LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Louisville leaders continue the fight to end gun violence within gangs.
City leaders have spoken with more than 150 high-risk individuals in under a year. And according to the city, out of those 150, only six have been re-arrested for a gun-related charge.
"I lost my son-- Kenneth Forbes Junior in 2012, December 23,” Kenneth Forbes, who lives in Louisville, said.
Kenneth Forbes's son, Kenneth Forbes Junior, was shot and killed in Shively at just 19-years-old.
"You never sleep. I haven't slept in 12 years,” Forbes said.
Forbes took his heartbreak and turned it into action.
"I'm burnt out, tired, worn out, but the fight is not over,” Forbes said.
Kenneth Forbes and Kenneth Forbes Junior standing together. (Photo courtesy of Kenneth Forbes)
In 2016, Forbes created Mothers of Murdered Sons and Daughters of Kentucky or M.O.M.S. a support group.
"What I want to do is just, take care, or help the ones that are trying to heal from the loss,” Forbes. “And plus, we don't want to be forgotten.”
This year so far, Louisville has had more than 70 homicides.
"Together, everyone has a role to play,” Mike Bogan, the city’s Group Violence Intervention director, said. “It's important that we stick to our role and that we've worked collaboratively together.”
The city's Group Violence Intervention Program hopes to help starting at home.
"It's a binary choice -- if you continue to shoot and commit crimes, there's got to be consequences for that,” Forbes said. “The other option is we have every opportunity to sign up for services.”
GVI's Director Mike Bogan is trying to help local gang members change their lives. Since he took over the GVI in July, his office has worked with LMPD to identify 300 at-risk individuals.
"We can no longer afford to look the other way. This is a community problem and requires a community solution,” Forbes said.
GVI has also directly spoken with half of those individuals with most of them under the age of 18.
“There's a degree of remorse when we speak to some of the shooters. You can see, this is something that they regret,” Bogan said.
The GVI team also speaks to each parent or guardian involved.
“You can see that the family is in need. Oftentimes the guardian is there just overwhelmed. Oftentimes, the guardian has to work three jobs and take care of multiple kids. So, we see that there is an emotional toll there with the guardian, too,” Bogan said. "Most parents don't want their kids to be out here involved in shootings. And then, when we speak to the juveniles themselves, you can almost see this pull in their mind. They know what they're doing this wrong, but they don't have a clear way out. So, we're there to paint that path for them.”
GVI's Director Mike Bogan is trying to help local gang members change their lives. (Photo by WDRB's Molly Jett)
The GVI meets face-to-face with the families, sometimes in their homes. Bogan said it’s important to take time and explain the legal and community consequences of taking someone's life.
"We want to make sure that they don't even join the gang, don't even enter the lifestyle, because a lot of people once they're in, they get sucked in and they feel they can't get out,” Bogan said.
"Just for them to show up to the GVI, shows that they want to step a step in the right direction,” Fobes said. “We just have to keep on loving on them.”
Loving on them continues being Anthony Richardson's priority, too.
He said seven or eight years ago, “when the violence erupted in Shawnee Park on Thanksgiving for the Juice Bowl,” he watched someone get shot.
“We tried to provide aid to the gentleman who died,” Richardson said.
Then, two years ago, more than 12 bullets came flying through his mother’s home.
"I've seen far too much gun violence, you know, from kids on up,” Richardson, who grew up in West Louisville, said.
He used to be a JCPS teacher, but in 2017, changed careers and founded Inside the Lines. It's a non-profit aimed at help athletes gain the life skills needed to be successful on and off the field.
“Ultimately, my motivation was my children, because when I pass away, my goal is to influence this world enough that they can reap the benefits of it; and when they grow and they have to become their own man,” Richardson said.
Inside the Lines consists of certified teachers from Jefferson County Public Schools and certified athletic trainers. The non-profit offers one-on-one tutoring and strength training for student athletes.
“Mentorship is consistent exposure to something different, because if all I knew was this, I'm going to keep doing it. But if I can see someone else be exposed to something else, then the opportunity for me to do that makes it more logical; and then being around people who are actually walking that path shows them how to walk, and it helps them just have the confidence to go against what their peers are doing,” Richardson said. “Letting children know that you still have the opportunity to change over to something different."
Together, the three men and their teams want to save and change lives.
“We can work together. This is not a city divided,” Forbes said. “We want everybody to come out. Newberg, South, East and West, Southern Indiana, this is a fight that we all have to deal with.”
The GVI program was created in 2020. If you know someone who could benefit from its’ resources, reach out to them by calling 502-574-2153.
Mothers of Murdered Sons and Daughters of Kentucky has a Gun Violence Awareness Day walk on June 1 at 10 a.m. For more information about Mothers of Murdered Sons and Daughters of Kentucky, click here.
Inside the Lines has a golf scramble on Sept. 13 at the Historic Shawnee Golf Course. Tickets are available online. For more information, click here.
Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
