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DC youth advocate blames cycle of trauma for uptick in juvenile crime

Hardy said many of her students are carrying territorial battles that sometimes aren't even their own; a cycle of trauma from family and the community.

WASHINGTON — It just makes no sense. That's what some adults said after hearing a 14-year old girl is charged with shooting a 13-year old boy Monday just steps away from a busy bus stop on Pennsylvania Avenue SE.  

WUSA9 has learned both the victim and the suspect are students at Kramer Middle school less than a mile away. 

Jawanna Hardy said it not only makes sense, she understands the reasons why.

“These kids are just so angry and so upset; sometimes it's because their shoes are dirty or they're the smelly kid in school and all they need is a little confidence a little love,” said Hardy.  

Hardy served in the air force and served overseas. She returned home where she and her high school-aged daughter founded Guns Down Friday in 2018. They started their non-violence outreach by going into communities on Fridays. Soon she learned, one day was not enough.

"The need became overwhelming, so I decided to quit my day job and dedicate my time and life to these children,” she explained.   

Hardy said many of her students are carrying territorial battles that sometimes aren't even their own; a cycle of trauma from family and the community.

"How do you tell a group of now 13-year-olds that the 11-year-old who was killed, that the killer is out?” she asked. “How do you not get angry, how do you not get upset, how do you not want to retaliate? The pain runs deep, and the retaliation is real."

The friends of Karon Brown are in middle school now and know the man caught on camera was found not guilty of the 2019 murder. Tony McClam’s lawyer argued his client shot into the car in self-defense not knowing the 11-year-old boy was inside.

DC Police collect data on arrests of people under 17. According to the latest numbers available on MPD's website, more than 65 young people faced gun charges in the first 6 months of 2021.  

“I know we can't save everyone but we're doing our best to save children and show love to the community," she added. Hardy said despite the numbers, she'll continue organizing community events and trips because it's her job, she said, to show young people that there is a way out and there are people willing to lead you.

Guns Down Friday is just one of several organizations working to stop the violence in our community and change these children’s lives.  But Hardy said there is one missing key component: unity. She said all the groups must work alongside city leadership for lasting change to really occur.

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