{"id":6052,"date":"2018-06-28T17:27:55","date_gmt":"2018-06-28T17:27:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/?p=6052"},"modified":"2025-06-10T13:17:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T17:17:08","slug":"youngviolencevictims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/","title":{"rendered":"Junior, Jose and Antwon \u2014 We Need To Address Violence against Young Men of Color"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

By Brian Pacheco
\nJune 28, 2018
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Warning: The story below includes descriptions of violence and murder.<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s impossible to make sense of senseless violence. And yet so many of us have been trying to do just that over the last few days. Jose Velez. Lesandro \u201cJunior<\/em>\u201d Guzman Feliz. Antwon Rose II. These are the names of three young men of color who were killed in separate incidents of community, gang, and police violence last week.<\/p>\n

A harsh fact is that young black and Latino men are more likely than any other group to become victims of violent crime<\/a>, according to NYC\u2019s Vera Institute of Justice. But we don\u2019t usually hear their stories or even learn their names. All too often, they are blamed for their own deaths. But as my colleague Brooklyn Community Program Director Kimmi Herring reminds us, \u201cAny life lost is of the utmost value.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Here in New York City, no one could escape the news coverage of Junior\u2019s murder.\u00a0 There was video surveillance footage of the killing. It was deeply disturbing and painful to watch. I saw the footage by accident when I clicked on the #JusticeforJunior viral hashtag. I was filled with rage and grief after viewing that atrocity, as I can imagine so many others were.<\/p>\n

As a man of color, these three tragedies brought up memories of my own, like the time I came back from college to learn my childhood friend had been stabbed and killed by another childhood friend. Why? They were \u201cfighting<\/em>\u201d over a girl. Or that time my uncle was a victim of police violence in Massachusetts, and my concern for my mother when she got out of the car to intervene. In speaking with my colleague Sebastian Vante for this article, he shared with me his own experience of being \u201cjumped<\/em>\u201d as a kid.<\/p>\n

The truth is that too many boys and men of color have a story that includes violence and loss. That\u2019s why I am proud to work for an organization that is strengthening and expanding their services for young men, recognizing our hurt and pain. Part of that commitment is having staff who reflect the community. I sat down with two colleagues who identify as men of color: Paul Barrett, Jr., Project Manager for Safe Horizon\u2019s Enhanced Service for Boys and Young Men of Color and Sebastian Vante, Supervising Coordinator for Safe Horizon\u2019s Streetwork Project. We talked about these recent tragedies, how we can better support boys and young men of color harmed by violence, and why toxic masculinity can be a problem for many men.<\/p>\n

These tragic deaths have fueled more conversations among boys and men of color concerning the realities of violence in our neighborhoods. As men of color who do this work, what do you want people to know?<\/strong><\/p>\n

PAUL: The people affected are more than just the young men. Their family, friends and neighborhoods are impacted. Jose left behind a fianc\u00e9e and daughter. We\u2019ve seen Junior\u2019s mother grieve publicly. We\u2019ve seen whole communities mourning. Part of our work is engaging families and communities in healing, such as our work with our families of homicide program.<\/p>\n

SEBASTIEN: We have to talk about the relationship between police and communities of color. Deaths like Antwon Rose Jr., can contribute to the distrust. This is relevant as I think of Junior\u2019s murder: Why didn\u2019t the bodega owners call the cops? I grew up in the \u201chood<\/em>\u201d and I know that there can be a distrust of the police. There is this valid feeling that, \u201cJustice isn\u2019t for us. It\u2019s for other people.<\/em>\u201d\u00a0 There can also be this mentality that \u201cIf it doesn\u2019t involve you, mind your business.<\/em>\u201d Some of it is a survival tactic, \u201cIf I get involved, will I be harmed?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

For Junior Feliz, it was a case of mistaken identity and a gang looking for revenge. Acts of revenge like this often intentionally cause more harm in retaliation than in the first event. Why is that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

