Sheila appreciates the service provided by our local law enforcement. Because of them, we tend to feel safe in our neighborhoods. But police, alone, can't stop the violence happening in our neighborhoods.

We must use multiple strategies like conflict de-escalation by trained violence interrupters, mentoring programs, community organizing around gun violence prevention, and out of school time programs for our youth to combat this problem.

We also need to value and listen to our young people as they are the ones with the greatest insight on why and how crime happens.