Gun violence is the top killer for children under age 19, said Mike McGee, founder of the Project Outreach and Prevention or POP Foundation.
McGee is trying to change that, encouraging Northwest Indiana students to prevent violence in their schools and among their peers.
At Hidden Lake Park in Merrillville, POP Foundation hosted its “Wear Orange March” for Gun Violence Awareness Day, which is the first Friday in June. The foundation hosted a second march in Gary on Friday night.
POP Foundation and local law enforcement officials gave speeches before the march around the park, speaking on the importance of alleviating gun violence in the community.
Participants are encouraged to wear orange, which has a “long and proud history in the gun violence prevention movement,” according to wearorange.org.
“Our mission is to prevent and alleviate violence, while also inspiring healthy careers and preventing students from having negative behaviors,” said McGee, who is medical director for the University of Chicago’s Emergency Department in Crown Point.
The POP Foundation works with schools in Northwest Indiana and Chicago, he added.
Merrillville Community School Corporation Superintendent Dexter Suggs said Friday that it’s important for him to do what he can to discourage gun violence in his schools.
“In schools, in society, in our community, making people more aware of what’s going on can only help find a possible solution to some of the issues that we face today,” Suggs said. “It’s important that we all gather together today to speak up and work together in the future so that we can decrease the number, if not eliminate the number of violent activities that we see.”
Since President Donald Trump was elected in November 2024, his administration has revoked gun safety initiatives, including dismantling the School Safety Committee, which helps provide schools and districts with recommendations to create safe and supportive learning environments, according to its website.
Youth who survive gunshot wounds and gun violence can experience behavioral health problems, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Increased youth suicide risk occurs in communities exposed to school shootings, which have also increased over time.
“This is a fight that’s ongoing, and this is a fight that we all have to be part of,” Suggs said.
Merrillville Chief of Police Kosta Nuses said Friday that the group most at-risk of youth violence is boys ages 14 to 17 years old. The police department works with both McGee and Suggs to raise awareness about gun violence, Nuses said.
“When I see things like this (event), it makes me happy because I know the community is coming together,” Nuses said. “A lot of these kids, it’s not their fault. They never had a chance. But if you have a big community like this, it gives these kids a chance.”
Merrillville Councilwoman Shauna Haynes-Edwards, D-2nd, said that she was proud to see community members stand up against gun violence and come together on Friday.
“There are other ways to solve violence, and picking up a gun is not one of them,” Haynes-Edwards said. “So, I encourage children, adults and everyone who wants to pick up a gun to put the gun down.”
The POP Foundation also has its SAVE program, which stands for students against violence everywhere. The program is a student-led club that encourages them to pave the way of nonviolence and gun safety in their schools.
Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter said Friday that POP is “fantastic” and has helped throughout the county.
It’s not an accident when a child gets a hold of a gun, Carter said, and there are severe consequences for parents or guardians.
“It’s neglect,” Carter said. “It’s a criminal charge, and they will be charged and put in jail. These parents are good people, but they made a mistake, and their child could lose their life because of it.”
