{"id":2026,"date":"2021-10-22T08:39:24","date_gmt":"2021-10-22T12:39:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nnpa.org\/education\/?p=2026"},"modified":"2023-05-29T15:09:13","modified_gmt":"2023-05-29T19:09:13","slug":"commentary-when-a-child-shoots-a-child-at-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nnpa.org\/education\/2021\/10\/22\/commentary-when-a-child-shoots-a-child-at-school\/","title":{"rendered":"COMMENTARY: When a Child Shoots a Child at School\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Karanja A. Ajanaku | Los Angeles Sentinel<\/p>\n

As heartwarming as it was to learn of a prayer-laced meeting that brought together the parents of the two students involved in last week\u2019s shooting inside Cummings K-8 Optional School, an account of the get-together yielded a chilling matter of fact.<\/p>\n

The one-hour meeting \u2013 arranged by Shelby County Schools Supt. Joris Ray \u2013 unfolded in his conference room on Tuesday. Both families had lost loved ones to gun violence, Ray shared during a virtual media gathering late Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetween both sets of parents, they\u2019ve lost over five to six family members over gun violence. This is a community-wide issue…\u201d<\/p>\n

With 100-plus children treated for gunshot wounds at LeBonheur Children\u2019s Hospital alone, according to chief medical officer Barry Gilmore, the scope of the problem is nerve racking. Seemingly at issue now is whether the life-threatening encounter in a stairwell at the school has touched Memphis\u2019 collective nerve deep enough to stimulate and sustain the effort needed to solve the problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s remember that there is nothing normal about a 13-year-old child shooting another child,\u201d Tennessee State Rep. Antonio Parkinson said shortly after the incident.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomewhere in the child\u2019s life, we, as a society missed them, the warning signs and the opportunity for intervention\u2026 We have to do better as a society to find ways to positively impact the lives of our children before the roots of violence begins to produce fruit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Similarly, sobering assessments have been shared by myriad people in varying ways over the last week. Meanwhile, the child who pulled the trigger awaits a juvenile court hearing.<\/p>\n

The child shot is back at Cummings.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, that is a personal issue between the father and the son,\u201d said Ray, who is a father. \u201cIt was very important that when the father connected with the other parent to make that decision, he just wanted to see that whatever happened, was it over\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cThe father felt that it was safe for his child to return to school. He felt that things happen but for the most part he felt very resolved in his decision to send his child back to school and we supported that decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

All options were on the table, said Ray.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe student requested and asked to return back to Cummings. We support that decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emphasizing that as superintendent both teens were \u201chis children,\u201d Ray arranged the meeting buoyed by \u201ca strong message of reconciliation and not retaliation\u201d by the shooting-victim\u2019s father.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth parents were really focused on healing. Both parents wanted to be a blessing to uplift the community\u2026 So, what I wanted to do was get both sets of parents to have a meaningful dialogue around healing, to try to figure out the root cause of the issue. And to really wrap our arms around both students.\u201d<\/p>\n

At one point during the meeting, Ray and the parents joined hands as they prayed for both students \u201cand healing for our entire city\u2026 We believe in the power of forgiveness and we believe in choosing love over hate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SCS
SCS Board President Michelle McKissack speaking at Metropolitan Baptist Church. (Photo: Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As the meeting evolved, both sets of parents \u201cacknowledged some things they could have done differently as parents. I thought that was very powerful,\u201d said Ray.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe talked about how this would be a show for our community to come together. No matter what\u2019s going on, it\u2019s never too late to reconcile, never too late to forgive, never too late to choose love over hate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Startled by Dr. Gilmore\u2019s account of the number of children LeBonheur has treated for gunshot wounds already this year, SCS Board President Michelle McKissack spoke of it at Metropolitan Baptist Church on the afternoon after the shooting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat number (100) should never ever \u2013 ever \u2013 get comfortable for us,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have to look at \u2013 as a school board \u2013 what can we continue to do? And Dr. Ray says, \u2018If you see something, say something.\u2019 We\u2019re going to have to address that even more so.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think as adults, we\u2019ve become used to that. You hear it when you go through the airport\u2026 Unfortunately, we\u2019re going to have to express that even more so with our students in our schools.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shante Avant represents SCS District 6, which takes in Cummings.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what we now have to be focused on is how we prevent this from happening. tomorrow or the next day or any other day,\u201d said Avant after noting and praising the post-shooting actions of Cummings\u2019 principal and staff, the school resource offers and the team of Director Reggie Jackson, head of school operations in Family and Community Engagement.<\/p>\n

