MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. — A Muskegon Heights city councilman is calling the community together following three shootings, two of them deadly, within a seven-day span.
WATCH: Muskegon Heights councilman calls town hall after 3 shootings, 2 deaths in 7 days
Councilman William Kitchen says he hopes the town hall Thursday will serve as a launching pad toward brighter days in the neighborhood.
"When there's mourning, when there's grieving and when there's pain, it sends a ripple effect through the community to where everybody can feel it," Kitchen said. "And right now, people seem to believe that we have a dark cloud over our city, rightfully so."
Kitchen says to seek solutions, that means addressing the root causes of the recent gun violence.
"A lot of us that deals with violence comes from violence. It was trauma that had never been healed. So we have to address root causes and figure out how to heal from those causes," Kitchen said.
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Kitchen believes mental health is a major part of those root causes, particularly for the youth.
"Our youth, our kids, are suffering, and we're dropping the ball in a major way. So addressing mental health is big, addressing some of the systemic root problems," Kitchen said. "We have to really look at what's going on and be proactive instead of reactive."
Beyond addressing gun violence, Kitchen hopes Thursday's town hall will also encourage youth advocacy in the heart of Muskegon Heights, and ensure no more mothers have to bury their children.
"Our kids right now have one foot in the grave or one foot in prison. I don't want that for those families. I know what that feels like, so I just wish I could have done more. Being that I didn't, I'm doing more now," Kitchen said.
The town hall was initially planned for Muskegon Heights City Hall but may be moved to the Muskegon Heights High School auditorium to accommodate more space.
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