LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With over 100 homicides and nearly 400 shootings in Louisville this year, the impact of gun violence is something even the kids feel. At London Barber Shop on Shepherdsville Road, Will Pitts is trying to build the village to turn the tide.
"To have kids open up, and talk to us, that's a blessing in itself," shop owner Marcus London said.
In return, London gave his own blessing, a fresh cut while organizer Will Pitts mentored the talk he calls 'Kut out the Beef.'
"Take this love and spread it," he told the crowd of about 20, a majority teenagers.
Most of the room agreed, having positive figures and a purpose in life helps move people off the path to violence.
So Pitts brought LMPD Officer Deuce Hillerich to the talk—who preached the importance of talking face-to-face.
"You don't know how your words affect somebody else," he said.
Pitts also introduced Kentucky's 2024 High School teacher of the year, Kumar Rashad, as a strong black role model.
"A mentor. We need more of them in these schools, man," Rashad insisted.
Across generations, fingers pointed at social media, blaming it for a feedback loop that fuels disagreement. 17-year-old Chris Wilson thought so.
"It just goes back in a circle and it's all built up. And I feel like that's probably where it come from. When I see you, it's automatically on 10," he said, speaking generally.
Turning tensions down from 10, that's the skill Pitts hopes the children pick up from this sit down.
"So let's love on each other, man, and be very responsible for your clique, your friends, your group of guys," Pitts encouraged.
Wilson already feels the responsibility, knowing there's obstacles in the way.
"Scrolling on TikTok and things like that, it just gets your mind off it for a second," he said, referencing the anxieties young people feel. "Once you get off of it, it all comes back... you need to find something to help dissolve what you're going through."
Something that could be as simple as having the right conversation at the right time.
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