Post-Parkland, the nation has mourned another mass school shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas. For decades, children have been prey to harshest horrors of gun violence. In the wake of these continued tragedies, young people across the nation have moved to the forefront of protest to enact gun safety laws, but maybe it’s time for another constituency to take the lead…if kids can’t be safe in schools, perhaps parents can grab the mantle of gun safety protest by taking their children out of schools.

In Chicago, though, we’re often looking for solutions against everyday violence (versus mass shootings). Employment is a key factor in keeping “Opportunity Youth” occupied so they avoid pitfalls and pressures, and police are exploring how to leverage cameras and other technologies to intervene in active situations before they are escalated. Additionally, medical entities are establishing themselves in the centers of communities that are experiencing heightened violence.

Shootings were down over the 2018 Memorial Day weekend, but we cannot, and should not, ever get comfortable. We’re reminded to never relent in what has been dubbed “the killing season.”

“We do not have time to waste.”