PAUL: This can be true for boys and young men regardless of socio-economic or racial identity, but there is this idea of exerting power to demonstrate manhood. I don\u2019t know what was in the heads of those young men who killed Junior, but I imagine that in the range of options in their mind, violence felt like the only viable option. This is rooted in toxic masculinity.<\/p>\n

Toxic and hyper-masculinity can do great harm. Talk to me more about that. <\/strong><\/p>\n

PAUL: I (heard) that the sister of one of Junior\u2019s assailants was sexually assaulted and it was videotaped. They mistook Junior as one of the guys in the video and that\u2019s why he was targeted. You hear that your sister is sexually assaulted and you go straight to ten [on the emotional scale]. I understand having an extreme emotional response to something like that; it\u2019s valid and normal. But when you take that response and add the way that violence is normalized as a way to \u201cget payback\u201d for the harm that was done to you or a loved one, it can be a vicious cycle. This is not just true for men of color. Think about how many times you\u2019ve seen two men arguing because one of them felt disrespected by the other. One of the most common examples I can think of are the numerous times I\u2019ve seen a guy yell at some random person because he thought the stranger was staring at his girlfriend.<\/p>\n

At Safe Horizon, we know that violence can be a response to a traumatic event in an effort to feel \u201cin control<\/em>.\u201d What alternative coping strategies do you want boys and young men of color to know about?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SEBASTIEN: Experiencing violence can make anyone hypervigilant and not trusting. Too often, boys and men can live in this world in fear but it\u2019s seen as weak for them to say \u201cI\u2019m scared.<\/em>\u201d\u00a0 Instead, that fear comes across as toughness or anger.<\/p>\n

At Safe Horizon\u2019s Streetwork Project<\/a>, we have a men\u2019s group. \u00a0We do meditation, mindfulness and grounding exercises. We often talk about separation and loss, because so many of these young men have lost family and loved ones to violence, or have been disconnected from their families. It\u2019s a space for young men to heal and engage in conversations they may not otherwise have.<\/p>\n

In the last group, I heard the sighs and like, \u201cUgh, what is this about?\u201d<\/em> when I asked them to close their eyes and do some breathing techniques. But afterwards, I looked around and asked \u201cSo, how does that feel?<\/em>\u201d \u00a0So many of them said it was amazing. Part of it is just exposure. They may have assumptions that something will not work or will not be helpful to them, until they actually experience it themselves.<\/p>\n

PAUL: Storytelling can be an extremely helpful coping strategy. It is a powerful way to gain a level of empowerment over experiences with harm or trauma. Storytelling can be a way of healing, to make sense of what happened to you. A key component of healing is reestablishing a sense of hope and seeing your life outside of harm. Storytelling can help a person understand and take control of their story. \u201cWho was I before this? How has this experience affected me? Who do I want to be?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

We know that many people, including boys and young men of color, may walk around with unaddressed trauma: witnessing or experiencing violence, abuse, and racism. How can we better support them?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SEBASTIEN: Create a safe and non-judgmental space for young men to talk in. So many young men are waiting for someone to say, \u201cHow are you?\u201d<\/em> and really mean it, not just pleasantries. I see this in my own work with the young men at Streetwork. I ask them, \u201cHow are you?\u201d<\/em> and they usually respond, \u201cGood<\/em>.\u201d Then I pause and ask again, \u201cNo, how are you? Tell me.<\/em>\u201d And the faucet opens and they start to communicate how they are really feeling.<\/p>\n

PAUL: There needs to be a more equitable dispersal of government resources to communities of color. Therapeutic resources, social services, and financial resources can all provide more options for young people who are managing stress and trauma. Providing more viable options like these may also direct a person away from situations that leave them exposed to harm. These resources are readily available in most white communities. Yes, there are poor white communities that also lack access.\u00a0 But at a disproportionate rate, these resources are not as accessible to communities of color. When you look at the intersection of class and race, people of color are more likely\u2014even if they are not poor\u2014to live in less resourced communities than white people. Investing in more resources can help victims, their families and their communities to heal.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

