CINCINNATI -- Bryanna Britten said gun violence has taken a toll on her life.
The Price Hill resident said the recent rash of homicides has her worried that someone she loves could be gunned down at any moment.
"What if my brother, he's just living his life simply, and he just gets shot and killed,” Britten said.
Britten voiced her concerns at a Gen Z Town Hall meeting Tuesday evening. The meeting, hosted by Councilwoman Tamya Dennard, was focused on talking with young adults in the wake of 20 fatal shootings in Cincinnati in less than six weeks.
Of those shootings, 11 victims were under the age of 30. Six were under 20 years old.
The following victims were under the age of 20:
- Brandon Phoenix, 19. Shot while he was sitting at a bus stop in Mount Airy on June 5. No suspect information available.
- Ramerise Abernathy, 18. Shot in South Fairmounton June 19. No suspect information available.
- Jordan Lara, 15. Shot in an attempted robbery on June 22 in North Avondale. His suspected accomplice, a 15-year-old, stands charged in his death.
- Anthony Hinton, 14. Shot in Over-the-Rhine near Grant Park on June 30. No suspect information available.
- Bryan Messer, 18. Shot in West Price Hill on July 4. Tyshawn Mayers, 26, is charged in his death.
- Cameron Franklin, 14. Shot in Lower Price Hill on July 6. No suspect information available.
Britten said she came to the town hall because she wants to be a part of the solution.
"There is young people dying,” Britten said. “There is young people that want to pick up a gun and choose a lifestyle that they shouldn't."
Dennard said it was important to get young adults together so she could have a better understanding of what they need from city leaders.
"They're on the ground, they know better than we are what's happening,” Dennard said.
Nineteen-year-old Kish Richardson was among those who said solutions start with exposure to available resources and improved access to education and employment.
"When you grow up in a community and you only know so much and you're only exposed to so much, you think that's all that there is,” Richardson said. “But, being exposed to resources that our white counterparts have available, I feel like that's a good step in the right direction."
