GUN VIOLENCE: What needs to be done to stop the gun violence in Jackson?

• Video shows Jennifer Johnson sharing her own story involving gun violence.
• She shares that every time another youth is killed, it brings back the memories of losing her own son.
• Dena Morgan, Stop the Violence Jackson, shares that she hopes to see more youth programming, and families affected by gun violence to join law enforcement when searching for a solution.

(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)

"Enough...enough...enough... All I can say is enough," says Jennifer Johnson. On the heels of Sunday's homicide, neighbors are calling for change.

Following Sunday's shooting death of a 17-year-old, a renewed sense of concern is surfacing for our neighbors. Dena Morgan, Stop the Violence Jackson, says, "Every time you turn around, you hear about this shooting again. Our youth are being killed. They're killing one another, and we have to get to the root cause."

I spoke to one neighbor, Jennifer Johnson, who lost her son to gun violence in 2017. "I have not (gotten) over it. It hurts me every day. Especially when I hear that another child is gone. It hurts me."

Photos of Jennifer Johnson's late son, Ronald:

I asked neighbors, 'What is the solution to ending such violence?'

One neighbor says, "I think they need to get tougher on the gun laws." Another, George Brown, says "I think it's initiatives that will help people make their decisions differently. Anything that's going to make people or help people settle their disputes in a different way, than firearms or violence."

Jennifer Johnson adds, "Let's get some jobs out here, summer jobs. Let's get things out here, where they can go and have fun. Let's get kickball, softball, let's get all this back. Let's get it back. We need it."

Dena Morgan, with Stop the Violence Jackson, shares what she'd like to see: "I believe we need more programs to address the mental health issue in our community. I believe we need more programs to provide youth with employment and training."

Dena also shared that she'd like to see neighbors come together to come up with a proactive solution. "We really just need to connect with the families and the community. We all need to come together with law enforcement and come up with a plan. See what we need to do to get these guns off the streets."

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