At Safe Horizon<\/a>, we are committed to strengthening our programs to better support and respond to the needs of boys and young men of color (BYMOC) harmed by violence. Since 2016, we have engaged other non-profit partners so we are part of the community that responds to BYMOC harmed by crime and violence. We have worked with these partners to develop a toolkit to provide tools to those serving BYMOC including tools for engagement, trauma screening, and safety planning. Lastly, we have engaged in self-reflective and interrogative conversations about race, racism, and our own bias to better understand how we interact with young men.<\/p>\n

My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of Jose Velez, Lesandro \u201cJunior<\/em>\u201d Guzman Feliz and Antwon Ross II. Rest in peace young men.<\/p>\n

For help with any crime or abuse, including support for family members of homicide victims<\/a>, please call our 24\/7 free and anonymous Crime Victims Hotline: 1-866-689-HELP (4357).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Following three incidents of violence where young men of color were killed, and the viral hashtag #JusticeForJunior, Safe Horizon weighs in on how racism, toxic masculinity and lack of resources can devastate communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":{"id":6053,"alt_text":"","caption":"Junior Feliz, Jose Velez and Antwon Rose II ","description":"Three young victims of violence killed in June 2018","media_type":"image","media_details":{"width":1920,"height":1080,"file":"2018\/06\/Jose-Antwon-Junior-SH-2.png","sizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"Jose-Antwon-Junior-SH-2-150x150.png","width":150,"height":150,"mime-type":"image\/png","source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Jose-Antwon-Junior-SH-2-150x150.png"},"medium":{"file":"Jose-Antwon-Junior-SH-2-300x169.png","width":300,"height":169,"mime-type":"image\/png","source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Jose-Antwon-Junior-SH-2-300x169.png"},"medium_large":{"file":"Jose-Antwon-Junior-SH-2-768x432.png","width":768,"height":432,"mime-type":"image\/png","source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Jose-Antwon-Junior-SH-2-768x432.png"},"large":{"file":"Jose-Antwon-Junior-SH-2-1024x576.png","width":1024,"height":576,"mime-type":"image\/png","source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Jose-Antwon-Junior-SH-2-1024x576.png"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}},"post":6052,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Jose-Antwon-Junior-SH-2.png"},"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2015],"tags":[963,959,961,811],"class_list":["post-6052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safe-blog","tag-antwon-rose-ii","tag-jose-velez","tag-lesandro-junior-guzman-feliz","tag-ymoc","issue-gun-violence","issue-victims-of-other-abuse"],"acf":{"page_header_title":"","page_header_excerpt":"","page_header_image":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/silhouette_hero_image.png","related_initiative_title":"Do you need help?","related_initiative_link":"\/hotlines","related_initiative_link_text":"Visit our Hotlines Page","featured_posts":[{"ID":5410,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2018-03-15 20:34:17","post_date_gmt":"2018-03-15 20:34:17","post_content":"\r\nMarch 15, 2018<\/em>\r\nBy Brian Pacheco<\/em>\r\n\r\n*Trigger & Spoiler Warning: the following articles contain\u00a0spoilers of Black Panther and shares details about violence. <\/em>\r\n\r\nAs a kid, I was more of a Catwoman kind of boy. I was never really into male Superheroes, so when I heard about Black Panther, I wasn\u2019t interested. My friend had to drag me to see the film.\r\n\r\nBut I was blown away. I was surprised by how much of my own story, and the stories of the men in my life, I saw reflected in the film. In fact, it brought back so many memories of my own childhood. Like the scenes depicted at the beginning of Black Panther, I grew up in a low-income, predominately black and Latino neighborhood. My father is Afro-Latino, and both my parents are Puerto Rican. The basketball court that Killmonger played in as a young boy looked almost identical to the one that was outside of my own apartment complex.\r\n\r\nLike Killmonger, I grew up experiencing events that would be considered \u2018traumatic\u2019 (i.e. domestic violence, child abuse and bullying) in my own life and the lives of the boys and men around me. Of course, we didn\u2019t label them that way back then. It was just my life: like so many others, full of beautiful, funny, scary, painful, and unforgettable moments.\r\n\r\nWorking at Safe Horizon, I\u2019ve learned language and concepts that have allowed me to name and move past traumatic events in my life, but not everyone has these resources.\r\n\r\nLike Killmonger, so many boys and men of color do not get to process their traumas with the same support that is available to others. Our voices and our stories are so often muted from the conversations of trauma. In fact, the very word \u201ctrauma<\/em>\u201d is not often in our vocabulary. That\u2019s why when I saw Black Panther, I was so thrilled to see how trauma was not only a central part of the movie but that the hurt and pain of boys of color (in this case, black boys) were humanized.