BlackRifle Co (not coffee)

Addiction blinds people to their own value. It tells them they're not good enough, that they're beyond hope, and convinces them that they have nothing to offer. But here at Gangland Express, we know that's a lie. We've seen firsthand how recovery can transform lives-how people who thought they were lost forever can rise up, not just to survive but to thrive. Our team is made up of those who've walked through fire— formerly homeless Veterans, addicts, gang members, survivors. They've all been in places where they didn't think they were good for themselves, let alone anyone else. But they fought, and now they're building, creating, and giving back in ways they never imagined possible. Every cutting board we make isn't just a product; it's a symbol of that fight, that journey from darkness to light. Gangland Express stands for more than just a business. We are a movement of second chances, showing that even when you don't believe in yourself, there's still hope. You are worthy, and your story isn't over yet. Join us in proving that recovery is possible and that everyone has a purpose. Shop Here and support that mission on the deadliest streets in America - https://lnkd.in/eVRY_FbF

Yall help us sell some t shirt subscriptions to fund our work fighting trafficking on the deadliest streets of America - everybody who signs up gets one of the badass remove-before-flight key tags! Spread the word - https://lnkd.in/enb8pEKU - you’ll get a t shirt every month that ONLY subscribers get, and packet about a different awesome sister org with swag from them every month, AND a site wide 15% discount on ALL the kit we offer FOR LIFE!

Meet Lt Col Scott Mann (retired). I’ve read a few of his books, but this one by far is my favorite! Scott and his wife Monty have been so instrumental in the work we do. We have worked in many things together: the Afghan evac, Task Force Lahaina, he’s even come to Memphis and has compared what we are doing to the village stability operations they did in Afghanistan. Scott gets big sh*t done. As a green beret he’s already a badass, but here he takes his knowledge, his love for story telling, and the love for his fellow man and has created a book about how to get sh*t done; not with machines, Ai, or algorithms, but with h u m a n c o n n e c t io n. Get your copy here 👉🏻 https://bit.ly/3IDYr6F

Wanna hear some incredible rock bottom stories from folks who went on to change the world? Of course you do! Ben’s got a series of interviews dropping with real life heroes who came from the bottom and rose against all odds to accomplish great things, yall join at Patreon.com/BenOwen

We were asked to speak today at the West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force luncheon as the keynote to close out a talk about how task force partnerships can help reduce problems like human and narcotics trafficking. We’ve taken many of the lessons we learned in Afghanistan and Ukraine and started applying them right here on the streets of America’s deadliest city in furtherance of a collective effort to shed Memphis of that dubious distinction - one of the most valuable lessons we learned in those efforts is the raw power of a public/private partnership that understands the importance of meeting people on their level. Garland told some of his story in a room full of cops, local, state and federal, elected officials, and state representatives - wrap your mind around that, and give this a listen!

There was a house I used to call “hell” on a street called Melrose in Memphis TN. I saw friends die in this house. I saw dreams die in this house. I saw hope die in this house. This house cost me my family, my home, my business, and ultimately, my freedom. It nearly cost me my life. I should have died in this house. Instead, I found rock bottom. I left Memphis in the rear view - for good, I thought. I got sober, I found recovery, I found hope, and I found purpose. I found myself called back to Memphis, back to that same street, in fact. I ended up shutting down the narcotics and human trafficking operation that had been run out of that house for a decade. I ended up owning that house. I ended up with an army by my side and we ripped that house to pieces and then rebuilt it for two women and two children to be reunited as a family in - women and kids whose lives were tragically altered by the very thing that house used to represent. I turned a dope house into a hope house. And then we turned the century old floorboards from that house - after a lot of processing and planing - into food safe serving boards, to be used or to be decorative - to help us fund repeating this exact same process on another street someone else once called “hell.” I’m dropping a link in comments to where you can get one and support this mission to take back the deadliest streets in America.

All of them. No matter what. Our whole mission started with a desire to protect kids from suffering the consequences of bad decisions made by adults around them and that’s taken us from the streets of Memphis to the slums of Mexico and Haiti to the minefields of Ukraine to the boonies of Taliban controlled Afghanistan. How do we do it? Making friends in bad places. How do we do that? Simple - human connection. My free Patreon is covering a lot of stories on how that gets done, and the paid tiers offer interviews with CIA officers, tier 1 operators, and others who are guiding our methodology committing good deeds in bad places. Join us at Patreon.com/BenOwen as we go from the deadliest streets in America to some of the most high stakes conflicts around the globe, all with a mission to save the lost and free the oppressed.