Jeff Brown's grocery stores gave ex-offenders a 'first chance.' Now it's a key to his mayoral campaign

PHILADELPHIA — At 35 years old, Careem Hines landed one of his first real jobs.

"I never really had a job because I always ran the street," said Hines. "I was a drug boy."

But after years of jail stints for drug, assault, and gun offenses, a seven-year sentence after a probation violation was the last straw. Hines, 44, now helps run the ShopRite in West Philadelphia's Parkside neighborhood, working as an assistant grocery manager, ordering product, overseeing inventory, and managing associates when needed.