Will It Ever End?

I just came back from Toronto for their annual Caribana Festival. During the parties the DJs would shout out different cities and countries. Of course, when they called Philly, my friends and I would go off! When the DJs shouted out Chicago, they called it Chiraq. People would laugh, but honestly its nothing funny about how they got the name; it’s due to the massive killings and shootings in their city this summer. And while people were poking fun at Chicago, Philly was also experiencing a lot of violence.

[caption id="attachment_1738" align="alignleft" width="300"] Vigil for Terrance Cox
Photo cred: guncrisis.org[/caption]

According to Philly.com, this past Thursday, Terrance “Bird” Cox lost his life to gun violence and two others were injured. This young man, who was said to be a good person and a great basketball player, was only 25. Then in the Grays Ferry section of the city, Tynirah Borum, 3, was shot while getting her hair done outside. One man was arrested in connection with this murder, Douglas Woods, 22. The police are currently on the search for an accomplice.

 

When will enough be enough? How many innocent lives have to be lost before this violence ends? When I look at a place like Chicago, where the President previously resided, can we even have hope for violence to end in our cities? I would like to see our own local governments take action and control the gun violence in our cities. Also continue to be active in these youth lives. If you have a family member/friend who is caught up in the streets, talk to them and let them know there is a way out. Retaliation, killing people, especially innocent bystanders, is never the answer.

[caption id="attachment_1737" align="alignleft" width="360"] unityinthecommunity.com[/caption]

I would like to give a special shout out to people and organizations who are trying to make a change in our city. This past week Unity in the Community had an entire Peace Week. Their Peace Week included different events which promoted peace in the community. Their week ended with a huge block party hosted by Teyanna Taylor and Q-Deezy. I’m happy to say no violence was reported during these events.

What can we do to end gun violence? What needs to happen? Please share your thoughts, comments and concerns below.