On Monday, October 3, 2022, the life of 16-year-old resident Letrell Duncan was tragically cut short by a senseless act of gun violence that has shaken our community to its core.

The incident happened around 3:15pm near several schools and just a few blocks from East Orange Campus High School where Letrell was a sophomore and rising basketball star in the State of New Jersey.

I am angry and hurting, East Orange. Instead of preparing to attend Letrell’s funeral, I should be helping him go to college and achieve his dreams.

It is difficult to put into words the impact that gun violence has had on our families and our community. Collectively, we must come together to prioritize and protect our young people. And no one person or program can do it alone.

We must implement sustainable, holistic solutions to prevent violence and put would-be offenders on a different path.

Historically, Black and brown communities have been disproportionately affected by gun violence and those who are impacted the most are Black and brown young men. Young men who are victims of larger, systemic injustices related to racism, trauma, educational inequities and economic disparities. In order to address this epidemic of gun violence, we must be willing to take action on compound, complex issues that won’t be solved overnight, but must be addressed immediately.

So, where do we go from here?

Here’s where we can start:

• Creating job and training opportunities for adults and young people

• Putting additional police patrols in school corridors and city parks to deter criminal activity

• Increasing and diversifying after-school programming for children up to the age of 18

• Providing one-on-one mentoring for at-risk youth

• Breaking generational cycles of trauma through comprehensive support systems that address social, emotional and mental well-being

We certainly did not bring the guns into our neighborhoods, but it is up to us to take back control of our streets, making them safe for every man, woman and child. We owe it to our young people and to our ancestors to bring peace, love and unity to East Orange.