"Teenagers, children are dying in our faces": Students make their opinions on gun violence heard at Brooklyn youth summit
NEW YORK -- Discussions about gun violence often only involve adults, but Thursday in Brooklyn, students made their voices heard as District Attorney Eric Gonzalez a hosted youth summit.
As CBS2's Aundrea Cline-Thomas reports, with more than 600 shooting victims so far this year in the city, gun violence is top of mind for many residents, especially some of the youngest ones.
"I'm a person of color. I'm from a Black and Brown community, so we know that gun violence affects Black and Brown people disproportionately than any other race. That's already one thing. Two, it's institutionalized, and it's at the basis of every single system in our government. Not gun violence per se, but the causes of gun violence," 12th grader Kayla Nicholas said.
Kayla was among the students who participated in the Brooklyn DA's anti-gun violence youth summit, organized with the nonprofit New Yorkers Against Gun Violence.
"Those closest to the issue are closest to the solution. Gun violence is the leading cause of death of young children, so I think they know what goes on in the communities more than we do," program director Frank Teah said.
Students discussed a range of issues, from the impact the pandemic had on violence to the role of the legal system, as a handful chose to take a tour of the courthouse.
"These are us dying. Teenagers, children are dying in our faces, and people are not taking the initiative to do something about it," 10th grader Athena Beasley said.
"Politicians think, like, oh, they're children, things like that, but a lot of us are smarter than what people think," 11th grader Maya Acevedo said.
Students say the adults are not having the right conversations.
"What is the root cause? We need to target it, and if we can't target it now, we need to start having serious discussions as to how," Kayla said.
For the teenagers, it's not about politics.
"This is an epidemic. Lives are being lost that haven't even begun to start yet," Kayla said.
They say it impacts their everyday lives.
The youth summit is a part of the Brooklyn DA's broader plan to try to prevent shootings as the summer approaches, when gun violence traditionally increases.
Gun buybacks, legislative advocacy and increased enforcement are all a part of the broader effort. Students who participated received a MetroCard, swag bag and a stipend.