YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – A group of Youngstown residents gathered Tuesday In the same park, a teenage boy was killed by a stray bullet.
“I just miss him so much,” Lynette Wesley yelled.
In July 2020, Brandon Wesley was on the basketball court at Homestead Park when he was hit by a stray ball. Now his mother is calling for peace in the midst of other violence plaguing the city.
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“Through my loss and grief, I have said that I need to raise my voice. Because I have to be my son’s voice, I have to be my son’s righteousness and I will never give up, ”said Lynette Wesley, Brandon’s mother.
The event was put together by the Jericho Project, a local group committed to raising awareness about ending violence.
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“We are trying to convey a message of peace and the need of the Lord in our lives,” said Pastor Rafael Cruz Jr., founder of the Jericho Project Street Ministry.
Local residents and their children gathered to eat, sing, and share a message.
“Anyone can come and talk to each other,” said Anthony Santoyo, who was present.
Brandon’s mother says more than a year later, she’s still looking for answers.
“I feel that the community has to learn to stick together. I think the church should have said more about my son because next it could be your child, ”she said.
Lynette wants the community to hear her cry for peace before anyone else is hit by the violence.
“We all have to unite and do it as a whole, and until we have a unity we will fail,” she said.
The Jericho Project hosts these community events every week. Who would like to be there? can find out more on their Facebook page.
