Dereasha Leaks addresses young people Dec. 5 at a vigil for her son, Rayon Braxton, who was murdered last fall.
A community meeting to address violence in the Harrisburg area drew over 200 Thursday night in the auditorium of John Harris High School.
The town-hall style meeting, organized by the city and the Harrisburg School District, sought to engage area youth in an effort to reduce violence.
Mayor Eric Papenfuse, giving opening remarks, identified a lack of economic opportunity, “educational issues,” easy access to firearms and drugs as the root causes of violence. He said the meeting would be the first in a series that he hopes will produce new ideas for making the city safer.
Schools superintendent Dr. Sybil Knight-Burney advised the city’s youth to “remember that your voice matters.” Police Chief Thomas Carter said that city leaders need to hear from the youth and advocated for residents to report crimes or suspicious behavior using the city’s 311 hotline.
“This isn’t about snitching,” Carter said. “It’s about saving lives.”
Community member Dereasha Leaks then gave a stirring appeal for peace. Leaks’ son, Rayon Braxton, was shot to death in November while operating a youth community space called Braxton Hall.
“We want you to know that we love you. You all have lives worth living,” she told the assembled youth. “We don’t have all the answers, but we want to work together with you to develop solutions.”
Papenfuse said that Braxton was “trying to make a difference in the lives of our youth. He was actively out trying to engage them in positive activities.”
A panel of local high school students or recent graduates then offered their perspectives on reducing violence. One of them, Nick Byrd, described the active role that his mother took in his life, saying that she “scared me straight.” Speaking for the city as a whole, he said, “we need a mom.”
Another panelist, Asher Potts, described police officers as “our friends.” Echoing him, panelist Elijah Ellis called for respecting the police, saying that Harrisburg hasn’t experienced the sort of police abuse that has led to protests in other communities.
Panelist Chynna Eubanks-Brown questioned, for youth without parents actively involved in their lives, what mentoring, guidance and activities the community provides. “Yes, we have the Boys and Girls Club, and the YMCA,” she said, “but these are for children. We need places for teens.”
She emphasized a need for more out-of-school spaces where teens can pursue the arts and “anything they love as a positive outlet.” An audience member shouted “Braxton Hall!” to loud applause.
For the next hour, audience members took turns asking questions, recounting their experiences and proposing solutions. One called for greater access to therapists. “Anyone who would go off and kill someone, they have a mental illness, and they need access to help,” she said.
Some spoke of their own experiences with loss. Tara East, the mother of Andre Parker, who was murdered just days prior, concurred with calls for more community spaces. “These kids need a place to go,” she said. “They need a safe haven.”
The meeting took place mere hours after the shooting death of Eric Byrd, Harrisburg’s second homicide of 2016. The deaths were an inauspicious start for the city, which has struggled to curb a homicide rate that has topped 17 for three straight years. An analysis by Keystone Crossroads showed that in 2014 the city’s murder and overall violent crime rate were both the second highest in the state.
After the meeting, Papenfuse said that, while many people tend to concentrate on “big picture solutions” such as gun control and economic opportunity, the evening’s forum rightly focused on interpersonal relationships and community support.
“We’ve got to get those that need that village of support connected,” he said. The remark echoed an earlier statement by Eubanks-Brown, who had quoted the aphorism “It takes a village to raise a child.”
Perhaps the evening’s most poignant question came from Braxton’s 11-year-old cousin. “Rayon was focused on positive things,” he said. “I want to know, how can I be positive when everything around me seems so negative?”
The answer came from Byrd. “Look to your right,” he said. He indicated David Botero, the city’s community policing coordinator. “He’s a great role model,” Byrd said. “Now look to your left, behind you, and in front. We’re all right here for you.”
