How Do We Stop Buffalo Shootings & Killings?

Almost every morning as I'm preparing the morning news, which I report during the Tom Joyner Morning Show, at 5:58 AM & 6:58 AM (every morning Mon-Fri) there is inevitably a news story in the paper, or on the news feed, about a Buffalo Shooting / Killing.  

Each time I run across one of these stories it's embarrassing to have to report the story because it's usually relative to the Black Community and I hate it that someone outside of our Community, of another race, who may love our station, may be listening each morning and hearing about shootings over and over again and getting the impression that... "THAT'S WHAT THEY DO...THEY SHOOT AND KILL EACH OTHER".  I think about "MY PEOPLE" listening every morning and having to get the bad news that another one of "US" has been a victim of, or the culprit of, another shooting or shooting death. There are times (many) when I just don't bother reading the stories because they are so frequent that it ends up feeling like Gossip rather then News...  News is something NEW... and the Buffalo shootings are nothing remotely close to being new.

My mind quickly switches to...(and I'm being very honest with you)... WHERE THE HELL ARE THE GUNS COMING FROM?  Secondly, (because most of the shooting are of a random nature with innocent people being shot and kiled)... WHAT IS GOING ON IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT WOULD MAKE ONE PERSON SHOOT ANOTHER.... AND ESPECIALLY... FOR NO REASON OTHER THAN THEY'RE SEEMINGLY OUT ON A FUN-FILLED SHOOTING SPREE!

Is there a solution?...and no disrespect to "The Church" or "Community Organizations" ... I'm not talking about some INEFFECTIVE SELF SERVING "STOP THE VIOLENCE" or "ANTI-VIOLENCE" MARCH "solution"!  Stop that!!!!!  Let's get REAL!!!  We as a community HAVE TO come up with something effective.

When I was comin' up there were LEGITIMATE YMCA's (Community Centers)...and I'm not suggesting the Y's today are not legal or that their illegitimate... but I am suggesting that they are NOT LEGITIMATELY EFFECTIVE!  WBLK is the only Radio Station in this market that VALIDLY AND EFFECTIVELY reaches African-American Youth... but I hear NO COMMUNITY CENTER ADS on the radio here...(other than George K. Arthur Community Center).  Now I'm not suggesting the Centers don't want to advertise and reach young people...because understandably they may not have the budget to do so... but isn't it a responsibility of THE COMMUNITY to SUPPORT the COMMUNITY CENTERS?  We're always complaining that "kids have nothing to do" or that "they're doing wrong" or we're waiting and depending on some Government Funding to do stuff FOR US...let me put it to you straight... "DEY AIN'T THINKIN' BOUT YA'LL"!!!!

...And in this "Age Of Technology"...where are the Media Centers?  I mean Media Centers LOADED with Computers, PS3's, XBox's, Broadcast equipment and After School Workshops for young people interested in Radio, Television Camera equipment for young people interested in Film or Television?  Where are these facilities?  We can find indoor and outdoor basketball courts EVERYWHERE!  CAN'T WE DO SOMETHING BESIDES PLAY BASKETBALL!!!... Well, YES...I guess we can!... we can aim guns pretty good, we can fight, we can use and sell drugs, we can hang out, we can sag, we can gang bang, we can have sex and make babies...or we can HOPE we make it past the age when all of the aforementioned become "old" to us and we finally settle down.... but why do we (our young people especially) have to walk through the MINE FIELDS of Death and Destruction HOPING we make it?  What is it about "US" that makes it so that we don't have what "THEY" have and build our communities up.  Hell (and yes..I said Hell..appropriately)... instead of ALL THE BLACK CHURCHES being SEPARATE and gettin' their "BUILDING FUNDS" straight...why can't they band TOGETHER and pool the monies they get from people "GIVING" every Sunday and BUILD SOMETHING?  Need I point to "Old Testament Scriptures" where all they did was BUILD???  C'mon.  And it's not just "The Church".... whether we believe in Christ / God/ whatever.... let's all support and motivate the churches in our own areas to DO SOMETHING and contribute dollars to an effective casue and hold them accountable to BUILD something for THE COMMUNITY as a whole rather than a bigger, newer building for a select few Christians in their own Church Congregation.

I don't mean for this to be an attack on "The Church" because it isn't... but "The Church" (The Black Church") is SUPPOSED to be at the Forefront of Leadership in our Community by their own request... SO STAND UP ND BE WHAT YOU PROFESS TO BE.  No more WORKING ON "SUNDAY ONLY" and "RESTING" the remainder of the week... isn't it supposed to be the other way around???.... from what I know... The Lord "WORKED" for 6 DAYS and "RESTED" on the 7TH DAY!

Let's GET REAL people!  Too many people are innocently dying, too many people being shot and too many people going to jail...YOUNG PEOPLE!  We have to give them SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE TO DO!

What's your feedback as to how we stop the shootings and killings in Buffalo, NY!