West Louisville groups asking men to ‘step up’ after record breaking year of gun violence

By Shaquille Lord

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    LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — Step up and be part of the change.

“Enough is enough, I’m tired of seeing my kids, my nephews, my nieces and who else getting shot in the west end, in the city period,” said Kamal Wells, Founder of Men Against Gun Violence.

After a record-breaking year of 188 criminal homicides in Louisville, Wells is putting action behind his thoughts on wanting a safer and better Louisville.

On Monday, he and other group leaders say they want men in the area to step up by volunteering their time and connecting with the younger generation.

“The fact of the matter is there are more Black men shooting Black people in our communities than there are police officers,” said Jibriyll Izsrael, a West Louisville resident.

The goal is to find a few dozen men throughout West Louisville to step up and be a mentor in this program.

“We’re going to be the uncles, father figures, we’re going to be the mentors that they need to push them in a positive direction,” Wells said.

So why do some of these men believe they can make a difference? Well, don’t judge a book by its cover.

“A lot of us (have) already been in the penitentiary, a lot of us already been locked up, we’re just not dead yet. We don’t want to keep seeing the death, let’s try to figure out a way to preserve life,” Wells told WLKY.

After the deadly shooting of 16-year-old Tyree Smith at a bus stop back in September, Wells called on 50 men to be at bus stops throughout West Louisville to make sure kids get on the bus safe. He says despite around 15 showing up consistently, he hopes this call attracts more of a crowd.

“I need more men in the community and step forward and take that initiative and come out and be with the kids,” said Wells.

The group will discuss the finalized plans of the program to the public on Monday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. at Chef Space on West Muhammad Ali Boulevard.

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