LOUISVILLE, Ky. — June is National Gun Violence Awareness Month.
But, a month aimed at stopping gun violence started with eight different shootings that injured 14 and killed three others. Nearly half of those injured were juveniles.
"We've just experienced a horrific weekend," described Deputy Mayor David James.
Jewish Family & Career Services (JFCS) hosted its quarterly "Community Chat" series Tuesday night with the theme 'A Safer Louisville: Community Solutions for Violence Prevention.'
“That this event that was picked seven months ago happened to be coinciding with the shooting of the other day…that’s the unfortunate reality that we all have which is that these things happen in our community; happen often and it doesn’t matter where it happens, it’s something that impacts all of us," said JFCS CEO Dr. David Finke.
A panel of four advocates and a packed room of community members discussed possible solutions to an end to senseless gun violence.
"It's about addressing systemic challenges, it's creating pathways out of poverty to prosperity, and ensuring a zip code doesn't dictate destiny," Trent Findley, director of Equitable Community Metro United Way, said. He was one of the panelists. “There’s been a question about whether this is a neighborhood problem or a larger community problem, it’s both.”
The panelists addressed a lack of resources given to neighborhoods who need them, particularly mental health resource for kids.
"Stuff that just happened over the weekend, a lot of those kids are affected by that but they don't have no body to talk to. With them not having no body to talk to, it'll also grow the thought that they think this is a way to protect themselves or they think this is a way to survive," panelist Dequantay Smith with Youth Voice-Reform Louisville: Kentucky Youth Advocates said. "You have to invest in your community If you want to see a positive change."
It's a sentiment shared among the panelists.
“We often have youth who think they’re being punished by experiencing mental health help, instead of seeing that as an opportunity to heal or find a connection in the community to someone that will walk along side them through that journey," said panelist JFCS Assistant Director of Programs Kathryn Cowart, LPCC-S.
Other solutions addressed were putting an emphasis on preventing gun violence, instead of just focusing on intervening after a shooting and giving kids the space and resources to participate in activities like sports or the arts in hopes to deter them from violence.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.