\"SCS
SCS District 6, where Cummings is located, is represented by Shante Avant. (Photo: Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cOur school community, our South Memphis community, our church community\u2026 \u00a0we all came together because we never ever want to have this type of violence to happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stepping to the podium that night, Dr. Michael Moore, senior pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church, said the church is one of the longest adopters of Cummings. Metropolitan is where the students were taken to be picked up by parents and guardians after the lifting of the school lockdown.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur students, our families, our communities, especially in South Memphis, need people to step up. And I\u2019m encouraging for more adopters, more people to do what\u2019s necessary to wrap their arms around our students and our families,\u201d said Moore.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Michael Moore, senior pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church. (Photo: Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

New to Memphis, Moore and his family arrived in Memphis in January 2020, a few months before \u201cthe pandemic shut everything down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere we chose to live when we came to Memphis was right here on Walker Avenue. We spent over a year in this neighborhood to find out what the needs of the community were. We spent over a year hearing gunshots in our neighborhood at night, looking at some of the plight of our community, thinking about what we can do to make a change. \u2026\u201d said Moore.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m grateful that we were able to be a beacon of hope during this time. I\u2019m glad that the church was able to be a safe place at such a dangerous time. But my heart is heavy because we had to encounter this situation in the first place\u2026 Pray for the city and this nation that gun violence ends up being something of the past, and not a continued problem in our future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Karen
Karen Spencer-McGee said she had not intended to speak at a press conference held in front of Cummings and called for by Linda Harris (left). (Photo: Gary S. Whitlow)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The next morning, attorney and former federal prosecutor Linda Harris, who is challenging incumbent Amy Weirich for the Shelby County District Attorney General position, assembled a small group of community supporters in front of the school. Among them was Karen Spencer-McGee, aka \u201cMama Peaches,\u201d whose son attended Cummings.<\/p>\n

Drawing upon the trauma experienced as the granddaughter of one of the striking Sanitation Workers of 1968, she openly worried about the lingering effects of the shooting on students of the school.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw what happened in \u201968. We didn\u2019t have the tools then to get the help that we needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

She lamented the lack of more of a visible, collective stand that morning to say, \u201cThis is absolutely wrong. \u2026 Get out here, say something. Madear and papa were out here marching when they weren\u2019t even making shoes to fit Black folks\u2019 feet. And some kind of way we have lost our voice. We need to wake up. And after you wake up, stay woke.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pausing to give shout outs to individuals and groups \u201cdoing the work\u201d in the neighborhood, she said, \u201cBut there is so much that can be done\u2026 As a mama who raised a Black boy who made it in this community, I can tell you what is going on here. I know every cut, every so-called gang\u2026 Why y\u2019all scared to address the gang violence here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Recalling decisions that shut down old Carver and Southside high schools and the funneling of those students into Hamilton and Booker T. Washington high schools, Spencer-McGee said, \u201cI\u2019m the uncomfortable Negro that said, \u2018Look, you know what? They fixing to have a bloodbath in South Memphis with all those gang activities crossing lines\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cListen to the Black woman. We know what the hell we are talking about. Those are our babies …our babies\u2019 friends, our babies\u2019 cousins.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Harris was asked if she would be calling upon elected officials to help the schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but I am going to call on people like Karen Spencer-McGee. The problem is (that) she is saying that she had identified issues in the community. Who listened? Who dealt with those? We cannot ignore the Karen Spencer-McGees in Memphis because they can help the mayor, they can help the legislators, if you listen.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is so important. We must listen to the community. They want to be heard and they want action taken as a result of that. If you ignore what Karen is saying, that\u2019s why we end up where we are today.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the last several days, the SCS central office team has been onsite at Cummings, said Ray on Wednesday, including himself among those who must do more, a subject he and the parents talked about.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey talked about how we can work together. They talked about being great parents and really doing more. We talked about as a school district doing more\u2026 This superintendent wants to do more. I encourage everyone under the sound of my voice, including the media, we all must do more.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cycle of gun violence must end in our city.\u201d<\/p>\n

(This story reflects reports by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell and photojournalist Gary S. Whitlow\/GSW Enterprises.)<\/em><\/p>\n

