The Affect of Gun Violence on South Macon’s Youth

Two days out of the week, a group of boys and girls sit and discuss their dreams and aspirations for the future inside the Heritage at Hudson Church on Houston Avenue.

Some have the hope of becoming pediatricians and aviation mechanics while others simply want to make enough money to escape the ongoing violence in their South Macon neighborhood.

In the past years, the rate of gun violence in the Macon-Bibb area has risen. According to recent reports, homicides are more prevalent in Macon than the nation as a whole. Some feel that the environment these children are surrounded by has a role in the rise of homicides.

Ray Rover, the director of the Streets to Success mentor and tutoring after school program agrees with this notion.

“I would describe their environment as one of the most toxic situations that a child could possibly be in,” Rover said.

Streets to Success was founded 11 years ago by Rover. The organization serves students ranging from 9–18. Their goal is to provide a safe place where young men and women can receive love and encouragement through physical and spiritual practices.

Rover says during his time directing the program, there have been hundreds of boys and girls that have come through his program. However, this year makes 11 boys he has lost due to the violence in the neighborhood since the program was founded.

Ashley Gallaway, a senior at Rutland High School and resident of the South Macon area, describes the conditions as dangerous and says she has witnessed the devastation the violence has had on the community.

“I have lost several friends, seeing that only makes me not want to live here forever,” she said.

After graduating high school, Gallaway plans to attend college and major in aviation mechanics. She says college is her only option in giving herself and her family a better life.

“I started coming to tutoring, so they could help me get good grades and help me with my work,” Galloway said.

Gun violence disproportionately impacts black children and teens who are nearly four times more likely than white children and teens to be killed with guns. According to a report by Everytown Research Center, three million American children will witness gun violence every year.

Witnessing shootings can have a devastating impact. Children exposed to violence, crime, and abuse are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol suffer from depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Rover says growing up in communities that are stricken with crime and violence often leads to more permanent effects on the youth.

“I believe a lot of these children in this neighborhood are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, simply by growing up in communities where gunfire is often heard or sirens and ambulances,” Rover said.

Cameron Shine, a seventh grader says that the recent shootings often make him feel unsafe.

“Up the street, they do a lot of shooting, they once broke into my next door neighbor’s house. I mean our street it’s okay but I don’t like where we stay,” he said.

Rover says when growing up in neighborhoods like Shine’s, his feelings of uneasiness is not uncommon.

“There’s danger being around every stop sign. It’s a very very difficult situation sometimes growing up on Houston Avenue,” Rover said.

Houston Avenue has been the center for a large amount of gun violence that has taken place in Macon. Many of the senseless crimes has labeled the area as having one of the highest crime rates in Macon. Justin Smith, an eighth-grader says that he sometimes doesn’t feel safe going outside.

“Some days I won’t go down the street, and I’ll stay in the house mainly because people do stuff like gun violence,” Smith said.

Shine agrees and says he often fears something will happen to his family.

“The only fear I have is somebody trying to come to our house and pull a gun out because I don’t want that to affect my family,” he said.

Focusing on the future is what gives most of the kids on Houston Avenue hope. Smith dreams of attending college and studying biology. He says because of his love for animals he would like to become a zoologist.

Rover says he will continue to make an effort to offer a place where the children in South Macon can feel safe. He also says he will continue to provide them with tools and opportunities to make better decisions for a more promising future.

“I will continue to give them a place to come and matte out their own salvation. In other words, just a way for them to work it out until they can get it right in their minds what they want and what they’re willing to do for it,” he said.