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Sebastian Florentino, 14, was shot and killed on Jan. 21, 2023.
Alijah S. Golden-Richmond, additionally 14, was shot and killed this 12 months on Aug. 14.
The boys have been the primary and final of 40 murder victims in Milwaukee County 17 years of age or youthful since Jan. 1, 2023, in keeping with information supplied by Karen Domagalski, operations supervisor for the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Workplace.
Minors signify 13% of all murder victims in Milwaukee County since 2023.
(Milwaukee County murder information differs from metropolis of Milwaukee murder information. County information consists of circumstances from Milwaukee suburbs akin to West Allis and Cudahy and in addition homicides decided to be justified by the District Legal professional’s Workplace, in keeping with Domagalski.)
“It’s a unhappy statistic to listen to what number of murders there are of the younger folks in our metropolis, however it additionally isn’t shocking to me since Milwaukee doesn’t care about our youth,” stated Kevin Sas-Perez, who has labored as a youth pastor and with youths by way of varied organizations over the previous 15 years.
“I imagine the primary factor youth are searching for is to be liked and to belong, however we’re not doing job of assembly that or another wants for our youth.”
Lennia Fields, a mom who lived and labored in Milwaukee however presently resides in Las Vegas, additionally believes youths want extra help to forestall them from changing into victims of violence.
“Our youth want extra constructive function fashions and packages that may defend and defend them from their atmosphere and themselves,” stated Fields, who misplaced her mom to murder in 2000. “Remedy for his or her traumas ought to be supplied on the college or neighborhood facilities.”
Retaining weapons out of the palms of youths
Of the 40 youth murder victims since 2023, all however three died from gun violence. Many have been shot and killed by different teenagers.
Anneliese Dickman is a senior supervisor for Brady, a company that advocates towards and supplies options to gun violence. She stated the weapons ought to by no means have gotten right into a minor’s palms.
“Someplace alongside the road there are adults who, mistakenly or purposely, allowed entry to a gun, and that’s 100% preventable,” Dickman stated. “That’s the place adults have failed.”
Nationwide tendencies in youth homicides
In line with a 2023 examine revealed within the Journal of the American Medical Affiliation, murder is the main reason behind demise of kids within the U.S.
The examine, which examined nationwide information on baby homicides from 1999 to 2020, discovered that the age-adjusted murder charge for kids from 0 to 17 years outdated was 2.8 per 100,000 youngsters in 2020 and that males have been disproportionately impacted.
In Milwaukee County, the inhabitants was estimated at round 916,000, with between 19.5% and 26% being beneath the age of 18, in keeping with the U.S. Census Bureau Knowledge.
That will place Milwaukee County’s age-adjusted murder charge for 2023 at between 10.8 and 14.6 victims per 100,000 youngsters, a lot greater than the nationwide common; 85% of youth murder victims in Milwaukee County have been males.
What can the neighborhood do?
Tracey Anderson, a Milwaukee father of seven, stated the neighborhood ought to deal with the mother and father of the kids who’re committing violent crimes.
“The neighborhood wants extra accountability from the mother and father who made these wayward juveniles,” Anderson stated.
Sadly, he stated, too many mother and father lack the talents to lift youngsters and even stay responsibly themselves.
“Some mother and father are even worse than their youngsters, so clearly we all know what route they’re headed,” Anderson stated.
Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman just lately issued a “name to motion” to folks and others to turn into extra concerned in serving to cut back youth violence.
“We want you on the desk. Our youth want you on the desk. Be part of the answer,” he stated. “What are you doing to assist?”
Mother and father responded with concepts of their very own.
“We are able to do all we wish, however there needs to be penalties that imply one thing,” stated South Facet mom Jamie Berta Gilane.
Associated Story
Milwaukee weighs in on lower youth violence
In response to what he described as elevated brazenness amongst teenagers utilizing firearms to steal property and commit different violent crimes, Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman has referred to as on mother and father and others locally to intervene.
Investing in our youths
Sas-Perez, who has been concerned with the Boys and Women Golf equipment of Larger Milwaukee, Milwaukee Recreation and different native packages that serve youths, stated that for issues to alter in Milwaukee, there needs to be way more funding in younger folks, each personally and financially.
“Spend extra time speaking to and listening to our youth, and when they’re telling us what they need and wish, we must always take it severely after which put our cash into creatively assembly the needs and wishes,” Sas-Perez stated.
“Having extra strong youth programming, elevated funding in our faculties and higher pay for these working with youth is the beginning of serving to lower the variety of youth murdered.”
Youth violence prevention sources in Milwaukee
Telephone: 414-266-2557
What it does: Mission Ujima is a neighborhood program that helps victims of violence and supplies companies at Kids’s Wisconsin, your property and the neighborhood.
Telephone: 414-439-5525
What it does: 414 Life is a violence interruption workforce based mostly in Milwaukee. Its targets are to cease the unfold of gun violence by way of de-escalation and mediation of conflicts and educating the general public to alter the norms round gun violence.
Telephone: 414-257-7721
What it does: The objective of Credible Messenger’s transformative mentoring is to offer prevention and intervention with youth, protecting them from each getting into the youth justice system and having deeper involvement with the youth justice system.
Workplace of Group Wellness and Security
Telephone: 414-286-5468
What it does: The workplace helps varied violence prevention initiatives within the metropolis of Milwaukee.
Boys and Women Golf equipment of Larger Milwaukee
Telephone: 414-267-8100
Tackle: 1558 N. sixth St.
What it does: The group serves hundreds of youths day by day in Milwaukee by way of a wide range of educational and leisure programming.
Telephone: 414-344-1220
Tackle: 1850 N. MLK Jr Drive #202
What it does: The group helps abused and uncared for youngsters heal and thrive whereas additionally offering help to foster and kinship youngsters to assist forestall additional baby abuse.
News414 is a service journalism collaboration between Wisconsin Watch and Milwaukee Neighborhood Information Service that addresses the particular points, pursuits, views and data wants recognized by residents of central metropolis Milwaukee neighborhoods. Be taught extra at our web site or join our texting service right here.
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