A one year old was recently shot and killed in her crib in my hometown, Compton. My heart breaks as I read this article in disgust and disappointment. I know that many people living in Compton, or in any hood across the country, have become desensitized to the gun violence around us. We pass by the candlelight vigils, we see the social media posts with a hashtag, we see the GoFundMe pages going up, the air brushed R.I.P. shirts, and we conclude that the death surrounding us is normal. We rationalize, "this is just the way things are...But as long as it's not me or my family, then it's okay. As long as I don't get caught slippin, then it's okay." Sadly, these kinds of tragedies are so common that they become just another news story.
For me, this is not just another news story. It hits too close to home. My own brother was murdered in Compton two years ago in a similar fashion. Someone walked up to him and started shooting. They fired 39 rounds from an AK 47 assault rifle, and several of those bullets struck my very own brother, who was just hanging out with his friend at a barbecue. He was not in a gang, or doing anything wrong. He was just a fun-loving guy who loved life, and enjoyed playing his accordion. My brother was innocent.
Like my brother, Iyshun, was innocent, this beautiful little girl, Autumn Johnson, was innocent. I guess being innocent is no longer a reason to spare someone's life. I've had a lot of friends get shot and killed over the years (more than I can count) by someone who looks just like them, and who, perhaps, faced many of the same struggles as them.
Chicago, Oakland, Savannah, Arkansas, Baltimore, Compton- every urban epicenter in the country is on fire, experiencing the same thing, the same dysfunction, the same devastation! There's a violent epidemic across the country that is going unaddressed.
Grown men teaching/promoting our young men to be from a gang in 2016 is cowardly and played out. This broken record has to stop! The narrative has to change! We can't let the death of this one year old baby girl be swept under the rug. We have to open our eyes, ears and hearts to the hurting young people around us. The young person on the fence ready to give up, about to lose hope, about to join a gang, about to grab a gun and take another innocent person's life- we have to try to reach him!
Many rappers and entertainers from Compton who say they love and care about Compton, don't have a positive message or example for the people of Compton. They are only making money off Compton. Donating money doesn't really reduce the pain if they are still promoting gang banging, gun violence and selling dope. Don't believe the hype! Our kids are being wiped out, and there's no real effort being made to save them. There's no real commitment to lead them down a better path.
I wonder if the killers had a positive role model, a positive influence, or opportunities to experience life outside of their neighborhoods. I wonder if they had someone to show them that there is a better path for them- would they have been out on a Sunday night shooting up someone's house, taking a one year old's life?
These kinds of preventable tragedies keep me up a night, keep me traveling into broken places, in hopes that I can prevent one kid from making the kind of mistake that could ruin his life and the lives of others. I have given my life to to try to spare another parent from the experiencing the grief of burying their child. If there is anything worth fighting for, worth living for, worth dying for, it is our kids! We cannot give up on them! I know I won't. We at Ink International won't. We're fighting, one speech, one workshop, one crucial conversation, one hug, and one word of encouragement, at a time.
In the trenches,
Matt Bennett
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Matt is the newest member to join Ink. Click HERE to learn more about his powerful story.
