Enough Is Enough
Within days, two gun violence stories dominated the news in my area — and together, they paint a devastating picture of a nation that has still not found the will to act.
On a warm early spring day, in a part of my hometown called Queens, what began as a day of fun turned violent when a water gun fight organized through social media drew hundreds of young people to a popular recreational spot, Roy Wilkins Park.
Fifteen-year-old Jaden Pierre was beaten and shot in the chest during the violent encounter and an 18-year-old now faces murder and gang assault charges — along with weapons possession.
A Child Went To a Park to Play and Never Came Home
Then, last night, in Washington, D.C., a gunman whom media reports being armed with knives, a shotgun, and a handgun came barreling through security at a full sprint, heading toward the ballroom at the Washington Hilton, where the President of the United States and hundreds of journalists and dignitaries were gathered for the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
While dinner was being served in the main ballroom, guests were treated to gunshots fired near the main security screening area. Clearly and tellingly, even the most heavily secured event in the country was not immune to violence.
These two incidents could not be more different in setting — a neighborhood park in a black section of Queens, NYC, and a black-tie gala in the capital. Yet they share the same root cause: weapons — easy to obtain and easy to unload on a group.
No amount of metal detectors, Secret Service agents, or community vigils will solve this crisis.
We Have Failed You
A public advocate said it plainly at a vigil for Jaden Pierre: “We have failed you.” We have failed our children. We have failed our communities. And until lawmakers summon the courage to pass meaningful gun control — universal background checks, red flag laws, restrictions on high-powered weapons — we will keep failing.
The question is not whether America has a gun problem: these 2 stories are symptomatic of this endemic American crisis.
The question is how many more gun-involved tragedies it will take before we do something about it?
Who are we if don’t care about gun control?
Help! Love, MOM 
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