INDIANAPOLIS — Fifteen-year-old Ajari Starks and 17-year-old Brandon Coleman are among young people on the city’s east side taking part in a new effort to curb teen gun violence.
Starks, who tells WRTV he has been in trouble with the law before, says he wants to be a part of the solution now.
“I stole a car, allegedly, because I feel like nobody was there for me,” Ajari Starks said.
“People end up in like dangerous predicaments with their life, stuff like that,” Brandon Coleman said.
The Youth Violence Reduction Initiative launched in September with a $150,000 grant from the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform.
The goal program leaders say is to create intensive outreach, mentoring and family services for people ages 13-22, for those who are at high risk of involvement in gun violence.
Terricka Arnold, whose younger son has been arrested, described the toll on families.
“It just made me feel a type of way because first of all, you get caught with my gun, now I got money down the drain. Then I have to worry about for real what you really out here trying to do with it.”
The Initiative is led by VOICES and New B.O.Y. Mentoring & Youth Development with partnership from NICJR, OPHS, IMPD and other community groups.
TaTanisha Thames, the project coordinator, described the outreach to parents: “Me calling them, saying, 'Hey, I have your son on this list for this particular thing. I have a couple of choices that I need you to make. Either they're going to end up dead or in jail, or you can take this lifeline that I'm about to give.'”
Kareem Hines of New B.O.Y. Mentoring & Youth Development said the services range widely.
“So services can be anything from relocation to just having somebody to talk to. Therapy or providing a home-based case worker and the goal is to do an assessment. Mom, what do you need?” Hines said.
“You got to ask questions, you gotta try to figure it out,” Arnold said, as the initiative works to surround at-risk teens with supports aimed at saving lives.
For more information on the program, click here.
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Adam Schumes joined WRTV as a reporter in December of 2021. He has a passion for telling stories and giving people a voice they might not have had before. Share your story ideas and important issues with Adam by emailing him at adam.schumes@wrtv.com.
