WASHINGTON, DC -- 3/20/18 -- Investigators from the Metropolitan Police Department search for evidence at the scene of a shooting. Hendley Elementary has dealt with constant lockdowns over the years as shootings have taken place near the school with regularity. On this day, there was a shooting directly across the street from the school shortly before lunch that resulting in a 20 minute lockdown.
The current debate over gun violence focuses on schools, but there are high crime areas in poor communities of color that have been dealing with the issue without a swell of public outrage for years. Washington Highlands in DC's Ward 8 is such a place. Ryane Nickens runs the TraRon Center, named after her brother and sister who were victims of gun violence. She provides counseling to families and communities impacted by gun violence. She meets Tuesdays at the Atlantic Gardens Apartments Community Center..…by André Chung #_AC11667