“It’s devastating — anybody losing their life, especially a cop that’s trying to protect the city. We have friends that are being killed, we have family being killed, so for that to be happening so regularly — it’s just devastating all around,” said Youth Mentor Victor Barnett, Jr.
In Milwaukee, where gun violence is a near-daily occurrence, the impact runs deep — especially for young people. They’re not mourning one tragedy. They’re navigating a reality where violence is constant, and survival requires awareness, resilience, and choices most teens shouldn’t have to make.
For 17-year-old Tymarius Wrencher, that reality has been part of society for as long as he can remember.
“They tote guns in music videos, they got ’em in video games. I think just seeing it makes you crave it that much more,” he says. But instead of giving in to what felt like inevitability, Tymarius found another path…