TAMPA, Fla. — Law enforcement and advocates have sounded the alarm on gun violence in the community, particularly when it involves young people and teens.
While sitting on a park bench dedicated to victims of gun violence, Johnny Johnson reflected on the ongoing issue.
“As our organization Rise Up for Peace slogan is, it takes all of us,” said Johnson, the Vice President of Rise Up for Peace, a group opposing gun violence.
Johnson’s son, Jayquon, was shot and killed in 2017.
Just days ago, the community was shaken by another shooting involving teens.
“We need a vigorous, vigorous campaign to save them,” said Johnson. “Those fundings, bring those fundings to the community, really put it into jobs, really put it into education to where you can really see, these kids can see an effect, something is worth investing their time in.”
The problem of teen gun violence has frustrated both advocates and law enforcement.
Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said in a debrief that although there was an overall decrease in juvenile-related gun crime between 2022 and 2023, those involved with guns are at a much higher risk of injury or death, both to themselves and others.
“It’s something that I’ve said before that we will not tolerate it,” said Chief Bercaw.
Bercaw said they’re committed to building trust and positive relationships with young people through educational programs, mentorship initiatives, and community events, pointing to outlets like the TPD Youth Academy, TPD Police Explorer program, and Stay and Play.
“We’re providing more and more opportunities for juveniles to stay out of the wrong path,” said Bercaw. “In addition to that, we just opened up our Shielding Our Teens program in the high schools, and that’s where we teach teenagers how to interview for jobs and provide them clothing to actually go out there and get a job.”
Police also ask people to be responsible gun owners and not to leave guns in cars.
For Johnson, there are a lot of pieces to this puzzle, including adults playing their part.
“We have to be better leaders, better examples, right? And then those kids will imitate that and, okay, walk away from an incident,” said Johnson.
