TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The Youth and Young Adult Ministry of the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church is working to find ways to make Tallahassee a safer place for young adults.
Church leaders hosted a citywide seminar on Zoom Wednesday to Stop Gun Violence.
Dr. Michael Fegins is the Associate Minister for Children, Youth and Young Adults.
He says community unity is an important part of the solution.
"This is a call and a commission for us to work together to see how we can overcome gun violence together," Fegins said.
Over one hundred zoom attendees heard from three community leaders on the importance of ending gun violence.
Rudy Ferguson is the Chairman of the Tallahassee Police Department Citizen's Advisory Council. He wants young adults to realize the serious consequences of gun violence.
"All of our young people have no right to have guns and shouldn't have guns because that is something that will end up in prison or worse, dead," Ferguson said.
Leon County Commissioner Nick Maddox urges the youth in our community to think before ever pulling a trigger.
"There's nothing, absolutely nothing more valuable in this world than a human life," Maddox said.
Mental Health Specialist Arlette Bridges explained that many violent situations are a result of poor mental health.
She aims to equip young adults with the tools and resources they need before it's too late.
"We want to make sure you are mentally healthy so when adversity comes, you don't pick up a gun, you don't resort to violence, you reach out to your life line," Bridges said.
Fegins says after Wednesday night, he will continue to work on youth engagement and making Tallahassee a safer community.
