Kansas City teens rally, share personal experiences of gun violence with Jackson County legislators

By Dorissa White

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — Nearly 40 teenagers gathered at the Jackson County Courthouse to share their personal experiences with gun violence, while also calling for solutions to the widespread issue.

The effort was led by the Nia Project, a non-profit dedicated to mentoring young Black women in Kansas City.

“I urge you to think of the kids and people in your city and your community who are being desensitized to gun violence,” Nia Project president and found Terri Barns said.

On Monday, the Nia Project leader shared her own troubling experience that drew her to the cause.

“We had a couple of our girls go into a corner store, and they, Somebody drove by and shot at them,” Barns said. “Now, they didn’t testify today, but, I mean, these are not just random stories out there. These are things that are happening to them.”

The goal of these testimonies, delivered before several Jackson County legislators, is to inspire action against gun violence. Jalen Anderson, one of the teenagers present, emphasized the importance of collective action.

“I think it’s crucial that we invest now and work together with all of our government allies and all of our community allies to solve this issue,” Anderson said. “Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but that we just begin the process.”

The gathering coincided with Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca’s plan to create an Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

The legislators plan to meet in the coming weeks to outline community initiatives to curb gun violence.

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