\r\n\r\nI recently had a conversation with my colleague Paul Barrett, Jr. (also a man of color), project manager for Safe Horizon\u2019s Enhanced Service for Boys and Young Men of Color, to explore these themes further.\r\n\r\nBRIAN:<\/strong> In Black Panther, Michael B Jordan's character Erik Killmonger lost his father to homicide, which is traumatic. What is the impact on boys and young men of color when they witness violence or lose a caregiver to violence?\r\n\r\nPAUL: <\/strong>What is anyone\u2019s experience when they lose a loved one? There is grief, deep sense of loss, anger and powerlessness, to name a few. But the way that men are taught to be socialized is largely that your manhood is grounded in your ability to assert dominance over others. These messages are no different for black or white boys. What is different is that white male toxicity is normalized, while for men of color it is pathologized [seen as abnormal] and demonized.\r\n\r\nLook at when white men vandalize property and riot after a sporting event, the media frames it as a celebration. But when black men protest for their basic human rights, and if they vandalize priority, they are framed as thugs and vandals. Why is the framing different?\r\n\r\nBRIAN:<\/strong> What is the best way to address a young boy's trauma? Are there enough of these services?\r\n\r\nPAUL:<\/strong> Take the best of what we do for everyone else and do that for boys and young men of color. We need to funnel more resources to communities of color. One of the feelings I left the movie with was that Killmonger would not have become Killmonger if King T-Chaka had brought him to Wakanda. He was left to deal with a traumatic event [death of his father] on his own.\r\n\r\nFor service providers, if a young man of color comes to you after getting robbed, it isn\u2019t just \u201cFill out this compensation form.<\/em>\u201d It\u2019s humanizing this scary experience and asking, \u201cHow are you doing?<\/em>\u201d So often, these questions aren\u2019t asked because society doesn\u2019t see men, boys of color, as people who experience trauma. We blame them for the hurt that has come to them. Any agency that works directly with or interacts with young people needs to move past \u2018What materials resources do you need?\u2019 and dig into \u2018How are you doing?\u2019\r\n\r\nBRIAN:<\/strong> The film explored the effects of structural racism, such as poverty and lack of resources in communities of color in the U.S. How does structural racism affect boys and young men of color?\r\n\r\nPAUL:<\/strong> Therapeutic resources, social services, financial resources that can direct a person away from risky behavior and exposure to harm is readily available in most white communities. Yes, there are still poor white communities, but at a disproportionate rate, these resources are not as accessible to communities of color. When you look at the intersection of class and race, people of color are more likely\u2014even if they are not poor\u2014 to live in less resourced communities than white people.\r\n\r\nBRIAN:<\/strong> Erik Killmonger ended up as the antagonist in the film because he wanted to avenge his father's death. Do boys with unaddressed trauma go on to harm others?\r\n\r\nPAUL:<\/strong> Let me be clear: not all people who experience violence or trauma go on to harm others\u2014many don\u2019t. Trauma affects functionality. Unaddressed trauma can lead to self-harm, harming others, being hyper-vigilant and sensitive, as examples. There is a real need to address the effects of trauma after it happens. Even then, it really should be as simple as responding to the trauma of boys and young men of color because they are human beings. You can be the toughest, hardest, dude around and you still want to get stuff off your chest. We need to normalize sharing feelings.\r\n\r\nBRIAN:<\/strong> The theme of fathers and sons was an important one in the movie, and resonated with so many black men who watched the movie. Why do you think that is?\r\n\r\nPAUL:<\/strong> It exists because in many ways in the black community we have been taught to believe fathers are the solution to the trauma that boys are experiencing. \u2018If their dad was around, all this would be solved.\u2019\r\n\r\nI do not want to hate on the need for fathers to be in a child\u2019s life. I just became a father myself, but if all black men came out of prison then underlying issues such as white supremacy, structural racism, and toxic masculinity would still exist. And these are the root causes of what is pushing forward much of the trauma boys and young men of color experience.\r\n\r\nOf course, it is important to note that many many black men are great fathers to their children and the absence of black fathers is not specifically because they are incarcerated.\r\n\r\nBRIAN:<\/strong> Safe Horizon is strengthening our services for boys and young men of color. What can we learn from Black Panther?