LYNN — Wednesday afternoon in the City Hall foyer, Mayor Jared Nicholson launched the Youth Safety and Opportunity Collaborative (Y-SOC). The collaboration is a new leadership body that will bring law enforcement, service providers, elected officials, and those with lived experience with the goal of decreasing youth violence in the city.
“I am not just here in my role with the mayor’s office. I am here as someone whose life has been impacted by gun violence,” DEI Officer and Senior Advisor to Mayor Nicholson Faustina Cuevas stated. “That kind of loss changes you, it changes your family and your way of thinking.”
Cuevas stated that this kind of work wasn’t theoretical but was about the action of preventing other families from receiving life-changing phone calls. She reiterated that young people are not the problem and that the world often fails to protect them.
“We are launching initiatives that focus on…creating more safe spaces and positive programming for young people after school,” she said. “…Expanding mentorship and trusting adult relationships, so no young person feels alone or unseen,” she added.
Antonio Gutierrez, chair of the Y-SOC and cofounder of the Lynn Youth Street Outreach Advocacy, told the audience that what they are trying to accomplish is “…create before it happens.”
“So that we don’t have to sit with families that you’re about to hear,” he stated. “…holding the hands of their mothers that are crying because they don’t understand why they’re not going to see their kids…go to school.”
Nicholson also spoke on the gang violence that the city had experienced in 2023, and that, fortunately, that cycle was stopped.
“Another important takeaway of the community violence prevention plan is the analysis of progress that’s been made,” Nicholson stated. “You can see in the statistics that gun incidents are actually down almost 50% in the last 10 years and another 12% in just the last year.”
Nicholson emphasized that preventing future violence will require continued urgency and partnership. “We’re here today to prevent the next wave of ours,” he said, stressing the need “to shake off any hint of complacency,” he added, “Our goal is to eliminate violence in the city, and that will take time.”
“While the federal government spreads false narratives about our communities in the name of public safety, we know the truth,” Nicholson said. “And we are the ones who are actually doing the real work to keep our families and neighbors safe.”
Other speakers at the launch of the Youth Safety and Opportunity Collaborative said Lynn’s response to the 2023 surge in gun violence demonstrated the power of unified leadership and community action.
District Attorney Paul Tucker described looking out at a room filled with service providers, educators, elected officials, and police officers as evidence of a community determined to respond together. He said the city adopted a two-pronged strategy — strong law enforcement paired with expanded youth programs — emphasizing, “This is a community response. This is what it looks like.”
Police Chief Christopher Reddy recalled the fear and trauma that gripped families and students during the violence, and outlined how authorities worked with local, state, and federal partners to hold offenders accountable while also expanding prevention and intervention efforts.
Through home visits and partnerships with community organizations, at-risk youth were connected to workforce development, education, and support services.
Ruth Zakarin, a trauma clinician and executive director of the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, framed gun violence as a public health crisis rooted in racial and economic disparities. Drawing on years of working with survivors, she said prevention must be the priority, adding, “Every shooting is a crisis and a call to action.”
The event also gave space for families who have been affected by gun violence to share their stories.
“When we lose a son, we lose dreams, future, and opportunities to do good,” Pastora Silverio stated in Spanish, mother of Romel Dinas, who lost his life to gun violence in 2018. “For that reason, these initiatives are all important because they prevent families from experiencing that same pain.
“Speaking on this topic is not easy, but it’s necessary to recognize the damage violence causes,” she added. “And working together, we can transform that pain into action and contribute to a better future for all.”
“We have to protect our youth before families are standing where we are standing today, that’s why this work is so personal to us,” Danyelis Heredia, who is the sister of Jandriel Heredia, who lost his life in 2023, stated. “The Youth Safety and Opportunity Collaborative is a group dedicated to turning ideas into action and creating real change.” She added.
“Thank you to the mayor for his willingness to address this issue head-on,” Heredia said.
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
