Denver student who leads organization says it's time to end gun violence in community
Saturday morning there was a public meeting a Manual High School in Denver to discuss gun violence and school safety. It wasn't very well attended by community members and a group of students who were there say that is part of the problem.
"Everyone decides yes let's talk about it but no one shows up," said student, Yamilette Bravo.
She is a member of the Denver Teen Empowerment Program and says they are a generation that has grown up with the threat of gun violence. They say they feel cheated out of their childhood.
"A 13-year-old shouldn't be saying save my generation. A 16-year-old shouldn't be having two friends who got shot," Bravo said.
Yamilette knows how it feels to lose someone to gun violence all too well as two of her friends were shot on two different occasions. One survived but the other was killed at the Denver skatepark nearly one year ago. She says his death shook her.
"Honestly when I saw it I don't know what to feel because the last message we have sent to each other was to take care," Bravo said.
Now she and the Denver Teen Empowerment Program are speaking out and they say it's time the community listens.
"We need to save our future leaders because we are the future," Bravo said.
They want the community to take action like contacting their lawmaker, peaceful protests or signing petitions. They also think possibly putting police back in schools may be a good idea.
"Not officer so and so, but instead having more of a close bond with them so our students feel comfortable as well," Bravo said.
While those students were grateful that officials like the Denver Police Chief and Denver Public Schools representatives did show up to the meeting, they say it's going to take a whole community to end gun violence.
"It's an issue but that just because it's an issue doesn't mean it can be solved," Bravo said.