\r\n\r\nPAUL:<\/strong> We look at boys and young men of color as this distinct species. What I love about this movie was that it was a human a** movie. There were funny scenes, tension, nuance\u2014people changed over time.\r\n\r\nIt also humanized the trauma of loss\u2014whether that is losing a family member to homicide or generational\/historical trauma for black communities that we are still grappling with. So many of us are searching for home and our roots. Few white people have to grapple with this. For example, my last name is Barrett\u2014that is a slave name.\r\n\r\nBut what I really took away was this: The representation of Killmonger was very human. His rage is totally understandable. To me, he represents a subset of black people who are validly angry, both at injustices of white supremacy and inaction of certain people within the black community. Yet, his rage is not effectively channeled.\r\n\r\nSo many people who saw the film said: \u201cI was rocking with him.<\/em>\u201d This reads like so many black men I know. Unfortunately, the direction he was trying to move his anger in won\u2019t help him or \u2018us.\u2019 But, Killmonger has experienced traumatic events. His response is fueled by hurt. And how do we respond to that?","post_title":"Black Panther, Killmonger and The Boys Of Color Who Experience Trauma","post_excerpt":"We explore the themes of trauma in Black Panther as the movie humanizes the hurt and pain of boys of color.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"black-panther-killmonger-boys-color-trauma","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-06-10 13:47:01","post_modified_gmt":"2025-06-10 17:47:01","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/?p=5410","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":6630,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2018-12-14 17:16:19","post_date_gmt":"2018-12-14 17:16:19","post_content":"\"Chief\r\n\r\nBy Lisa O'Connor\r\nDecember 14,\u00a02018<\/em>\r\n\r\nBeing black and poor isn\u2019t a crime. But after watching the video of Jazmine Headley\u2019s child being ripped from her arms and reading the initial reports that detailed her open warrant in an unrelated case, it sure felt that way. Had Jazmine Headley been white, that video wouldn\u2019t have looked the same.\r\n\r\nAs a mother I can only imagine the fear and anger, Jazmine Headley experienced in the moments when she was surrounded by officers and having her son pried from her arms.\r\n\r\nI have spent my career working to provide services to New Yorkers. As I watched the video, I kept thinking about how the interaction was rooted in the wrong place. I imagined how differently that video might have unfolded if Ms. Headley had been offered not anger, fear or frustration, but a little compassion.\r\n\r\nWhat if someone had called for a folding chair instead of calling a police officer?\r\n\r\nWe live in a country where being a person of color can make it hard to find compassion. Your neighbors are more likely to call the police and you are more likely\u00a0to be punished for being poor. You are more likely to be judged\u00a0as a bad mother, even if all you are trying to do is access the services that allow you to work so you can support your child.\r\n\r\nAs the video made painfully clear, compassion should be a standard for all organizations designed to help people.\r\n\r\nThat\u2019s why, at Safe Horizon, through our anti-racism work, we are striving for more compassion for people of color. We can\u2019t do that if we don\u2019t address the many ways that racism causes our clients to feel hurt and denigrated.\r\n\r\nThe first step to compassion is acknowledging our shared humanity.\r\n\r\nWe may ask ourselves, \u201cWhat life experience has this mother of color had that impact the way she navigates the world and safety?\"<\/em>\r\n\r\n\u201cAm I making assumptions about this young woman of color and the trauma she may have experienced?<\/em>\"\r\n\r\n\u201cWould I interpret these trauma reactions as anger or aggression if this person in front of me were white?<\/em>\u201d\r\n\r\nWhen we are asking hard questions we can acknowledge when we fail and when we need to do better. Compassion requires action. Simply feeling outrage that Ms. Headley had to sit on the floor would not have changed the outcome.\r\n\r\nWe still have work to do. My hope is that others will take the unnecessary confrontation with Ms. Headly as an opportunity to join us in that work: ask ourselves the hard questions about how we each show up every day in whatever role we play in the world.","post_title":"Chief Program Officer Lisa O'Connor on Jazmine Headley: We Need More Compassion for People of Color","post_excerpt":"The first step to compassion is acknowledging our shared humanity. At Safe Horizon, through our anti-racism work, we are striving for more compassion for people of color.