Destiny J

"I don’t want any more of my friends to be killed, or anyone I love."

Here’s what I feel about gun-violence. Don’t do it. You’re either going to end up in a grave or jail. Some people can make it seem like you only have one way to go – that there’s pressure to pick up a gun to be cool – but for what? Last year, two people I knew really well died. I tried to tell one of them it’s not worth it. I told him about my other friend’s death just a few weeks earlier and all he said was I’ll think about it. Later that same week he was killed. Sometimes I feel like nothing is ever going to change – that this will never end because people are always going to react to conflict with violence. I don’t want any more of my friends to be killed, or anyone I love. I’ve seen how it affects people. The smiles turn to frowns – to tears, crying and screaming – in seconds. That’s why I keep coming to the PLC - because I still have hope that there can be change, even though I feel some hopelessness about it. I want to be able to have the tools to help people by speaking the truth – we can still change things, even if it’s just one person at a time.