Young Community Journalist Gunned Down
Category: News and Politics

The city lost an important community journalist, activist, and youth advocate on April 28th 2007. Nineteen year-old Aaron Teeter, a member of the Earth Conservation Corps Youth Media Arts Program was gunned down early Saturday morning, while sitting outside of his house on Wahler Place in Southeast Washington.

For the last eleven months, Aaron had been working with the Earth Conservation Corps to document and raise awareness about conditions facing young people in the city, particularly advocating for improving the conditions of the DC Public Schools, increasing the availability of social programs to youth, and ensuring job opportunities for young people like himself who were formerly-incarcerated. Ironically, one of the issues closest to Aaron's heart, and one that he was producing a final video piece about just before his murder, was putting an end to the gun violence endemic in his community.

What made Mr. Teeter's journalism so powerful was his courage to openly discuss his past experiences as a student in failing schools, a dealer on the street corners, and a ward of the juvenile justice system; and to use those experiences to question and critically challenge government officials and community leaders. He held everyone accountable for their words and actions. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services head, Vincent Shiraldi, called Aaron one of the toughest interviewers he had ever faced. Aaron was particularly proud of the interview he conducted with Mayor Adrian Fenty after his State of the District Address.

Not only a journalist, Aaron was also a teacher, showing other young people how to use video to document their lives and create change. He hoped to one day start a mentoring program for youth in his neighborhood, to help give them support and open opportunities that he had wished for himself. Aaron Teeter's passing leaves a painful wound not only in the youth journalism world that he greatly contributed to, but also in the community that he so loved.

10:27 AM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Drugs, Violence, and Youth l By Aaron Teeter, age 19
Current mood: pensive
Category: Life

When I was growing up, my mother and my sister were on drugs. It wasn't good for me, because I was exposed to things I wasn't supposed to be exposed to—like walking in the room and seeing my mother and her friends abusing needles, and my sister using a crack pipe. But that encouraged me to do better in my lifestyle. As a result of my mother's friends using drugs, they are all dead, but my mother is still alive and has been clean for over 15 years.

I know drugs kill people's parents, and they kill our youth. Drugs are being sold in DC, and I think all around the world. I also know that youth sell drugs because they aren't able to get other jobs. And some of the youth's parents are not around, so they just do what they see. But some youth just sell drugs to be a "get with". They have their parents, but just do it to fit in.

In terms of killing, some youth kill people just to get cool points. And some just do it to show people they're "hard" or that they are "bad". People get killed for being "hot"—that means snitching or talking to the police when they are not supposed to. Some youth kill people because they think the person just runs their mouth about things they are not supposed to be talking about. Adults also get killed by youth, because they beat the youth up, and the youth get mad and run and get a gun to take care of the problem. Youth also kill people for money. That's called "putting a hit out" on a person. Another reason why I think youth violence is so high is because their parents put them through a lot of drama, and put too much pressure on them.

And then there is the violence that happens at clubs. If you go to the club and a band calls out your neighborhood but not theirs, a person could get jealous, and a fight breaks out and you get thrown out of the club. But it doesn't end, because then the neighborhood you were fighting comes through your hood and starts shooting at your hood.

Other times, youth kill people because they have beef with the person. Like when my friend James was shot in school, standing in the hallway. A boy named TJ walked by, and James and TJ exchanged words. Later on that day at around lunch time we were walking to the lunch room, and my friend James saw TJ. They exchanged words again and that's when a big fight broke out. During the fight, TJ pulled out a gun and shot James four times and ran out the building. They put the school on lock-down until 3:15. We were told to go to the gym, and when we arrived, Marion Barry gave us the bad news. He said that James was shot and killed inside Ballou Senior High School, and the police were looking for the suspect who shot James. He said they were going to catch him.

Well as we all were told the bad news, I felt like dirt because I thought school was supposed to be the safest place for a student. But that was not true, and the security was lacking that day. After that I did not go to school for more than a month. And as a result of that, I failed.

As you can see throughout my story, and as we all know, drugs kill and violence is bad. And seeing all of this, I learned a valuable lesson. If you ever get yourself in a situation and feel like you want to do something violent, ask your self this: What will be the consequences for what I am about to do?

7:04 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment