MUSKEGON, Mich. — Gun violence has shaken the greater Muskegon community in recent months, including a post-prom party shooting in Fruitport and the deaths of 15-year-old Tayvon Watson and 26-year-old Robert Fletcher Jr. in Muskegon Heights.
In response, leaders and community members have called for action, and ongoing grant funding is taking additional steps to reduce violence and protect young people.
WATCH: Grants help fund youth violence prevention programs in Muskegon County schools
Through the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program, Trinity Health Muskegon and the Muskegon County Prosecutor's Office have applied for and been awarded grants totaling over half a million dollars over the last few years. The funding supports programs like SafERteens, investing in the youth inside local schools.
Michigan State Police Director Colonel James Grady said community collaboration is essential to making progress.
"Every time we see gun violence occur, it creates a problem. It takes us a step back. So I can't say enough how important it is for everybody to put their hands in the pot and work together," Grady said.
Grady said financial investment alone is not enough.
"Money is needed like you. That's a must. But at the same time, you need people to be present," Grady said.
Through a $318,000 2024 Byrne SCIP grant, community health workers have been deployed into school districts across Muskegon County to reach students through one-on-one intervention sessions focused on conflict resolution, decision-making, and goal setting.
Holly Alway, injury prevention coordinator at Trinity Health Muskegon, said those workers are now embedded in multiple districts.
"Right now, we have community health workers who are embedded at Muskegon, Muskegon Heights, and Orchard View Schools," Alway said.
The SafERteens program launched in schools in March 2025 in the Muskegon area, and the impact is already being felt.
"We started in the schools in March of 25, so as of the end of April, we've served nearly 1000 students with SafERteens interventions," Alway said.
Alway said SafERteens is part of the solution, but more work remains. Trinity Health has applied for an additional half a million dollars from the Byrne grant to expand crisis intervention efforts.
Ron Jenkins, a Muskegon Heights councilman and member of Gaining Unity Through Non-Violent Solutions, better known as G.U.N.S., said the stakes could not be higher for the next generation.
"These generations are killing off their own generation. So you actually ask yourself, in the next five to 10 years, where will we be if we don't slow this violence down and curve it down?" Jenkins said.
Jenkins said the community must show up for its young people with courage and consistency.
"Our young people got to see us, not being fearful to talk to them, but yet being courageous enough to say, young lady, young man, this is not the good direction to go," Jenkins said.
G.U.N.S. is hosting a free community conversation with Muskegon youth and the larger neighborhood, focused on unity and reducing gun violence. The event will take place on Thursday, May 14, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Muskegon Heights Public School Academy.
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