Dozens of community leaders representing Gainesville and Alachua County gathered at the Eastwood Meadows neighborhood on Monday in remembrance of a victim of gun violence.
24-year-old Tyren Certain was shot last week in the parking lot of the neighborhood, and later died at the hospital.
Despite this, no Eastwood residents attended the vigil on Monday morning.
Vanessa Henry was a speaker at the event. She said the community has plenty of resources for people to rely on to prevent gun violence.
“But we have to use them. You make them available, but it’s up to us as residents to use the resources," Henry said. "You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink.”
She said she was disappointed in the lack of local residents in attendance. Henry herself lost a nephew to gun violence in southwest Gainesville last year.
“It’s sad, it’s really sad. But I am tired of burying our children. I have a 16- and a 17-year-old. I’m tired of us burying our kids.”
But Brittany Coleman, the new gun violence intervention program manager for the city of Gainesville, said she understands that at 10:30 a.m. in a weekday, people are often working and unable to attend community events.
Monday was Brittany’s first day on the job, and she said she’s looking forward to working with the city.
“This isn’t something we’re going to be able to do on our own,” Coleman said. “I’m going to be calling on our stakeholders, our partners and our community.”
Alachua County Sheriff Emery Gainey said change starts in the community, in churches, schools and homes.
“By the time we’re involved it’s way too late,” he said.
He also issued a warning to those considering violence.
“If you decide to arm yourself and chose violence in our county, we are going to hold you accountable,” Gainey said in a Facebook post.
The sheriff’s office arrested 18-year-old Terrell Weeks and charged him with Certain’s murder. He is being held without bond.