BALTIMORE — Kevin Shird knows what it means to walk a hard road. Born and raised in Baltimore, Shird once found himself deep in the street life—dealing drugs by the age of 16 and eventually serving a total of 12 years in federal prison. Today, he’s an activist, entrepreneur, and author, hoping to change lives with his latest project: "A Life for a Life."
“This book has been a journey—10 to 12 years in the making,” Shird said. “After all the research I’ve done, and after living this life in Baltimore, evolving from the streets into advocacy, this is information people need to understand.”
The book weaves together Shird’s personal transformation with the tragic story of Damion Neal, a man he met while incarcerated. Like Shird, Neal came from a background marked by poverty and violence—this time on the east side of Baltimore. The two bonded over shared experiences and dreams of building better futures.
“We used to talk about getting a good job, being back with loved ones, just being in the community again,” Shird recalled. “Those plans felt beautiful.”
But after Shird was released and began finding purpose in his advocacy work, he was shocked to learn that Neal had committed a double homicide—killing his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend.
Haunted by the news, Shird began asking why—and found himself uncovering layers of trauma.
“Damion had a crack-addicted mother, a heroin-addicted father, and a father who was HIV-positive,” he said. “Those kinds of environments take a toll.”
Shird’s book doesn’t just tell his story or Neal’s—it digs into the systemic and psychological roots of violence. As he wrote, Shird began to unpack his own post-traumatic stress, recalling shootouts he survived in his youth.
“I almost got killed in broad daylight—right up there on that corner,” he said, pointing to a familiar intersection in Baltimore. “When I wrote that scene, tears started coming out of my eyes. I had forgotten about it.”
For Shird, the normalization of violence in neighborhoods like his is part of a larger crisis—one that he believes must be addressed through a mental health lens.
“There are a lot of people in this city struggling, who really need help,” he said. “I’m hoping this book opens that conversation and helps normalize talking about mental health and getting the support people need.”
Endorsed by Experts
A Life for a Life has been endorsed by the American Psychiatric Association for its insight into the connection between trauma, mental illness, and violent behavior. Shird hopes his story helps break the cycle for others still caught in it.
“We have to normalize people getting treatment, getting support—so they can live better lives,” he said.
Click HERE for more information on the book and how to get a copy.
