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Oakland Gun Violence

Listen to this Commentary!

By Memi Vaughn

I was at a funeral a few weeks ago for my best friend's boyfriend who died when he got caught in the middle of a fight. He was an innocent bystander. Deshan was running away from the fight because he was afraid that people were carrying guns. I was kind of skeptical about going to the funeral because it was in East Oakland. And there were rumors that the funeral was going to turn into a gunfight. But since Deshan wasn't involved in the fight that got him killed, I thought it would be ok.

Deshan looked so peaceful lying in the casket. All his friends from his East Oakland turf — called Greenside — were there. Greenside is not a gang, but if you live in Oakland, every block has a name, and people are loyal to their block no matter where they move. During the funeral, the preacher talked about how young people need to start coming together because as they could see before them, violence was not the answer.

But five minutes later, a fight broke out between Greenside and their enemies from a rival turf. I couldn't believe it. They were fighting at a funeral. Everyone started to run. Just the way Deshan did the night he died. And faintly I could hear my best friend crying and saying, "I knew his funeral would get shot up."

I can't think of anyone who doesn't know someone who's been affected by violence since the beginning of the year. And the ones who survived are the ones you see walking the streets, like me. But can you imagine what it's like for us? It seems like people are going to funerals every other week. Going out isn't the same anymore. Oakland use to be called "the Town" — the place for young people to hang out and have fun. But now we can't. And everyone seems to have a gun or access to one.

With a perspective, I'm Memi Vaughn

HOST BACK ANNOUCE: 17-year-old Memi Vaughn will attend Clark Atlanta University in the fall. She is a reporter for Youth Radio