Community Comes Together To End Youth Gun Violence

CHARLOTTE – Students, parents and community leaders all gathered at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church Tuesday night to discuss gun violence and creating a safer environment for teens.

Malachi Thompson is a student himself at West Charlotte High School. He’s a 12th grader and the co-president for the Mecklenburg Youth Council. 

Thompson tells WCCB’s Emma Mondo that gun violence affected his family this year, which inspired him to do more for the community and be  a voice for his generation. 

“It took me a long time to get out of that mentality of needing to fight everyday, because I don’t need to fight, I have a voice for that,” Thompson says.  So right now, I’m using my platform to  teach other young men, other young black men, to use their voice instead of their hands.”

Tuesday’s event was put on by city council at large member Victoria Watlington. Multiple community groups hosted tables, and following was a panel consisting of local activists and community leaders.

Watlington says every time we have an event that involves our youth and gun violence, it shocks the public conscience. 

“That’s an opportunity for everyone to say, okay we have our eyes on it, what can you do, what are you willing to bring to the table, what level of work are you willing to take on that before it was okay to sweep under the rug or turn a blind eye because it wasn’t in your face, well now it is. What are we going to do differently,” she says. 

Anaya Whitman is a mother who has lived in Charlotte for two years with her ten year old daughter. She says she already moved from an area in northwest Charlotte over to Elizabeth because of violence.  She came to the meeting Tuesday night to make sure that parents are represented in the conversation with city leaders.

“I think it’s very important that it takes a village to raise a child,” Whitman says, “so i think it’s very important that events like this happen where parents and communities can come together with system leaders to talk candidly about what’s going on in our communities and how we can support our youth especially when it comes to the violence.”

As for Watlington, her personal experience with gun violence continues to push her to encourage others to make a change. 

“I lost my nephew to gun violence a few years ago,” says Watlington, “so it hits particularly close to home. So when I hear it, I immediately want to do something about it. What can I do from where I sit to change an outcome for someone else.”