ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Law enforcement and public officials came together Monday for an all-day summit aimed at addressing gun violence across Central Florida.
Dozens of people were invited to attend the all-day gun violence prevention summit held by Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell. Area law enforcement leaders, elected officials and many others shared ideas about ways to reduce crime in our area.
The summit also consisted of panelists from across the country, from Chicago, Jacksonville, and Los Angeles, who shared what’s worked in their cities. They talked about former gang members helping teens turn their lives around, mentorship and community intervention programs.
Sandra Fatmi lives in Pine Hills and said the crime and violence in her community need to stop. She’s the president of the Pine Hills Community Council and was also invited to attend the summit.
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“Gun violence is real. We need to take back our streets,” Fatmi said. “We have too many guns on the streets, let’s be brutally honest, and they’re getting into the wrong hands.”
Miles Mulrain is a mentor who runs a nonprofit called Let Your Voice Be Heard and was also there.
“I love our elected officials, but it’s time to pull our sleeves up, roll them up and it’s time for us to get to work, the time is now,” Mulrain said.
This comes after deputies said 19-year-old Keith Moses shot and killed three people back in February, Nathacha Augustin, 38; T’yonna Major, 9; and Spectrum News 13 reporter Dylan Lyons, 24, and injured two others, including Brandi Major, the girl’s mother, and 29-year-old Jesse Walden, a Spectrum News 13 photographer.
Moses is charged with first-degree murder and has pleaded not guilty.
Following the tragic string of Pine Hills shootings, state and local elected officials spoke out.
“We talked about community violence initiatives, some things that happened in Chicago, Los Angeles, and how we bring in different partners who are doing things with results here in Orlando,” said Orange County Commissioner Michael Scott, of the summit discussions.
Worrell said a community-based think tank was a good takeaway from Monday’s summit as leaders try to work closer together to address crime.
“We can look at what the organizations and what they’re doing and how they can best serve where we’re trying to go,” she said.
There were two morning sessions that the media was not allowed to attend. News 6 asked the state attorney why not.
“Because you guys make it messy, right? When the community, when the cameras are in the room, people have the need to posture and do whatever they need to do so they can impress their particular audience,” Worrell said.
News 6 asked for clarification, and she told News 6 that she wasn’t calling the media messy, but she said sometimes having those candid conversations without cameras is more effective in tackling the root of the issue.
“I think that utilizing that village concept with all of us playing an important role — in part, I think we can come together, get to the root of the problem and be a solution,” said Pine Hills Community Council President Sandra Fatmi.
The summit came ahead of a community town hall at the Experience Christian Center in Pine Hills.
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