Our Story

Photo of OG Founder, JJ, in the youth podcast room

Meet our founder, Jason Johnson, also known as Officer JJ. Throughout his early career as a San Francisco Police Officer, JJ had the opportunity to mentor young people and get to know the kids who were caught up in the very system he was working within. Through this experience, JJ saw firsthand the challenges these young people faced and most profoundly the lack of systems in place to support and uplift them. JJ began to question his own purpose and the role he could play in breaking historic cycles of poverty and violence in his community. Ultimately, it was the arrest and murder conviction of one of the youth JJ had been working with that pushed him to pursue solutions outside of the police department and to start his own nonprofit.

In 2013, JJ founded Operation Genesis (OG). He founded OG with the belief that the individuals perpetuating violence need and deserve access to high-quality, culturally competent, and empowering services that center their wellness, healing, and future potential for success. Operation Genesis’ mission is to promote self-confidence by enabling youth and their families to abandon their limitations of fear and to believe in themselves and their abilities to achieve success.