Exactly a week ago, I sat in the corner of my couch scrolling through Instagram when I came across a page that posted a video of a girl crying over the loss of her 15-year old brother who was stabbed to death. I immediately began to cry. About an hour or so, the same page posted the surveillance video of this boy being stabbed to death outside of a bodega. I cried and cried and could not stop crying. It went viral and received a lot of attention from the media. I was torn apart as if I knew this kid myself. Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz was his name.
June 26th, I graduated high school and walking across the stage receiving my diploma all I could think of is him. He would never get to do that, ever. Walking across that stage, I did that for all the black and brown people's lives who have been taken and did not get to walk across the stage. I went to the store, where he was stabbed there are so many candles, teddy bears, signs, showing him love. My heart aches.
A father was also passed due to gun violence on the streets. Leaving a fiance and a beautiful daughter. His name was Jose Velez. A young girl named Vlana Roberts has also passed due to gun violence. She was my age.
My heart aches for all these families. Justice needs to be served. We go out every single day and we go to war with each other when it should not be that way. We should be taking care of another and showing each other love. I cannot stress that enough. We want to see change, but do absolutely nothing to make the change. Be that change. "Be the change, you want to see in the world." - Ghandi
And these are just 3 people who have died out here, that I know of. I know there are many many many more, some who have received media attention, some who have not and some who no one even knows about. There is no reason to compare these deaths because no matter what they are all tragedies.
If I sat here and mentioned every single one, I will be posting forever. May all their souls rest easy.
The one thing I will say that my graduation cap says is, "It takes the HOOD, to save the HOOD." We are the hood. It takes us. No one but us.
#JusticeForJunior <3
#JusticeForJoseVelez
#JusticeForVlanaRoberts
May each of you rest easy. And your souls will finally be at peace.
