Jeff Metcalf has launched the Austin Metcalf Foundation, a non-profit aimed at teaching young people how to regulate emotions and resolve conflicts, six weeks after the murder conviction of a teen who killed his son.

Foundation Goals

The foundation plans to focus on emotional regulation, conflict resolution, outreach, and scholarships centered around a message Metcalf says could have changed everything. Metcalf said, “We don’t need split-second decisions changing lives forever. You don’t want to have to visit your son in a cemetery or in a cell.”

Metcalf was met with questions about racist comments he made in an online video after the trial that drew widespread criticism. He said, “I said that that night. I own it. I admit it. Not my best moment. Can I do better? Yes, that’s what I’m trying to teach.”

Board Members

Bruce Carter, an Austin Metcalf Foundation board member, co-signed and said: “he [Metcalf] knows there’s some schools he can’t go to because of his conversation.” The two, who met during a press conference last year, now serve on the foundation’s board, saying they found common ground in trying to prevent future tragedies.

Carter has said publicly that he believes Karmelo Anthony should have been convicted of manslaughter, not murder, and that a 35-year sentence was too harsh. Metcalf’s son, Austin, would have celebrated his 19th birthday alongside his twin brother Hunter, a milestone Jeff Metcalf says is another reminder of the future his son never got to live.

Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.