Townsend is known for his role in several documentaries and movies: How to Make Money Selling Drugs;[3] "The '80s: The Decade That Made Us,[4] a television mini-series in which he played a former crack dealer;[5] and the Gangland episode "One Blood".
[8] Townsend is the co-founder and executive director of 2nd Call, a gang intervention non-profit,[9] and board member of the Southern California Cease Fire Committee.
[12][13] 2nd Call was founded in 2005[14] as a community-based organization designed to save lives by reducing violence and assisting in the personal development of high-risk individuals, proven offenders, ex-felons, parolees, and others with society disregard.
The organization also encourages judges to send individuals to 2nd Call classes rather than to jail, and it offers a pathway to union careers in building trades such as electrical and construction.
[20] During the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Southern California partnered with 2nd Call to help distribute protective supplies for community members, since many could not afford to buy masks.