An open discussion about the rise of gun violence among young people is being held at a Rexdale high school today.
Activist Spider Jones was at West Humber Collegiate Institute and told CP24, “We’re tired of young people killing one another.”
He said the purpose of the discussion was to “bring the black people together” whether they are from Jamaica, Detroit, Trinidad or Toronto.
“We have to come together as a community and stand up to these thugs,” he said. “Many people live in fear. We need to stop it.”
Today’s forum comes a year after 14-year-old Lecent Ross was fatally shot inside a townhouse in the Rexdale neighbourhood on July 9, 2015. Two teens faced a combined 25 charges for her death.
Toronto Police Supt. Ron Taverner said in 2015, “Without the gun being there, we wouldn’t be standing here today… That’s the thing we want to drive to the community.”
Princess Boucher and Pastor Keaton Austin were also at the event.
Boucher said in a news release that the discussion about gun violence is “more than just a community issue.” She said it was a matter of public health.
To tackle gun violence, she said, the approach was to focus on prevention, scientific methodology “to identify risk and patterns” and multidisciplinary collaboration to help provide different types of intervention methods.
Candidate for Ward 2 councillor Michael Ford was also at the high school on Saturday “to support the community,” he said.
Youth leaders, activists and members of the community are expected to be at the event until 5 p.m.
Other politicians and leaders, including Mayor Tory, were also in the Rexdale neighbourhood on Saturday to remember the teen and support the community.
Tory said all three levels of government will meet with members of the community and local school boards for “the first time” to talk about programs for youth.
“It doesn’t matter where people are from,” he said. “The idea (for the meeting) is to sit down and discuss what needs to be done here.”
