LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — On Tuesday morning, about 50 kids arrived at UK’s Cornerstone Building to begin work on dealing with trauma related to gun violence, something that, not even a month into summer break, is impacting Lexington’s youth.
For ONE Lexington Director Devine Carama, half of that battle was won before he even addressed the kids at 9 a.m.
“Not even a month into summer, for these kids to wake up, a lot of them (at) 7:30, 8:00 a.m. to be here means they’re getting something that they need,” Carama said.
The program teaches kids how to deal with trauma properly, so staff walk them through things like conflict resolution, coping mechanisms, and navigating their emotions, all aimed at preventing future gun violence.
“Are all of you brave enough to do the right thing even if it’s not the popular thing?,” Carama told the kids. “If we had more brave people we’d be alright.”
So far this year, Lexington has seen eight gun-related homicides involving victims between the ages of 10 and 29.
That two more than the four year average to date, which sits at six. The number of reported shooting in the same age range is down, however. To date, the city has seen 12 shootings, 19 fewer than the average of 31.
Overall, homicides are down across Lexington, and shootings are down more than half.
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