JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Community leaders, adults and young people gathered at Friendship Fountain in Jacksonville on Thursday evening to hold a vigil calling for an end to teen violence.
The vigil comes after “teen takeover” events near the Avenues Mall this past weekend led to gunfire and chaos, raising concerns about how to prevent these gatherings from turning dangerous while still providing safe places for teens to have fun.
Pastor Korey O’Neal, who works with at-risk teens and gang members as a partner with the sheriff’s office, said more needs to be done to keep kids out of trouble.
“Just to see everyone come out tonight, praying for the youth, it gave them hope. And we know that somebody’s parent is looking at the news tonight, we know the youth is looking at the news tonight, and they’re going to be inspired to make better choices,” O’Neal said.
The incident unfolded Saturday, when hundreds of teenagers gathered in the mall parking lot. Law enforcement responded to reports of gunfire, with sirens audible as officers worked to control the situation.
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said no one was struck by gunfire, though one unoccupied vehicle was hit. Teens scattered before officers could make arrests.
News4JAX has reported on similar takeovers at Friendship Fountain and the Orange Park Mall in the past, prompting increased monitoring by Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters.
Waters said, “But at the same time, we need to make sure we know what our young people are doing. It’s a lot more than just the police being involved. There’s a community involvement but there’s a parental involvement. All that stuff needs to be a part of it. These are teenagers. If they were just meeting up to have fun that would be great. But unfortunately, they’re bringing handguns, drugs. They’re doing a lot of different things. And if we can capture that or we can capture them, we’re going to do that.”
Pastor O’Neal said he plans to meet with other faith based and non-profit leaders to find solutions to the problem.