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Project BodyBag aims to end youth violence in Lexington

Project Body Bag.PNG
Posted at 11:36 AM, Feb 27, 2022
and last updated 2022-02-27 11:36:57-05

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A real-life simulation showing the impacts of living on the streets showed Lexington youth the cost of gun violence Friday.

It's called Project Body Bag.

The event, which took place at the Dunbar Community Center, took the audience through varying stages from confrontation, deadly shooting, crime scene investigation, and a prison sentence.

Founder Damion Riley came up with the idea to try to reduce violence in the city after he served time behind bars himself.

He said the goal is to make a change in how students think about the aftermath of a shooting.

"Of course, it's always mixed emotions: this presentation is too harsh, the kids need to see something else, and then we also got love from other mothers that lost their kids to gun violence and they want to also see a change and also community leaders as well," Riley said.

Riley said he hopes those who saw the presentation think about a future path that avoids violence.