Mayor Jonathan McCollar, along with members of the Statesboro Youth Commission, gathered on Thursday evening at Statesboro City Hall, just two days after the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Nasir Johnson, with heavy hearts.
Dr. Kristina Patterson, Georgia Southern University professor and co-chair of the Statesboro Youth Commission, recounted the events of Tuesday evening with the hopeful plea that citizens be proactive about helping the youth of Bulloch County. Mayor McCollar echoed Patterson's sentiments with an emotional request.
"We have made multiple cries into the community to help us," McCollar said. "We're asking you to help us because when we started Village Builders, in our research what we found is that there's 14,484 children that live in this community that are in at-risk conditions."
One Statesboro resident, Arsenio Lockhart, was the first on the scene at Tuesday night's shooting. The former gang member and father of four expressed concern for Statesboro's youth.
"I have been on the other side in gangs, so I know about the gang life, and I know what it leads to," Lockhart said. "I just want to reach out to the children and show them that's not the way . . . if I can do anything or say anything, I'll do it."
Darryl Williams, a concerned citizen who also understands the problems that today's at-risk youth face, called for an end to the violence.
"It's got to stop at some point. There's got to be a way to turn everything around and that's why we're here," he said.
Youth Commission member and concerned parent Lakesha Hill reminded the audience that it takes a village to guide our youth.
"All of what I needed happened at my parents' house before I got to school. All of what I needed happened in the neighborhood that my grandparents lived in when I got off the school bus. That whole village was one street," she said. "Start in your neighborhood; start with one child and go from there and multiply."
"Every single one of us has to do something," McCollar said.
Statesboro resident De'Anthony Stevens expressed that we need to change the trajectory of what is possible for our at-risk youth.
"It needs to be cool to be a doctor, to be a lawyer or just a working-class citizen so you can secure your family in the future," he says. "I have dad issues, but look how I turned out. I turned out fine."
Stevens urged the community to not just talk about the current state of affairs, but to take action. "Let's be part of the solution and turn a new leaf," he said. "It is cool to do right."
Tralayia Prince, Statesboro resident and community activist who founded Save Our Youth Movement, called for unity amongst Bulloch County residents.
"We all are trying to save our youth because they're our future," she said. "We've got to stay on one accord."
District 1 Councilwoman Tangie Reese Johnson, City Manager Charles Penny, and Police Chief Mike Broadhead were also in attendance.
"This is so big that it's going to take all of us," McCollar said. "Whenever any child dies in this community, it is an 'all of us' situation and that is the truth of the matter."
For more information on the Statesboro Youth Commission, or to complete an application to be considered for the commission, please visit their website.
