Rolando Hallmon said he became emotional when he learned about the death of 9-year-old Sherdavia Jenkins, who was shot while playing at her doorstep in Liberty City in 2006.
“We have to start doing something,” Hallmon, a community activist and retired teacher, said at the time of the shooting.
He started organizing prayer walks after speaking with pastors who met at the Belafonte TACOLCY Center on ways to raise awareness about violence in their community. Fast forward, he became co-chair of the Liberty Square Community Concerned group, which started March 2022. The group raises awareness about the needs of residents, including violence.
The group will be hosting its third annual Youth Summit, an event scheduled for May 8 at the Liberty Square Community Center to educate the youth about an array of topics, including how to interact with the police, human trafficking, sexual abuse, and different types of sexually transmitted infections.
Sharon Frazier, founder and chairwoman of the Liberty Square Community Concerned group, said the purpose of organizing events like the Youth Summit is to raise awareness about gun violence and youth violence in the predominantly Black neighborhood.
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In addition, it’s important for Black children to learn about gun violence and interacting with cops because of racial profiling, she also said.
Black kids nationwide are reported to law enforcement at a rate that is more than twice as high as that of their white peers, says the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The likelihood of arrest for Black pupils is three times higher than that of their white counterparts, the group also reported.
This year Hallmon is expecting more than 100 people at the event, which more than 70 have attended in the past. The event will start at 4 p.m.
Some of the teaching techniques will involve nearly 15 city and Miami-Dade County Sheriff deputies creating skits to teach the youth about the dangers of running away from cops and what’s considered felonies and misdemeanors. Topics about gang prevention will also be explored.
Jenkins would have turned 28 this year on March 22, according to WPLG. At the time of the shooting, she was playing with her siblings and “best friend who witnessed the shooting,” the channel also says.
Jenkins was shot in the neck by Damon “Red Rock” Darling, who used an AK-47 during a shootout with Leroy Larose, according to the prosecution. The dispute was over drugs. Darling was sentenced to 50 years in prison and Larose entered a guilty plea of second-degree murder and was sentenced to seven years in prison.
“I’m smiling when I see young people living ‘cause each and every time a bullet robs us of their destiny, it robs us of their talent, it robs us of their God-given destiny that they’re supposed to have,” Hallmon said.
He said he’s proud of the Youth Summit because crime has decreased in Liberty City. The number of Liberty City homicides has dropped from 72 in 2020 to 53 in 2023.
The predominantly Black neighborhood of Liberty City can see on average between four to 11 homicides every month, according to the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner.
The event is purposely organized right before the summer, so that the youth will stay out of trouble, said Hallmon.
“It makes me feel good knowing that this neighborhood, when I moved here a lot was going on,” he said. “But through people acting and reaching out” to the community not just with their word, but action, “we have made a powerful impact.”
This story was originally published in the Key Biscayne Independent, a WLRN News partner.
