San Francisco, CA – “There are no words that will ease the pain of the senseless killing of a six-year-old boy. Our prayers are with the family of Jace Young at this moment, along with his friends and his entire community.

But make no mistake: thoughts and prayers are not enough.

We must do more. The surging Black Lives Matter Movement is about ending police violence, but it’s also about more than that. It’s about investing in our Black children’s lives and ending the gun violence that continues from generation to generation, because a boy like Jace Young should have been able to grow up safely in his own community. We must hold ourselves accountable and end this viscous cycle. We must talk to our children, talk to our extended families, talk to our loved ones, talk about the cruel death of a six-year-old boy. We must address the systemic factors that continue to perpetuate this senseless loss of life.

Because the loss of any life is tragic, but losing a six-year-old child to gun violence rips at the heart of our city. Jace Young was at the very beginning of his life. A resident of Huntersview, he was a bright light in the neighborhood. He was a little boy who should have been given the opportunity to go to school, play with his friends, and lead a life that would make his family proud. Instead, he was brutally gunned down on the Fourth of July. This Black child’s life mattered!

Growing up in San Francisco, we both saw too many people killed by gun violence. We saw the anger, despair and hopelessness that swallowed our communities in the wake of this irreparable damage. We saw mothers weeping and fathers broken. We both dedicated our lives to changing the circumstances that systematically put Black people in harm’s way. Clearly, we must do more.

When we talk about supporting the African-American community, we have to remember the young people like Jace who have the right to live their lives in peace. Black kids deserve the opportunities to grow up and thrive just like every other kid. But as long as the weapons and the violence – and the complacency – continue to disproportionately bear down on the Black community, those opportunities will too often drown in our own blood.

We have to take a closer look at how we are investing in our communities so that we are actually making a difference in the lives of Black people. It’s not just about marching. It’s about doing the hard work after the march, engaging practically and constructively to lift people up out of the cycle of poverty and violence that has ripped us apart for far too long.

This cannot be business as usual. We must put down the guns – everyone must put down the guns – and turn our sights on the long, hard work ahead. We must change the conditions and the institutions that have failed the Black community. And that starts with us. We must be the change."

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