Tinia, a 20-year-old female affiliated with James Halsey Foundation of the Arts, took a seat in a conference room of the Hamilton Twp.-based organization. Her impromptu arrival added weight to an already cumbrous conversation with James Halsey about Dante Leverett, a 17-year-old shot and killed on Sept. 22., Tinia’s birthday. “I was excited when I made it to 20. I never thought I would,” she revealed. Her admission sounded far afield from youthful ambitions that frequently connect to hope, dreams, and adventure. Part of her abbreviated expectations connected to a neighborhood infused with violence and “mad drama.” Another factor involved death and all dark moments that tether homicides. “Probably four or five,” Tinia replied regarding the number of friends lost to gun violence. Black and Latino youth are exposed to firearm homicides at a rate 20 times higher than their white peers. According to Giffords Law Center, which collected information from cities such as Philadelphia, Cincinnati and Rochester, the “vast majority of shootings in these cities — and in similar communities across the country — are perpetrated by a very small number of people. But the impacts of this violence are felt across entire communities, contributing to generations of trauma and collective grief that have disproportionately affected Black people. The vast majority of gun deaths among Black Americans connect to gun homicides…..Despite the fact that Black boys and men account for just six percent of the total population, they comprise more than half of all gun homicide victims. Dante Leverett followed his best friend, Stephon Fisher, 18, onto the list of Trenton homicides. Fisher passed away in May 2024, after being gunned down at Kingsbury Towers, a city high rise with violent history. Tinia, who showed several photos of Dante when they met several years ago and current pictures, said Leverett had texted a message on her birthday, one of his final communications of life. “Happy Birthday,” Leverett wrote. She replied, ‘Good looking (out)’. That was about 10:30,” she recalled. Two hours later, police said Leverett had a physical confrontation with another young man at the intersection of Parkside and Homan avenues. Leverett died after being shot, reportedly in the back, at 12.32 p.m. News surfaced on social media about the homicide although no identification had surfaced. Later that day, Tinia texted Dante. “Is you good, bro?” No response. Dante Leverett had passed hours before, leaving behind family and several inner-circle friends. Professionals estimate that each homicide impacts three to ten loved ones, family, friends and others. Tinia appeared resigned with feelings, reactions and dark plot associated with this plague that shadows Black America. At least she lived to see 20. L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Find him on Twitter @LAParker6 or email him at [email protected].