MOURN GUN VIOLENCE VICTIMS; ACT TO PREVENT MORE
There are no words to describe the choking grief when the sharp impact of bullets ends young lives full of bright promise. That impact hits across communities, but it is felt most keenly by those who understood the potential that has suddenly been erased.
Bullets stole the potential of a young man who was known by his colleagues at Spectrum News as a dedicated, talented reporter who approached his work with drive and determination. Dylan Lyons, 24, a graduate of West Palm Beach’s Dreyfoos School of the Arts, was slain by gunfire on Feb. 22 as he reported on the shooting death earlier that day of Nathacha Augustin in Pine Hills; photojournalist Jesse Walden was also wounded. Soon thereafter, 9-year-old T’Yonna Major — who dreamed of following in the steps of gymnast Gabby Douglas — was killed, and her mother, Brandi, wounded, in a nearby house. According to Orange County Sheriff John Mina, the same gunman was implicated in all five shootings.
Those who knew these young people will never really get over it. But somehow, again and again, the greater community forgets their searing grief. Life goes on. Until, for the next victim, it doesn’t.
This time, can things end differently? Can we look at this rampage and say: We can no longer tolerate this bloody toll — not just as individuals, but as a community?
This time, answer that question with yes. And here’s where the changes should start.
› Heal the neighborhoods that bear the brunt of violence. The residents of Pine Hills don’t need anyone to tell them what is wrong with their communities, nor do the residents of so many other neighborhoods fractured by gun violence. They know.
There are too few opportunities. Too many families can’t afford to move to safer subdivisions, and often work two and three jobs or face long commutes just to survive. Too many children grow up seeing casual drug use and weapons brandished like toys, even if their own parents show them the value of love and hard work. Residents have too few options to come together, establish bonds and plan for better futures. Too many areas lack access to resources — medical care, youth-oriented activities, even amenities like banks and grocery stores. They’ve seen too many years of not-sobenign neglect by leaders who only come around when elections are nigh.
They deserve better. What does that look like and how can they get it?
› Understand the roots of violence. We still don’t know much about the 19-year-old man who police say is responsible for Wednesday’s shootings. If he is guilty, we have little sympathy for him.
But dismissing young criminals as thugs and monsters, with no deeper examination of the realities that shaped them, only guarantees that innocent victims will continue to fall. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings has already said that he intends to reconvene his violent crime task force. He should expand his scope to include a deeper look at why and how lives go so badly astray, and how to heal the hopelessness and anger that fuels so many to turn to addiction, violence and crime.
› Confront reality on guns. Too many Americans want to pretend that ease of access to lethal arms can be separated from the deadly toll they take on streets across this nation. But many of those proclaiming this perilous myth do so from the safety of gated communities and marble halls guarded by metal detectors.
The residents of this area’s most troubled neighborhoods know differently. They watch cheap, readily accessible weapons claim life after life, day after day. They never have time to forget the trauma of gun violence. It is omnipresent, along with the nearconstant fear that they will be the next innocent bystanders.
That fear refuses to be confined. Ask any police officer who isn’t a practiced politician and they will tell you: Gun access is an unavoidable part of this equation.
These deaths should be mourned — by everyone. But then we should resolve: Grief is not enough to spare the next family or fill the next space. It will take sustained, determined and undaunted action.