LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX News) — Six months of relative calm have given way to a somewhat chaotic situation across Lexington. Two more people were killed over the weekend, which saw four different shooting incidents early Sunday morning.
Watch: Police investigating 3 shootings in Lexington; coroner called to one scene early Saturday
"We refuse for that to happen in Lexington," said Devine Carama, director of One Lexington, a city initiative combating gun violence. "We refuse for this to be the norm. As soon as you become numb to any issue, that leads to inactivity."
Carama's organization has been working tirelessly for nearly six years to help weed out gun violence at the root of the problem by getting into the city's neighborhoods and meeting kids where they are.
It's been working. Over the last few years, the city's annual homicide rate has dropped considerably. But the issues from the last few weeks, which include the mass shooting at Charles Young Park, have been a lot for him to accept.
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"We always expect a spike this time of year, September/October, this is when things pick up. But in almost six years of doing this, I've never experienced an extended spike in gun violence like this," Carama stated.
Carama will meet with members of the victims' families, and in response to what's happened recently, One Lexington will be adding some resources for the community.
"Tuesday, September 8, we're going to be doing, twice per month, community healing sessions where people can come out and connect with Mental health specialists on site. And then they can connect to long-term support," Carama explained.
Next Tuesday's session will run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Shiloh Baptist Church, located at 237 East 5th Street. They will continue on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month.
"We want people to be aware of what's happening, want them to be engaged, and we refuse for this to be the norm," Carama said, before heading out to meet with those aforementioned family members.
