Community Leaders Unite to Combat Rising Gun Violence Ahead of Summer Months

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Grand Rapids community leaders and neighbors gathered Tuesday night to proactively address youth violence ahead of the summer months, announcing new initiatives backed by $10,000 in grant money that will kick off when gun violence rates typically increase.

The Safe Alliance for Everyone (SAFE) task force hosted the conversation to discuss solutions to gun violence, mental health issues, and a lack of pro-social opportunities for neighbors between the ages of 15 and 24.

"When any neighborhood suffers, the ripple effects touch us all, making safety and healing a collective responsibility for all," said Latesha Lipscomb, who focuses on the City of Grand Rapids' effort to address violence intervention.

Lipscomb discussed several initiatives set to get underway that address youth gun violence. She hosted the annual SAFE Alliance community gathering and said that those initiatives, awarded $10,000 in grant money in the fall, will kick off in the summer, when gun violence rates typically increase.

"Violence does tend to increase during those idle times, and so we believe that by implementing this type of programming and community throughout the city, this creates more access and opportunities for those young people to learn, grow and develop," Lipscomb said.

Creating Safe Spaces for Youth

City commissioner Milinda Ysasi has been with the SAFE task force since the beginning and emphasized the importance of community-driven efforts highlighted at the gathering.

"It's for our winners to come together, to connect with different apartments in the city, to say, what are the things that we're planning or doing," Ysasi said. "We're talking about some longer-term strategies as well."

One of those grant recipients is Duke Turley Jr, beginning an initiative called 'Let's Talk, King.' Its goal is to combat gun violence by supporting the mental health of young men.

"It's healthy to have space or someone to talk to about what you're dealing with internally," Turley said. "You can't necessarily sustain a living without having your mental right to be able to sustain just life in general, your basic needs, housing, employment, education, food. So, there's that disconnect, right?"

Personal Stories from the Community

For residents like Dalshawn Tyler, the issue of youth violence is personal. Tyler said he lost a couple of people to gun violence.

"I lost a couple of people to gun violence," Tyler said.

Tyler said he grew up around violence, did his time, and now wants a better life for his children.

"When you growing up in it, it's normal," Tyler said. "When you start to have kids, you become a father, you mature, you get to a certain age where you start to realize how important family is."

Tyler hopes these community conversations will make a lasting difference for the next generation.

"Just hoping eventually we come to a space where we can raise more young black doctors and lawyers and professionals, you know, say in the city of Grand Rapids," Tyler said.

Gun Violence Memorial Project

In addition to community discussions, the City of Grand Rapids and the SAFE task force are creating a gun violence memorial art installation to honor lives lost and support community healing.

Ysasi also spoke about a gun violence memorial. The idea came after a proposal was rejected by the city to rename a street in honor of Amillier Penn. The teenager was shot and killed in June of 2024.

"What we could collectively do as a city to remember those who have lost their lives, particularly these young, you know, young people as well, but anyone impacted by gun violence in our city," Ysasi said.

Lipscomb said that an artist reception for the memorial project will take place in June.

"Our hope is to work as a collaborative in order to provide safe, brave spaces that can empower our community's children to become more educated in different areas, to have a safe space where they can fellowship and gather, and a place where they feel like they can create a sense of belonging in the city of Grand Rapids and give them something to do," Lipscomb said.

"We really work to improve quality of life through the delivery of excellent city services and community partnership," Lipscomb said.

Initiative Details

The SAFE task force's $10,000 in grants will fund several programs targeting youth gun violence prevention. Key initiatives include:

• Mental health support programs for young men through Duke Turley Jr's 'Let's Talk, King' initiative
• Community gathering spaces for youth ages 15-24
• Violence prevention programming during summer months
• Community-driven strategies for long-term impact
• Gun violence memorial art installation

The gathering brought together city officials, community members, and task force members to discuss collaborative solutions to gun violence.

"Our hope is to work as a collaborative in order to provide safe, brave spaces that can empower our community's children to become more educated in different areas, to have a safe space where they can fellowship and gather, and a place where they feel like they can create a sense of belonging in the city of Grand Rapids and give them something to do," Lipscomb said.

The SAFE Alliance for Everyone task force continues to work to reduce gun violence by focusing on Grand Rapids youth and building community support for prevention initiatives.