This article originally appeared in <\/em>the New Tri-State Defender<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL \u2014 With 100-plus children treated for gunshot wounds at LeBonheur Children\u2019s Hospital alone, according to chief medical officer Barry Gilmore, the scope of the problem is nerve racking. Seemingly at issue now is whether the life-threatening encounter in a stairwell at the school has touched Memphis\u2019 collective nerve deep enough to stimulate and sustain the effort needed to solve the problem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2027,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,1415,25,1419,26,1362,27,31,576,1519,1894,36,1051,1951,1832,312,39,203,932,1952],"tags":[3228,3223,3178,3187,3220,3181,3230,3229,3174,3205,3204,3215,3177,3172,3212,3216,3213,79,3173,3176,3179,3226,3198,3194,3169,3222,3180,3182,3219,1896,3200,3183,3207,3175,3190,2019,3171,3191,3210,3203,3170,3196,3201,3192,3217,3211,3206,3209,3208,3221,3197,3193,3186,3218,3214,3184,3225,3195,3185,3188,3227,3224,3199,3189,3202],"class_list":["post-2026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nnpanewswire","category-advocacy","category-california","category-children","category-commentary","category-community","category-education","category-featured","category-k-12-education","category-k-12-public-schools","category-los-angeles-sentinel","category-national","category-national-news","category-new-tri-state-defender","category-news","category-newswire","category-nnpa","category-nnpa-newswire","category-public-schools","category-tennessee","tag-look","tag-mama-peaches","tag-100-plus-children","tag-13-year-old-child","tag-amy-weirich","tag-barry-gilmore","tag-black-woman","tag-bloodbath-in-south-memphis","tag-chilling-matter-of-fact","tag-choose-love-over-hate","tag-choosing-love-over-hate","tag-church-community","tag-community-wide-issue","tag-cummings-k-8-optional-school","tag-director-reggie-jackson","tag-dr-michael-moore","tag-family-and-community-engagement","tag-featured","tag-get-together","tag-gun-violence","tag-gunshot-wounds","tag-hamilton-and-booker-t-washington-high-schools","tag-healing","tag-juvenile-court-hearing","tag-karanja-a-ajanaku","tag-karen-spencer-mcgee","tag-lebonheur-childrens-hospital","tag-life-threatening-encounter","tag-linda-harris","tag-los-angeles-sentinel","tag-meaningful-dialogue-around-healing","tag-memphis-collective-nerve","tag-metropolitan-baptist-church","tag-one-hour-meeting-shelby-county-schools-supt-joris-ray","tag-opportunity-for-intervention","tag-pandemic","tag-parents-of-the-two-students-involved-in-last-weeks-shooting","tag-positively-impact-the-lives-of-our-children","tag-post-shooting-actions-of-cummings-principal-and-staff","tag-power-of-forgiveness","tag-prayer-laced-meeting","tag-retaliation","tag-root-cause-of-the-issue","tag-roots-of-violence","tag-school-lockdown","tag-school-resource-offers","tag-scs-board-president-michelle-mckissack","tag-scs-district-6","tag-shante-avant","tag-shelby-county-district-attorney-general","tag-shooting-victims-father","tag-sobering-assessments","tag-solve-the-problem","tag-south-memphis","tag-south-memphis-community","tag-stimulate","tag-striking-sanitation-workers-of-1968","tag-strong-message-of-reconciliation","tag-sustain-the-effort-needed","tag-tennessee-state-rep-antonio-parkinson","tag-the-uncomfortable-negro","tag-trauma","tag-uplift-the-community","tag-warning-signs","tag-wrap-our-arms-around-both-students"],"yoast_head":"\nCOMMENTARY: When a Child Shoots a Child at School\u2026 - NNPA Education Public Awareness Program<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nnpa.org\/education\/2021\/10\/22\/commentary-when-a-child-shoots-a-child-at-school\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"COMMENTARY: When a Child Shoots a Child at School\u2026 - NNPA Education Public Awareness Program\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"LOS ANGELES SENTINEL \u2014 With 100-plus children treated for gunshot wounds at LeBonheur Children\u2019s Hospital alone, according to chief medical officer Barry Gilmore, the scope of the problem is nerve racking. 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Dr. Joris Ray prays with the parents whose sons were involved in last week\u2019s shooting inside Cummings K-8 Optional School. \u201cBoth parents made a heartfelt decision to come together to speak life to our children,\u201d said Ray of the meeting held in his office. 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