Residents work to help teens stay safe in the Butler Tarkington area

INDIANAPOLIS — A community organization and people who live in the Butler Tarkington area are working to make sure teens are not involved in gun violence this summer.

Kayla Fisher lost her 15-year-old son Daryl Fisher to gun violence in February. She said she is constantly working to provide a safe space for teenagers in the area.

Now Fisher is dealing with a cousin being shot in the 3900 block of North Illinois Street.

That is in the vicinity of Tarkington Park. Police say the 17-year-old is recovering from his injuries.

“I’m very grateful that my cousin is here,” Fisher said.

Fisher knows all too well how gun violence can impact a family and a community. Back in February – her 15-year son Daryl Fisher was shot and killed on the northwest side. She says she is constantly working to provide a safe space for teenagers in the area

“When you have been at my house all day, you have been playing with my kids all day and then when it’s time to go home, (but) you don’t have anywhere to go, I’m that person who is going to tell you 'you are staying here,'" Fisher said. "'Have you eaten? Do you need to shower? Do you need to wash your clothes?'"

Not far from Fishers' home is the Martin Luther King Community Center, the center works day in and day out to give teens an opportunity their quality of life.

‘This summer there will be 150 young people, including our Tarkington teen workgroup, which employs teenagers in the neighborhood,” Allision Luthe - MLK Center Executive Director said.

This summer the center is rolling out its new middle school program – a program that gives teens a chance to clean up Tarkington Park.

“They get to participate in literacy so we can make sure they are reading at grade level, but they will also be taking care of Tarkington Park," Luthe said. "(They will do) Landscaping, trash pickup, working with the city, working with IMPD to take care of our neighborhood."