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“I think the very thing that’s on the back of my shirt… ‘Won for the City.’ So, taking it one thing at a time, and making sure the area can flourish in the future.”

Those words are the personal mantra of Jesus Carreon, a 30-something lifelong resident of OKC’s Stockyards City neighborhood, one of Oklahoma City’s newest Strong Neighborhoods Initiative neighborhoods located in Ward 6. His love and commitment to his neighborhood and the Southside are immediately apparent when he talks about his deep roots. NACOK sat down with him during the Western Conference Finals playoff run to talk about growing up on the southside and what it means to step up for his community.

Growing up, Jesus can describe a typical childhood early on. He and his family were connected to their neighbors; there were children who would get out and play, especially in the summer, and they would stay out until midnight riding bikes, or playing basketball and soccer.

That all changed in the mid-1990s as crime rates went up and his neighborhood became less safe. Carreon recalls how gangs began to move into the neighborhood. 

“It kind of took a turn… The area was run by gangs unfortunately for a long time,” he replied. “It was really bad, we couldn’t go outside to play anymore. There were constant drive-bys, constant shootings…It got to the point where police wouldn’t even go in.” 

As violence increased, Jesus watched his community change around him. Friends he had grown up with moved away, and certain streets in the neighborhood that once felt safe became places to avoid. The effects of gangs and violence were impossible to ignore, especially when a member of his own family was drawn into that life. 

“It changed my life completely, personally,” Jesus said. “I can’t speak for my other family members, but for me? It changed a lot… I felt like that kid in a corner watching everything happen.”

The constant court dates, counseling, and leaving school early for court began to take its toll on their emotions and safety, and it felt like they were constantly grieving as their loved one was consumed by their gang involvement. So they turned to their church.

Faith has always been a focal point for the Carreon family. Jesus grew up Catholic, attending Our Lady of Gudalupe in his neighborhood before the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City closed the parish in 2009. The family hopped parishes for a while before ending up at Saint Joseph Old Cathedral in downtown OKC, where they met Father Bruce Natsuhara.

“I credit him with changing my life,” Jesus said. “He did everything in his power to help my family.” 

He recalled how Father Bruce learned Spanish so that he could say the mass in the language of the community he served, created special celebrations for the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe (a day of significance in Hispanic culture), and provided spiritual and material support to people in need. 

“He fell in love with our culture and gave so much to our community,” Carreon recalled. “I got to work alongside him in the summer and got to see all the work he would do that people didn’t see on the outside. He paid for people’s lawyers. He helped the homeless, got them hotel rooms. He did a lot.” 

Father Bruce was always someone Jesus could go back to for advice or guidance. In part because of Father Bruce’s support, Jesus eventually was able to attend Mount Saint Mary’s High School. 

“Mount Saint Mary is a school that they pride themselves on mercy,” he said, recalling the presence of the Sisters of Mercy on campus. Jesus said that because of Father Bruce and lessons learned at the school his outlook on life changed. “I became a very empathetic person.” In his early teens he was angry, mad at life and didn’t understand the things that his parents had to do to keep him and the family safe. 

“I am the man that I am today because of them… Even though I didn’t understand at a young age, now that I am older, I understand and am nothing but grateful,” he said reflecting. “I owe everything to my parents.” 

These experiences shaped Carreon’s desire to see the youth in his community get support and opportunities. Jesus recalls a coworker who was a mentor to him who told him, “work hard enough that you won’t have to introduce yourself to anyone.” He took that advice and it has become a guiding principle for him. 

“My main goal is to be impactful,” Jesus responded. This desire led him to become involved in helping to form the Stockyards City Neighborhood Association. 

Jesus doesn’t hesitate to admit his involvement with the neighborhood association was by pure chance. He recalls the day in early 2025 that a postcard about a kickoff meeting for Strong Neighborhoods Initiative, a community building initiative through the City of Oklahoma City, arrived at their home; there was some skepticism while reading it as Stockyards City had been viewed as a neighborhood which has struggled through years of neglect and rising crime rates. 

“There were always rumors. Rumors of this, rumors of that, mainly about displacement,” he explained. “My dad handed me the card and asked me to read it and see if it was saying what he thought it was [about displacement].”

So, Jesus and his father went to the kickoff meeting with his neighbors, City of OKC staff, and NACOK staff. Residents learned SNI was an opportunity for their wants and dreams to be heard with a chance for real change, which was a much-welcomed shift after decades of worry and fear about their futures and feeling forgotten. NACOK’s Cassidy Smith-Toliver saw the passion Jesus expressed as an opportunity and encouraged him to apply to the Neighborhood Alliance Leadership Academy. Carreon remarked that NALA was an eye-opening and informative experience, where he enjoyed learned about city processes, had the opportunity to meet and talk with neighbors from other areas of the city. He was even able to participate in a police ride along with an officer from the Southwest Division.

While attending NALA, Jesus and his neighbors got to work organizing their community to officially form the Stockyards City Neighborhood Association. Last September, the neighborhood organized their first Neighbors Night Out event at Lilyfield, complete with a donation of 20 pizzas from a local Dominoes, where neighbors joined together to celebrate their beloved community. There have opportunities to educate the community on zoning cases and other issues that might affect them, and the neighbors have seen success in using their voice to land a bench at a bus stop through dedicated advocacy. And in March, they formally held a vote to make their association official.

During his time in NALA, Jesus learned about street toppers and signage, which sparked the plan for their first SNI project for street toppers to bring more awareness and recognition to their neighborhood boundaries.  The neighborhood logo and toppers were designed based on feedback from residents at Neighbors Night Out; their toppers were recently installed and portray the neighborhood in a way they hope others will recognize.

“The toppers, those are one of the huge accomplishments we have had. Just because I feel it is going to bring a sense of community to that area.”

When asked Jesus how his parents felt about the design?

“My dad loved them. He was there when we voted on the design.”

Looking toward the future, Jesus hopes to see more opportunities for youth in Stockyards City and become a special place neighbors can be proud of whether they choose to stay or move, with a goal of stability for generations to come.

“I know we can make that area into a great area just like all these other amazing areas that have been growing up around the city,” Carreon said with a smile. “We can make somewhere special where people can come and be a community.”

When asked about what kind of advice he would give to young leaders just starting out in their neighborhoods, Jesus emphasized the need to remain resilient, because there will be ups and downs, so it is important to work to connect with people who have the same goals and vision. 

“When people see other people fight for them, they want to join the fight,” Jesus replied. “Being a good neighbor means just caring and seeing who is around you, and what they might need. How can you work together to keep growing and thriving as a community?”