We are not out to save the world but to tell the stories
of those who are.
kids |In the Crossfire writer: adam hanson photographer: steve floyd (story synopsis)
Homicide is the leading cause of death for young people in Oakland.
Neco Yarbough explained that his elbow blocked the first bullet from hitting his head. Eight bullets are still lodged in his body.
“Stand up if someone close to you has died as a result of gun violence,” a teenage girl asks an Oakland, California junior high classroom. Half the class stands up. “Stand up if you know you could get a gun in 24 hours,” she asks. Nearly the entire classroom stands up.
Homicide is the leading cause of death for young people in Oakland. The city ranks among the top 10 most dangerous in the United States due to its high murder rate, according to FBI crime reports.
Over the past decade, a group called Youth ALIVE! has worked to stop the needless deaths of hundreds of Oakland youths. The organization also works to end retaliatory cycles of gangland violence and to raise up peer educators who teach young people to make peaceful choices.
Javier Arrango was paralyzed when a bullet hit his spine.
