MILWAUKEE — For many at an emergency fun violence summit Thursday, their lives were personally touched by gun violence.
Forward Latino and the 80% Coalition hosted a daylong emergency gun violence summit featuring national and local experts who talked about domestic abuse and school safety in an era of gun violence.
“I was almost late because I was stuck in an active shooter drill at my school. This is an experience young people all across the country are facing,” Tyler Kelly, a junior at Carthage College, said.
Kelly was one of several youths on a panel called “Generation Lockdown: A Student’s Perspective.” Their session provided insight into what it’s like to grow up and go to school with guns.
Nickolas Doherty was also on the panel. He was shot at 18 years old, and while it didn’t happen at school, he said he knows many people who had close calls both inside and outside of the classroom.
“That’s why I’m here, because of personal experience, but also the effects it has on my community,” Doherty said.
Another big part of the summit involved talking about solutions.
Emily Torres, center manager at the National Center of School Safety, spoke in a session called “School Safety in an Era of Gun Violence.”
“Mass shootings are rising in numbers, but we also have issues like bullying, fighting, mental health, and suicide going on with young people,” Torres explained.
She said that along with making sure schools are welcoming places for students, schools should take advantage of resources provided at the state and national levels.
One of those resources is Wisconsin’s reporting system, Speak up, Speak out.
“It’s also making sure there’s a way for schools to know about concerns. There’s a team in place if an incident is reported and they can connect kids to services,” Torres said.
Hundreds from across Wisconsin, including state representatives, the mayor, and local leaders, showed up to listen and learn about possible solutions. One of those people was Tracey Dent who works with Milwaukee youth to combat violence.
“It’s a very good session but sometimes you have to think who your target audience is,” Dent said about the Summit.
“When you talk about Milwaukee or Milwaukee Public Schools, who are understaffed and overworked, they’re so busy putting out fires that they don’t have time to do the things they’re suggesting.”
The youth at the conference also proposed their own ideas.
“From community violence intervention to mental health reform, all of it is going to come together. Gun violence is a huge issue and we need multiple comprehensive solutions to solve it,” Kelly said.
Forward Latino is a national non-profit, non-partisan service, and advocacy organization. The 80% Coalition is also a non-partisan group committed to pushing back against hate and for gun violence prevention legislation.
For more information on school resources including federal grants, you can visit the National Center for School Safety’s website.
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