative force in Chicago's most dangerous neighborhoods, including O-Block. With over 700 new Muslim converts in the past 18 months, his grassroots movement is creating unprecedented change among at-risk youth. This conversation...
Aug 05, 2025•36 min•Ep. 8
In this episode of License to Operate, hosts Kanoya Ali and Peter Cunningham sit down with Dr. Chico Tillman, Executive Director of the Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy at the University of Chicago. Tillman's natural leadership skills and street credibility have made him uniquely effective at interrupting cycles of violence. He was instrumental in securing $3.7 billion in federal funding for Community Violence Intervention programs nationwide. This conversation explores the pro...
Jul 29, 2025•37 min•Ep. 7
In this episode of License to Operate, hosts Kanoya Ali and Peter Cunningham sit down with Lil Cuz, a 28-year-old content creator and psychology graduate from Chicago's South Side. The conversation explores how he uses different characters to reach various demographics, and the powerful influence of social media on today's youth. Lil Cuz offers candid insights into why some young people are drawn to street life, the role of music and social influence in shaping choices, and what it takes to prov...
Jul 22, 2025•47 min•Ep. 6
Kanoya Ali and Peter Cunningham are joined by Cleopatra "Cleo" Cowley, founder of Hadiya's Promise and mother of Hadiya Pendleton, the 15-year-old honor student who was shot and killed in Chicago in 2013, just days after performing at President Obama's second inauguration. Cleo shares her profound journey of loss and transformation, describing how tragedy unlocked her voice and propelled her into advocacy work she never imagined doing. She speaks candidly about "meeting forever" - her powerful p...
Jul 15, 2025•34 min•Ep. 5
Kanoya Ali and Peter Cunningham sit down with Abdul Haqq, also known as Dontay Banks or Big Durk, who served 26 years of a life sentence before becoming a life coach and curriculum specialist at Chicago CRED. As the father of one son lost to gun violence, and another son, rap superstar Lil Durk, facing charges, Abdul shares his journey from the streets of Englewood through federal prison, where his transformation through Islam changed his life completely. The conversation explores his childhood ...
Jul 08, 2025•43 min•Ep. 4
Kanoya Ali and Peter Cunningham sit down with Bilaal Evans, founder of Restorative Project in Englewood, who has been doing gun violence prevention work since 2007. Bilaal shares his incredible journey from growing up in Chicago's Henry Horner Projects, where he lost 26 cousins to gun violence, to surviving 15 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. Wrongfully convicted at age 17 by detectives connected to the notorious John Burge torture cases, Bilaal's experience with injustice became t...
Jul 01, 2025•27 min•Ep. 3
Kanoya Ali and Peter Cunningham sit down with Billy Moore, site manager for Chicago CRED and author of "Until the Lion Speaks." Billy shares his remarkable journey from making a tragic mistake at 16 that cost him 20 years in prison to becoming a leading voice in Chicago's violence intervention movement. Billy opens up about his unlikely mentorship with Larry Hoover at the Stateville prison, how losing his son to gun violence just weeks before starting his current work shaped his mission, and the...
Jun 26, 2025•47 min•Ep. 2
Kanoya Ali and Peter Cunningham prove that the most unlikely partnerships can drive real change on Chicago's streets. While Chicago saw a 30% drop in shootings compared with last year, these two men with vastly different backgrounds reveal what's really working—and what isn't—in violence prevention. Ali shares his journey through prison at 17 after taking a life, while Peter talks about his experience as Mayor Daley's former speechwriter and decades in Chicago politics. Their conversation explor...
Jun 24, 2025•41 min•Ep. 1
License to Operate (LTO) takes you inside the streets where former gang members now broker peace and grieving mothers choose forgiveness over revenge. Hosts Kanoya Ali—a west side Chicago native who transformed his life after prison—and Peter Cunningham bring you raw conversations with the people actually reducing gun violence in the city's hardest-hit neighborhoods. This isn't about politics or preaching—it's about real relationships and proven strategies. Hear the untold stories of transformat...
Jun 13, 2025•2 min
