THE FOLLOWING IS A NEWS-GAZETTE STORY BY JENNIFER BAILEY
ABOVE: Former NBA player Keon Clark of Danville talks at the Champaign Public Library Wednesday night as part of an anti-violence Youth Town Hall meeting
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CHAMPAIGN — A handful of youngsters spoke Wednesday night about how violence has impacted them personally — and how adults are providing support — during a special meeting at the Champaign Public Library that also included a panel discussion.
Some talked about friends and relatives who’ve died from gun violence and the resulting absences in their lives. And they called for more mentorship programs and activities to help keep them and their peers off the streets.
It was the second meeting about reducing community violence hosted by the nonprofit Immediate Affective Change Mentor Group, and the first one focused on the youth perspective.
The town hall also included comments from a three-person panel consisting of Javiae Johnson, a 19-year-old former Urbana High School basketball player now attending Tennessee State University, University of Illinois football player Christian Martin, and former NBA basketball player Arian “Keon” Clark of Danville.
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