KENOSHA — A series of violent incidents involving teenagers in Kenosha over the past eight days has prompted a community leader to launch a new initiative aimed at supporting at-risk youth.
The crimes include a fatal shooting of a 16-year-old on Feb. 4 by two other teenagers, followed by the arrests of two Bradford High School students - a 16-year-old found with a loaded gun on Wednesday morning and a 15-year-old discovered with ammunition on Thursday morning.
"This is about our kids' lives," said Tanya McLean, who works with Leaders of Kenosha to empower Black and Brown communities. "No one wants to see kids getting hurt. No one wants to deal with any of this. We all just want to live and see our families happy."
McLean said the recent violence has left her heartbroken.
Watch: Kenosha community leaders call for action after week of crimes involving teens
"Last week I literally cried. I slept like two hours. I was devastated," McLean said. "And you know you're hearing all these narratives about the kids and all of that. Regardless of what happened. Someone lost a life, people are going to jail, families are destroyed."
In response to the incidents, McLean is launching the "We Stand So They Can Rise" call for action plan.
"I stand for believing our kids. And believing that they deserve the best of us, and this is absolutely not the best of us," McLean said.
The recent crimes reflect a broader trend in Kenosha. Police records show there were 653 juvenile arrests in 2025, representing a 13% increase since 2023.
"It is creeping up, and our biggest concern is when you look at these anecdotal incidents. That's a huge one. Now we have loss of life, now we have kids carrying guns," said Kenosha Police Chief Patrick Patton.
Patton said it all starts at home.
"Many situations, we're spending just as much time investigating the scene as we are trying to find parents to talk to about hey, we have your kids, and they were involved, and that's the saddest part," Patton said.
The police chief hopes the recent incidents will encourage more adults to help mentor and be a positive influence for teens.
"Who's taking our kids that are fence sitters and saying end up on this side rather than that?" Patton asked.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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