The peer pressure question on this day continued to draw responses. Dae'den Thompson, 16, said he feels pressure when two friends have a conflict and he has to pick a side.

"Do you know how many beefs I've managed?" asks Mcatee, who has worked at multiple barber shops in the city. "The best thing to do is stay out of it. You say 'I got love for you' and 'I got love for you.' The best thing you can do is try to bridge it if you can."

He tells students that sometimes having friends talk, without others around that they have to show off for, can defuse a problem.

"Once they really get there and talk, man, a lot of that stuff don't be about nothing," he said. "They really don't want to beef."

 "They do it when they get around a friend," a student said.

"That's it," said Mcatee. "That's the only reason that they do it."

For the next hour, the conversation bounces from cyberbullying to materialism, absentee fathers, letting slights go and not seeking conflicts over money or property damage that could lead to violence. At other points they joke about girls, about embarrassing moments or about going to prom as a group.

Thompson and other students say they appreciate the program for a chance to talk with students and adults who understand their lives.

"I come here and can speak my mind," he said.

Law says the talks seem to be having an impact. He did not have data, but said behavior problems with participants has fallen and attendance has improved. That's in keeping with results from a study in Philadelphia that showed young adults had fewer fights for a few months after participating in barbershop discussions. Those results didn't last, however, and the program at George Washington is too new to know the long-term effect.

The biggest impact Patton hopes for, though, won't be measurable. It's about preventing tragedy.

"I'm tired of meeting moms screaming for their babies that's never coming home," Patton tells the students. "I do not want to see one of you young men on the news other than being highlighted for something amazing."

This story was produced by The 74 and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.