MILWAUKEE — A violent weekend in Milwaukee left 18 people shot, including four deaths. Many of those incidents involved teenagers.
Of the 18 shot over the weekend, eight were teens and two of them were killed.
"We gotta do better. We have to do more and we need to do better," community activist Vaun Mayes said in response to the more than a dozen shootings.
He's hoping young people know there are alternatives to violence and people they can reach out to.
"There's people that care about them. There's organizations, there are activities, there are mentors," he said. "I want them to find some value in life. Some aspiration in their life."
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson also spoke about the weekend violence on Monday.
"Anytime anybody gets hurt in Milwaukee, or anywhere, it gives me pause. It gives me concern. I don't want to see anyone harmed," the mayor said. "That's why I call upon individuals within the community to step up and help us. Whether you're a parent, whether you're a teacher, a preacher, a friend. If you've got some influence in somebody's life, you need to reach out to them. You need to encourage them to put their guns down."
In the wake of the violence, Mayor Johnson is also calling on other politicians to enact policies to keep guns from getting in the wrong hands.
"We need elected officials in Madison and in Washington to heed that, to understand that, and to use their power to stop that from happening. Because when they don't, you see bloodshed on the streets of Milwaukee and communities like it across the state and across the country," Mayor Johnson said.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley also sent out a statement on the gun violence over the weekend, saying: "As leaders, we must not sit silent, nor idle. We have the power and responsibility to marshal all of our resources to address the tragedies, of course, but more importantly, we must address the circumstances that allow gun violence to persist in our communities."
The CDC says that gun violence is now the leading cause of death of children across the country.
