Coinciding loosely with Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 15 and the late Angellyh Yambo’s birthday, which falls on Jan. 24, the Angellyh Yambo Foundation (AYF), which launched last year on the first anniversary of the teen’s death, held its 1st Youth Gun Violence Prevention Summit on Friday, Jan. 19, in the South Bronx.

 

As reported at the time, Angellyh, who spent much of her childhood in Kingsbridge Heights and who was honored during a street co-naming ceremony in the neighborhood last year, was just 16 when she was fatally shot while walking home from University Prep Charter High School in Mott Haven, along with two of her friends on April 8, 2022. Her family, friends, and teacher say she was a talented artist and had her sights set on becoming a doctor. Her school friends held an anti-gun violence march in her memory during Gun Violence Awareness Month in June 2022.

 

During her opening remarks, Angellyh’s aunt, Mary Hernandez, a founding member of the foundation, said, “We have joined forces with a number of excellent organizations to spotlight the vital services they offer to our young people. This summit carries tremendous significance for our community, and we want to impress upon you the gravity of this momentous occasion. By working hand-in-hand with these organizations, we hope to open doors for the next generation of young people and guide them towards a bright future. Your attendance and participation will help make this summit a success as we come together to uplift our young people.”

 

The summit, held at La Central YMCA, located at 434 Westchester Avenue, a 6-minute walk from Angellyh’s high school, was attended by 100 students from various New York City schools. Opening remarks and an introduction to the late Dr. King’s six principles of non-violence to effect social change were shared by “Coach Roc,” of Rich Roots and who was described by Hernandez as an “amazing motivational speaker.”

 

The first principle, according to King, is that nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people and is active, nonviolent resistance to evil. It is aggressive spiritually, mentally, and emotionally, according to King. Principle Two is that nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding. The result of nonviolence is redemption and reconciliation. The purpose of nonviolence is the creation of the “Beloved Community.”

 

The third principle, King said, is that nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice, not people. Nonviolence, he said, recognizes that evildoers are also victims, and are not evil people. The nonviolent resister seeks to defeat evil, not people. The fourth principle is that nonviolence holds that suffering can educate and transform.

According to King, nonviolence accepts suffering without retaliation. Unearned suffering is redemptive and has tremendous educational and transforming possibilities, he said.  Principle five is that nonviolence chooses love instead of hate. Nonviolence resists violence of the spirit as well as the body, according to King.

 

Nonviolent love is spontaneous, unmotivated, unselfish, and creative, he said. Lastly, the sixth principle is that nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of justice. The nonviolent resister has deep faith that justice will eventually win. Nonviolence, according to King, believes that God is a God of justice.

 

During the event, Police Officer Haronid Pena from the 40^th Precinct’s Community Affairs bureau spoke about crime prevention and remarks were also given by Pamela Hight of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a subsidiary of the nonprofit, Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with nearly 10 million supporters. Hight lost two of her sons, one to gun violence and one from stab wounds. Moms Demand Action was formed by family members of the victims killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

 

Other speakers included Francesca DiBlasio from Angellyh’s school counselor from UPrep, in place of Andrea d’Amato, who couldn’t make it on the day, Reem Khalifa, a representative from Students Demand Action, Dontai Nottingham from East Side House Settlement, Melony Ortega from Boys Scouts of America, Claudio Salcedo, youth and family director at La Central YMCA, and Maria Lopez from cure violence group, Guns Down Life Up.

 

As reported, the idea behind cure violence groups is that credible messengers / violence interrupters, living in the community, help maintain the community’s safety by coming together and making sure violence is denounced in a peaceful way. There was also a Q&A session.

 

Later, to mark what would have been Angellyh’s 18th birthday on Jan. 24, her mom, Yanely Henriquez, addressed those gathered, and spoke lovingly about the birth of her daughter on a cold frigid afternoon. “It was an inspiring day for both of us,” she said in part. “To see her softness and how she embraced me in my arms. This was the happiest day of my life since God granted me a princess for me to dress up and spoil.”

