KSHB 41 reporter La’Nita Brooks covers stories providing solutions and offering discussions on topics of crime and violence. Share your story idea with La’Nita.
There have been 109 homicides in Kansas City so far this year, up one from the same time last year, but down from 2023.
Ossco Bolton, founder and CEO of P.O.S.S.E. (Peers Organized to Support Students’ Excellence), said addressing violence requires work from the ground up.
“We need to expose young people — that’s the biggest thing we can do,” Bolton said.
P.O.S.S.E. operates in 11 schools across the city, from elementary through high school, teaching conflict resolution and critical thinking.
Bolton said recent shootings have increased his frustration. Wednesday night, four people were shot in Midtown just before 9 p.m.; days earlier, a 15-year-old was shot in South Kansas City while walking down the street.
“We’re not responding properly when our youth tell us they’re being bullied or that they’ve been exposed to guns,” Bolton said. “We have to step up. We have to mentor.”
He said efforts will require community effort.
“We can’t do it without our parents, we can’t do it without law enforcement, we can’t do it without our pastors," said Bolton. "We need each other, and that’s what’s going to make this change.”
