Albany and Dougherty County law enforcement host first in series of Stop Youth Gun Violence seminars

Yahoo

24-02-2025

ALBANY – The sound of a steady drumbeat flowed through the entrance of the Albany Police Department Saturday morning as about 10 young males sat in a circle finding rhythm together.
They were led by Michael Harper, with Our Ancestral Voices LLC, in an effort to relax and connect before the start of the first ever session of End the Cycle: Stop Youth Gun Violence, hosted by the Albany Police Department and Dougherty County Sheriff's Office. About 35 more boys ages 8 to 16 piled into the APD conference room to hear from various black male community leaders from the city, the county district attorney's office, church organizations and more.
'This is the Sheriff's Office giving back to the community, reaching out to our youth to try to get them more engaged, educated and involved in what's going on,' Dougherty County Sheriff Terron Hayes said. 'We're trying to teach them that gangs, guns, drugs are not welcome here.'
Hayes said participants organized the session to feature speakers from all steps of legal proceedings related to gang, gun violence or homicide cases. It began with a skit, featuring four high school volunteers acting out a drug-related crime, resulting in two gunshot deaths.
Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler addressed the youths first, carrying a body bag. He sat the bag in front of two boys at the front of the room.
'That's one thing I hate: going to a family's house because some kind of … senseless killing that didn't have to happen, happened,' Fowler said.
The coroner talked about the crime scenes he shows up to. He acknowledged illegal drug sales or gun ownership he knows is prevalent among youths.
'If you are involved in that kind of thing … nine times out of 10 you're going to wind up in jail or you're going to wind up in this body bag,' he said.
Hayes said they wanted the youths to understand the dangers of guns and the consequences of what happens when they make the decision to come in contact with them.
Fowler asked the room if they knew who he saw at the homicide cases he responded to.
'Us,' he said. 'Black men. I don't know why. It doesn't make sense. I don't want to zip another body bag up with you in it … with your brother in it … your daddy in it.'
Fowler told the boys in the room that they have to make the decision not to involve themselves with crime – that they decide the legacy they'll leave behind.
With the concept of legacies in mind, the boys heard from Monroe Comprehensive High School senior Avenn Smith. The 18-year-old learned in December that he was awarded the prestigious Marine Option Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps Scholarship. He was the only Georgia student to receive the $180,000 scholarship, which he plans to use at Tuskegee University to train to become a U.S, Marine Corps Officer and aviator.
Smith was originally just a participant in the skit, but as he heard from the speakers and about gun violence disproportionately affecting black males in the community, he said he felt moved to address the attendees.
'What names are we making for ourselves?' he said. 'If we want to make change, we have to start now. So I thought 'What can I do?' I'm blessed to be in the position I'm in. I wanted to encourage other people instead of keeping it in for myself.'
Smith spoke to those gathered about being more than just a 'noun,' involving themselves in school and extracurriculars, taking on positions of positive leadership within their schools and communities.
He said he believes initiatives like Saturday's seminar will make a difference.
'Us kids go through a lot … have a lot of mental things … and stress we take on,' Smith said. 'Having a place like this opening opportunities for kids to be able to talk to different people in the community is amazing. We can network and build connections with leaders in the community so we know … later on down the line we have people to talk to.'
Smith said he hopes his peers walk away from Saturday knowing they don't have to resort to violence, gangs and guns to get their point across.
'You can't go around with a gun, trying to effect change or trying to show your dominance,' he said. 'If you go get your education, it's going to get you further than the gun.'
Phyllis Jackson, a new Albany resident, brought her 12-year-old son to the Saturday session.
Jackson's family recently moved from Atlanta, where she runs a youth mentor program called Elevating Young Kings, which has a goal of developing the lives and minds of young males ages 5 to 16. She said the Stop Youth Gun Violence meeting was the first thing she'd seen in Albany like her Atlanta program.
'This is definitely something important,' she said. 'For the city to take time out to do it, we should definitely be showing up for things like this because it affects our community's future.'
Jackson said it seems like picking up guns is the go-to for many of today's youths.
'I don't think they understand how serious and life-changing it is for everyone involved,' she said. 'I hope this makes them more aware of what's going on around them … what they should look out for.'
Hayes said addressing gangs and gun violence is one of his priorities as he takes on the sheriff's role. More programming similar to this seminar will be rolling out this year, he said, including the creation of a Stop the Violence Youth Advisory Board.
The city's law enforcement will host another Stop Youth Gun Violence session for young girls on March 29. Then, it will bring both groups together for a final seminar.
'We're just getting started,' he said. 'We're going to get bigger and better.' Youth participated in a drum circle to relax and connect before discussing gun violence among their peers. Staff photo: Lucille Lannigan