After the murder of local celebrity Antwan Hogans, who was known as OG Tweezy, his good friend and pastor of The Infinite Church, Radontae Ashford, brought the community together to discuss what can be done to stop gun violence.

The town hall, held on Aug. 12, featured four panels: “The Faith Community Speaks”; “Shaping the Culture”; “The Youth are Watching”; and “Leading, and The Frontlines.”

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Each panel was followed by questions from the audience to the panelists. This diverse group of panelists included faith leaders; local influencers; teenagers and young adults who have done work around gun violence; and as well as elected and civic leaders.

Radontae and his wife, Erika Ashford, made it clear that they wanted the town hall to be the beginning of a community-wide conversation that helps to find solutions.

Ken Lock, pastor of Evolve Church, prays with the group about his hopes for the city. “I promised to give them (his children) a better city than I inherited,” said Lock.
A woman raises her hand in worship during the town hall.
Sedan Smith says he wore his bandanna to help people, especially older people, confront the stigma around kids wearing face coverings, like bandanas and ski masks. He says kids are wearing them so that they can be seen and noticed.
A panel that featured community leaders and organizers of local nonprofits working on curbing gun violence, David Muhammad, Tory Lowe, Reggie Moore, Karin Tyler and Vaun Mayes speak on what their organizations are doing in Milwaukee.
Social media influencers Steve Da Stoner, Jasmine Tyler and Wave Chapelle speak about how they are trying to use their platforms in a way that does not promote violence and hope others will follow suit.
Karin Tyler, interim director of the City of Milwaukee Office of Community Wellness and Safety, speaks about why she does this type of work. “It’s not because of the pain that I do this work, but because of the love,” said Tyler, who lost her son to gun violence.
Poet Janiya Williams reads her poem, “A Cry from the Youth,” during the town hall at The Infinite Church.
A youth-led panel speaks about their experiences. Mia Moore, second from the left, said she believes young people turn toward violence because, “if young people don’t feel seen, heard or cared about, they are going to give you something to care about.”

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.  

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Jonathan Aguilar is a photojournalist as well as a Report for America corps member and Catchlight Local fellow. Before coming to Milwaukee, he spent two years as a photographer at one of America’s oldest daily newspapers, The Blade, in Toledo, Ohio. Aguilar grew up in the Chicago suburbs. He earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from DePaul University and his master’s degree from the Medill School of Journalism.