Op-Ed: Senseless Loss of Life at Clark-Atlanta

The last thing a parent should have to worry about is whether their child will be in harm’s way. The family of 19-year old Spelman College student Jasmine Lynn received the awful news that she had become yet another victim senseless of gun violence.

Lynn, a Kansas City, Missouri native and a sophomore at nearby Spelman College, was shot in the chest as she walked across the Clark-Atlanta University campus, an innocent victim of a dispute taking place nearby. All Americans should mourn the loss of this young woman and pray that this incident will be a spark that ignites widespread outrage, especially among Black Americans over the toll that guns are taking on their community. Young Jasmine Lynn had everything to look forward to in life. Her dream was to attend Spelman College and she was on her way to becoming part of the legacy of that storied institution. Now, all that she could have become has been snuffed out by the indifference of someone or someone’s who clearly had no regard for the students or the college campus on which they unleashed their heinous insanity. Gun violence is deplorable no matter where it occurs, but there is something particularly egregious when it violates the sanctity of an environment where young people who have embraced excellence have chosen to further their education. Whether Clark-Atlanta, or Virginia Tech, or Northern Illinois University or any public school, our students deserve the opportunity to learn free of fear over their safety. Particularly troubling is the fact that all across the nation, Black communities and Black children are under assault. In Newark, New Jersey, gun violence has prompted community members to take to the streets. In Detroit the city is contending with a wave of violence by youthful offenders. It appears we are now bearing the full brunt of decades of failing public schools, family disintegration, poverty borne from joblessness, and mass incarceration. It is not just a matter of our streets not being safe, whole neighborhoods are now terrorized by the presence of gun-wielding thugs who have no regard for the law or human life. The murder of innocent children represents a new low. The killing of young children should be the “trigger” that provokes a tidal wave of anger at those responsible for the bloodshed. It should also strengthen our resolve to reclaim our communities. A major step would be to have a sit down with police and prosecutors to determine the best way to begin ferreting out dangerous elements in communities. This must include a real commitment to protect witnesses who come forward and put behind bars, under heavy penalty, anyone who threatens a witness. At the same time, a “final offer” of reconciliation needs to be made to those who have chosen to engage in criminal behavior and who wish to turn their lives around. Once made, no stone should be unturned in seeking the arrest and imprisonment of those who reject this offer. Responsible citizens also need to become vocal proponents of gun control and responsible gun ownership. For too long Black Americans have sat back and in some instances allowed the NRA to manipulate public opinion and use the Second Amendment to shield some members' recklessness in gun ownership, while not taking the necessary steps to allow the same NRA to help Black communities correct the disparities of gun ownership of citizens in the most endangered communities. In the early days of the AIDS crisis, activists used the mantra “Silence is deadly.” That mantra needs to be adopted in this case. The longer we sit back in silence, the higher the body count. I am hopeful that those who may have witnessed the shooting at Clark-Atlanta come forward and inform the police of what they know. I am equally hopeful should they choose this course; the entire citizenry of Atlanta will stand behind them and send a message that a larger force exists against those who do harm to American campuses, children and communities.