 

She added in part, “For the next 16 years, I had the ultimate privilege of caring for my daughter and nurturing this profound bond I built with her. Our relationship was defined by open communication, heartfelt discussions, and raw honesty. She became my closest ally as I became hers. I cherished every conversation, laugh, and memory we shared. Though some were difficult, those years were the most rewarding of my life. I’m forever grateful for the time we had together.”

 

Henriquez went on to say that Angellyh loved to be home. “She said the streets were very dangerous and she didn’t quite understand why kids stayed outside and they didn’t go home,” she said. “The strangest thing in life is that Angellyh cherished her home and was killed by a random bullet walking home from school.”

 

As reported, Jeremiah Ryan, 18, who was charged with the 2022 fatal shooting of Angellyh, as well as the attempted murder of two of her friends, was sentenced on Sept. 15, 2023 to 15 years to life in prison in relation to the incident which was gang-related. Ryan, who was 17 at the time of the unintended shooting of Angellyh and that of her friends, all of whom were hit in crossfire, pled guilty on Aug. 4 this year to second-degree murder, avoiding the need for a trial.

New York State and City have taken various actions to remove so-called ghost guns, similar to the one which was used when Angellyh was fatally shot, from the streets. As reported, ghost guns are untraceable firearms without a serial number that anyone, even minors, prohibited purchasers, domestic abusers, and gun traffickers, can buy online and assemble at home without a background check.

 

Many ghost gun parts are made of polymer plastic, which is undetectable by metal detectors, according to City officials. New York State laws (Scott. J. Beigel Unfinished Receiver Act and the Jose Webster Untraceable Firearms Act) prohibit the sale or possession of un-serialized frames or receivers, and other ghost gun components.

 

City officials said, “The NYPD’s ghost gun investigations begin at the point of the online purchase of ghost gun kits, additional parts, and other means to assemble these weapons at home, and result in search warrants and seizures.” In fiscal year 2023, City officials said the City of New York settled four lawsuits against five online gun retailers for illegally selling and delivering ghost gun components to addresses in the City.

 

The terms of these settlements include a permanent prohibition on the sale of unfinished frames, receivers, and/or ghost guns to any individual with a billing or shipping address in NYC, as long as the NYC Administrative Code and/or NY Penal Law continue to prohibit such sale.

 

In July 2023, Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) introduced the Angellyh Yambo Gun Free Zone Law. Torres said that according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the use of ghost guns in U.S. crimes has soared by more than 1,000% since 2017. If passed, the Act would ban the transfer and possession of ghost guns and expand gun-free school zones from 1,000 ft. to 5,000 ft. for all public, private, and charter schools and early childhood education centers.

The legislation would also go further than current federal regulations requiring manufacturers of ghost gun kits to become licensed under the Gun Control Act, to include serial numbers on the kits’ frames or receiver, and to run background checks on buyers, prior to a sale of a ghost gun kit.

 

Angellyh’s aunt closed out the event, thanking all those who had participated. “This summit holds great significance for empowering our youth,” Hernandez said in part. “It is imperative that we collaborate to highlight the array of services available to help our young people thrive. Our shared goal is to see each and every student succeed in graduating high school and avoiding the pitfalls that can derail bright futures.”

 

Addressing the youth directly, she continued, “We aim to continue being a supportive presence in your lives going forward. Please make the most of all the information presented today for your benefit. Young people, I urge you to choose community over conflict whenever faced with difficult decisions. By coming together in the spirit of a mutual understanding, we can build the kind of society we all wish to see – one founded on compassion and respect for all people. Together, we can help you achieve your full potential.”

 

Conspiracy theorist and conservative radio talk show host, Alex Jones, was ordered by a judge in October 2023 to pay $1.5 billion to relatives of 20 students and six staff members of Sandy Hook Elementary School who were killed in the 2012 mass shooting, for lying about the shooting and saying it was a hoax. They alleged he made a fortune on the back of the conspiracy theory/hoax.

 

On Jan. 25, Yahoo News reported that lawyers for Jones said he could exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy by late March or early April after a judge decided families to whom he owes $1.5 billion in defamation penalties, can vote on competing plans to resolve their legal claims against him. Yahoo News reported that Jones filed for bankruptcy late last year after the court’s ruling on the case, and that he had previously engaged in bankruptcy mediation with the families, but failed to reach a settlement.