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"jazmine-headley-compassion-people-of-color","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-06-10 14:45:04","post_modified_gmt":"2025-06-10 18:45:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/?p=6630","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"original_url":"","title_font_size":"42","sub-headline_placement":false,"custom_scripts":false,"show_author_bio":false},"yoast_head":"\nWe Need To Address Violence Against Young Men of Color<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"#JusticeForJunior went viral after young men of color were killed. We discuss how racism & lack of resources can devastate communities.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Junior, Jose and Antwon \u2014 We Need To Address Violence against Young Men of Color\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"#JusticeForJunior went viral after young men of color were killed. We discuss how racism & lack of resources can devastate communities.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Safe Horizon\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/facebook.com\/safehorizon\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-06-28T17:27:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-10T17:17:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Jose-Antwon-Junior-SH-2.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rob D\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@safehorizon\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@safehorizon\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rob D\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Rob D\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/#\/schema\/person\/8c2f7bb49db875364f0056040411a2b2\"},\"headline\":\"Junior, Jose and Antwon \u2014 We Need To Address Violence against Young Men of Color\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-06-28T17:27:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-10T17:17:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/\"},\"wordCount\":1662,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Jose-Antwon-Junior-SH-2.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Antwon Rose II\",\"Jose Velez\",\"Lesandro \u201cJunior\u201d Guzman Feliz\",\"YMOC\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Safe Blog\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/\",\"name\":\"We Need To Address Violence Against Young Men of Color\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Jose-Antwon-Junior-SH-2.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-06-28T17:27:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-10T17:17:08+00:00\",\"description\":\"#JusticeForJunior went viral after young men of color were killed. We discuss how racism & lack of resources can devastate communities.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Jose-Antwon-Junior-SH-2.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Jose-Antwon-Junior-SH-2.png\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"Junior Feliz, Jose Velez and Antwon Rose II\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Safe Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/.\/safe-blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Junior, Jose and Antwon \u2014 We Need To Address Violence against Young Men of Color\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/\",\"name\":\"Safe Horizon\",\"description\":\"Safety. Connection. Healing.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Safe Horizon\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/safe-logo-square.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/safe-logo-square.png\",\"width\":696,\"height\":696,\"caption\":\"Safe Horizon\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/facebook.com\/safehorizon\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/safehorizon\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/safehorizon\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/safe-horizon\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SafeHorizonNY\",\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Safe_Horizon\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/#\/schema\/person\/8c2f7bb49db875364f0056040411a2b2\",\"name\":\"Rob D\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ffedfdc79be37181106174eb0e1d6ab194b350a42ad7b667150cf34366d7856a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ffedfdc79be37181106174eb0e1d6ab194b350a42ad7b667150cf34366d7856a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Rob D\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"We Need To Address Violence Against Young Men of Color","description":"#JusticeForJunior went viral after young men of color were killed. We discuss how racism & lack of resources can devastate communities.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Junior, Jose and Antwon \u2014 We Need To Address Violence against Young Men of Color","og_description":"#JusticeForJunior went viral after young men of color were killed. We discuss how racism & lack of resources can devastate communities.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/","og_site_name":"Safe Horizon","article_publisher":"http:\/\/facebook.com\/safehorizon","article_published_time":"2018-06-28T17:27:55+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-06-10T17:17:08+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Jose-Antwon-Junior-SH-2.