City councilors and state lawmakers were on hand for a special summit Thursday – one designed to let teens and young adults voice their experiences with violence in Springfield.
"We can always meet and talk about what we want for them, but this is their city and what they want from us, we're going to find out,” said Keshawn Dodds, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club Family Center on Acorn Street.
Held at the center, organizers billed the event as an opportunity for local leaders to hear directly from the city's youth and how to better curb gun violence, as well as meet other needs of the community.
Attendees included nearly half of the city council, as well as Springfield State Senator Adam Gomez and staff from Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno's office.
Those who spoke included Ashyah Johnson-Simpkins, who was the survivor of a drive-by shooting in 2023 that left her and at least two others wounded.
She described how she and her friends had been taking part in an after-prom party when it happened.
"We had went outside to finish partying, like that's what teens do, and I ended up getting shot in my head and then - I didn't know I got shot until I woke up three days later in a hospital,” she said.
While data on the number of violent crimes involving teens is not readily available, Springfield police have previously said 2023 saw a record number of homicides in the city, totaling 31, up from 14 in 2022.
The number of violent crimes in general have held steady in Springfield, according to state crime statistics. 2022 saw 1,074 cases - a figure that's hovered between 1,000 and 1,200 since 2018.
Describing the sheer number of shootings he’s heard in his neighborhood, Springfield Renaissance School student Darius Vizcarrondo told officials how his home has been shot at in the past, with multiple shootings occurring nearby over the years.
One bullet, he said, ended up flying into the house before it struck an award belonging to his mother. According to Darius, the violence left him shaken, but also worried for his younger siblings.
“I was still kind of young and I’m not really used to hearing these guns around my house and all of this violence happening around me, where I’m only still a child - and also for my brothers, as they’re still very young and they don’t need to be around that type of environment,” the high school student said.
Throughout the event, teens and organizers called on city councilors to look into expanding youth services and invest more in after-school programs – ways of keeping youth active and busy while also bettering themselves.
In addition to expanding hours for local gym and sports facilities, organizers also proposed the city continue investing in “wraparound” services, which involve tailoring support services to meet the needs of individual youth and their families.
Speaking in favor of finding solutions as well as the importance of listening directly to the city’s teens, Springfield Police Deputy Chief Lawrence Akers also spoke at the summit.
Akers is slated to take on the role of police superintendent in just over a month, and as the first Black officer to lead the department, he said changing perceptions of Springfield PD will be a major priority.
“We have to listen to our youth because you are our future and I know standing here in front of you, with this uniform on and as a police department, a lot of people have a certain perception of that,” Akers said. “Well, I’m here to change all of those perceptions.”
The deputy chief also urged the teens in attendance to stay in contact with him.
Thursday’s summit was the first of several, made possible in-part by the state’s "Shannon Community Safety Initiative," which takes a “multi-pronged approach to address a community’s gang and youth violence problem” according to the initiative’s website.
The forum’s next event is scheduled for June 7.
