MILWAUKEE — Teens from Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy took their march for peace straight down Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Thursday afternoon, calling for an end to the violence claiming the lives of children and teens in Milwaukee.
Chanting “Stop the killing” and “Victory Over Violence,” the students walked from their school to Victory Over Violence Park, determined to honor young lives lost and push for change.
It was all part of Youth Victory Over Violence Week in the city.
Watch: Milwaukee teens demand change, honor victims in youth anti-violence march
“We’re tired of the violence against kids and teens in our community,” said Lyrique Jackson, a senior at the academy who helped lead the march as a dancer at the front of the group.
Jackson has lived through the kind of violence she’s fighting against, and she said it nearly put her on a dangerous path.
“For a long time, I went unheard and I became violent,” she said. “I feel like I’m a living testimony that regardless of how you start, it doesn’t determine how you finish.”
She said violence often begins at home and stems from kids not having a place to express themselves or be heard.
“I think that the violence starts in the homes. It's really about giving our students an outlet and an understanding of our emotions,” Jackson said. “Violence stems from not being heard, so if students… are feeling like they're not heard, they're going to resort to violence because then they'll get the attention they think they need.”
As the march stopped in the park, the students dropped flowers in memory of victims — and recited the names and ages of children recently killed or injured in the city.
“Remember the two-year-old. Remember the nine-year-old. Remember the 15-year-old. Their life ended short,” anti-violence activist Tracey Dent's voice rang out.
For Jackson, the message to people who think violence is appealing was direct.
“To children who think that this is cool and think that it’s fun, it’s not,” she said. “Taking other people’s lives is not fun. It doesn’t make you cool. It makes you seem dangerous, and it changes your life for the worst.”
Walking back from the march, junior Travonne Cannon said the problem hits close to home.
Cannon believes the key to prevention is listening, guidance and connection.
“You should talk to somebody,” he said. “Always talk to somebody. Having an older mentor that knows right from wrong is a good thing. It’s a good habit. Good source.”
Both Jackson and Cannon said they want more safe spaces and positive role models for teens, as well as more adults willing to listen without judgment. They hope events like Youth Victory Over Violence Week spark those conversations before another name is added to the list of lives cut short.
“Without us… there is no future,” Jackson said.
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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