WASHINGTON — On an otherwise perfect September evening, an absence becomes apparent when kids in the courtyard take a break from another round of games at golden hour.
Karon Brown, 11, isn’t there.
It’s been two months since an adult opened fire after an argument. The question of who could kill a boy with bullets almost seems secondary.
What it’ll take for Woodland Terrace and its residents to find a normalcy without violence, is a question looming larger.
"We are trying to hang on" 14-year-old Kevin Mason said in an interview Friday. "But the only thing we can remember is him."
Out of the trauma emerged a new idea from a mother of four. India Blocker used to spend countless hours only with the neighborhood’s girls, helping them to spark a sense of self-empowerment.
But broken boys and festering anger – all too easily leading to senseless loss of life – took on added urgency.
"Put your hands out and help them, be supportive," Blocker said. "Because you never know what they're going through."
Blocker expanded her mentoring program to include the teens and pre-teens of Woodland – and on this end-of-summer night, hosted round after round of dodge ball for all mentees to attend.
It was a moment for kids to be kids, to forget the July 18 shooting.
"When you see little boys, and you see that they are just bad, don't think they're just these terrible kids," Blocker said. "Because you don't know their story. There's so much more to what you just see."