On April 18th, 2014 a man and his son were shot at a gas station in Kansas City. The father, Ka’Vyea Curry was killed in the shooting. His 10 year old son Ka’Vyea Tyson was left paralyzed.
Now the boy’s grandfather, Forest Tyson Jr., is taking action to make his neighborhood a safer place for children. Forest has put together a non-profit, grass roots organization called Our Village Coalition, the aim of which is unite the community to take a stand against crime and violence.
“We’ve literally fallen asleep at the wheel,” says Forest. “The time for us to take back our village is well overdue.”
The coalition is staffed by volunteers and sponsored by a local charity, Kimble Anders’ Running Back Giving Back. Their motto is “I am my brother’s keeper!” They plan to go door-to-door, block by block, to connect with the community and address the underlying needs that often lead to crime and violence.
“We’re not asking the drug dealer, or the guy that doesn’t have a job, who’s breaking into someone’s house, ‘What can we do to stop you from doing this?’” Tyson said. His organization is taking steps to start that conversation. He also plans to install a youth recreation center in an office building that he owns.
Tyson is doing everything in his power to turn tragedy into triumph, and make sure that his grandson doesn’t suffer in vain. “He knows that his papa is out there, trying to make it a better place for him when he gets out of [the hospital].”