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Rob D","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@safehorizon","twitter_site":"@safehorizon","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Rob D","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/"},"author":{"name":"Rob D","@id":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/#\/schema\/person\/8c2f7bb49db875364f0056040411a2b2"},"headline":"Junior, Jose and Antwon \u2014 We Need To Address Violence against Young Men of Color","datePublished":"2018-06-28T17:27:55+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-10T17:17:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/"},"wordCount":1662,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Jose-Antwon-Junior-SH-2.png","keywords":["Antwon Rose II","Jose Velez","Lesandro \u201cJunior\u201d Guzman Feliz","YMOC"],"articleSection":["Safe Blog"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/","url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/","name":"We Need To Address Violence Against Young Men of Color","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Jose-Antwon-Junior-SH-2.png","datePublished":"2018-06-28T17:27:55+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-10T17:17:08+00:00","description":"#JusticeForJunior went viral after young men of color were killed. We discuss how racism & lack of resources can devastate communities.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Jose-Antwon-Junior-SH-2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Jose-Antwon-Junior-SH-2.png","width":1920,"height":1080,"caption":"Junior Feliz, Jose Velez and Antwon Rose II"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-blog\/youngviolencevictims\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Safe Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/.\/safe-blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Junior, Jose and Antwon \u2014 We Need To Address Violence against Young Men of Color"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/","name":"Safe Horizon","description":"Safety. Connection. Healing.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/#organization","name":"Safe Horizon","url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/safe-logo-square.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/safe-logo-square.png","width":696,"height":696,"caption":"Safe Horizon"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/facebook.com\/safehorizon","https:\/\/x.com\/safehorizon","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/safehorizon\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/safe-horizon","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SafeHorizonNY","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Safe_Horizon"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/#\/schema\/person\/8c2f7bb49db875364f0056040411a2b2","name":"Rob D","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ffedfdc79be37181106174eb0e1d6ab194b350a42ad7b667150cf34366d7856a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ffedfdc79be37181106174eb0e1d6ab194b350a42ad7b667150cf34366d7856a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Rob D"}}]}},"taxonomies":{"categories":[{"term_id":2015,"name":"Safe Blog","slug":"safe-blog","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2015,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":149,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":2015,"category_count":149,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Safe Blog","category_nicename":"safe-blog","category_parent":0}],"tags":[{"term_id":963,"name":"Antwon Rose II","slug":"antwon-rose-ii","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":963,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":959,"name":"Jose Velez","slug":"jose-velez","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":959,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":961,"name":"Lesandro \u201cJunior\u201d Guzman Feliz","slug":"lesandro-junior-guzman-feliz","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":961,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":811,"name":"YMOC","slug":"ymoc","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":811,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw"}],"issue":[{"term_id":779,"name":"Gun Violence","slug":"gun-violence","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":779,"taxonomy":"issue","description":"","parent":0,"count":23,"filter":"raw","acf":false},{"term_id":21,"name":"Victims of Other Abuse","slug":"victims-of-other-abuse","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":21,"taxonomy":"issue","description":"We help victims of all types of crime and abuse including: robbery, assault, harassment, elder abuse, gang violence, community violence, and families affected by homicide move from crisis to confidence.","parent":0,"count":253,"filter":"raw","acf":{"color":"#868B1A"}}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6052\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}