"St. Louis is calling for ceasefire"

ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) -- One of the city’s most notorious gang members is calling for a cease fire.

“Yo Banga,” a north St Louis rapper who grew up in gangs and saw his best friend shot to death is out of prison.  Now, he’s working with Better Family Life.

His real name is Ladon Meriweather, and he’s pleading with young men, who grew up just like him, to stop the killings.

“I know what it’s like to be in jail. I know what it’s like to lose five years of my freedom over a street,” he said. “Over a street! And at the same time, that same street that I did all that protecting and defending, when I was sitting in jail for those five years, I can count on one hand how many times someone from that street visited me or put money on my books or went and took my kids some money - anything.”

Meriweather also takes his story to schools, telling young people the only way out of the drug game is jail or death.