City leaders host packed healing town hall for students, families facing constant violence
EAST GERMANTOWN - Community leaders hosted a healing town hall at Imhotep High School, after the fatal shooting of 17-year-old student.
16-year-old Cahyra Bivens stated, "The first time I seen somebody die from a gunshot was just like two weeks ago. I had to take a mental day off because my head was not on straight."
The young people are the town hall are part of the NOMO Foundation.
"It helps you stay straight and keeps you from gun violence and negative stuff. It helps you do better," 9-year-old Trayvon Robinson said.
Another teen said, "It’s crazy because kids out here killing other kids and that’s not good."
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Their mentor brought them to the town hall at Imhotop Charter School Wednesday night.
"At least the city is acknowledging and they’re responding that there is a problem in this city," VP of Restorative Justice for NOMO, Dawan Williams, remarked. "But, we kinda feel this is an all-hands-on-deck situation and it’s going to take for us parents to step up and hold our children accountable."
Residents and community leaders packed the place for Council President Kenyatta Johnson’s Peace Not Guns initiative, following the murder of 17-year-old Damon Taylor. "Talk about solutions and how you gonna work with this councilwoman and Imhotep with a strategy on how y’all move forward and transform this community."
Wednesday night was about rolling out resources so that families can help their children. Nasir Shawqi is with 17 With Life and Ceasefire Philadelphia. "It’s normal. And now people not affected as hard as they should be affected to make the change."
He brought along one of his participants, Andrew McNeil. He said, "Nowadays, young people we all want attention. So that’s what we try to look for nowadays, attention."