Leon Ford is the co-founder and new president and CEO of The Hear Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening relationships between communities and public safety officials. Ford established the organization in 2022, 10 years after he was shot five times by a Pittsburgh public safety officer during a traffic stop, an event that left his lower body paralyzed. He now works to create opportunities for Pittsburgh’s youth to become the next generation of responsible public safety officers with the hope that the infrastructure they build will become a model for cities across the country. He attributes the progress he has made since the life-altering encounter in 2012 to his ability to forgive the officer who shot him — a process he has detailed in a new play set to be performed as a fundraiser for the foundation and its programs on Sept. 16 at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center.
What is The Hear Foundation’s mission? I founded it along with Scott Schubert, who’s a former police chief (of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police), and our mission was to bridge the gap between police and community. We’ve since evolved to have a workforce development component (Bridging the Badge) — we’re creating pipelines for inner city youth to enter public safety (law enforcement, EMS and fire). Part of that is exposing them to these career paths and helping them build relationships.
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