Buffalo youth speak out after

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — After six teenagers were shot near Jefferson Avenue Saturday night, we’ve had a lot of conversations about youth, but have we talked about it? has them?

That’s why we met with three members of Lifesavers, a youth group affiliated with the Stop the Violence Coalition that started in 2016.

“We asked our mother and our parents why these lives were being taken so young and why nothing was being done to stop these lives from being taken,” Jessica Williams said.

Here’s our Q&A with 7 News reporter Taylor Epps and Jessica (16), Jalisa (15) and Yaminah Williams (10).

Taylor: What was your reaction when you heard about the shooting?

Jalisa: I was surprised to wake up in the morning and hear people your age dying… losing their lives so late at night… it’s just shocking to hear.

Yaminah: I am devastated for the parents and the community who had to suffer through this.

Taylor: Why do you think things like this happen?

Yaminah: Some young people know that there are only negative things on the news. So they may do these things to get attention, because they’re not getting the daily attention that they might need or want.

Jessica: I think it’s because there isn’t enough structure for our young people.

Taylor: Going forward, what needs to change?

Jalisa: I think we need more positive influence from young people in our community… for young people to get more involved in this and stay aware of this and maybe they can learn some life lessons and do better.

Jessica: Don’t put down people who do bad things, because not everyone comes from a good home. There may be things they are going through internally that we are overlooking. I think just shining a light on youth mental health and creating more mental health programs will help.

Yaminah: There should be a lot more programs, after-school programs and summer programs. If our young people come together, we can be really strong, do really positive things and build our community.

Taylor: What do people need to know about young people right now?

Jessica: Understand that we need help and that this is a crisis for many young people in our community and around the world: our lives are taken and we are not living to see tomorrow.

You can listen to these girls on WUFO, Power 98.5 every first, third and fifth Sunday from 2:30-3:00 p.m. where they host interviews and showcase some of the positive things Buffalo youth are doing.