The fight against violence in Surrey is ramping up and it’s encouraging to see the community come out in force to say, “Enough is enough.”

Thousands of people showed up outside city hall Wednesday night, to add their voices to the call for more action from elected officials.

This, after two teens were murdered in a late-night shooting in Surrey on June 4.

“Twenty years ago, we were seeing gangsters dying at the age of 30, 35. Now, we are seeing kids not known to police, innocent kids, dying at the age of 16, 17. We have to do something,” said Gurpreet Sahota, organizer of the WAKE UP! rally.

• GANGS IN SURREY: The search for solutions

Meantime, a free Youth Empowerment Forum was scheduled to happen last night (June 15) inside city hall to discuss youth gangs, drugs and violence.

Organizer Rina Gill says the forum is not about “criticizing or judging Surrey… we simply want to know what other cities and provinces are doing to tackle the issue” and brainstorm ideas as a “united front.”

The forum aims to delve into solutions for gang violence, such as making parents aware of signs that may indicate a person is involved in drugs and gangs.

We applaud the educational aspect of this strategy because politicians and lawmakers can only do so much. Our community’s parents need to do better as well.

We can’t simply look to our politicians – at any level – for a be-all, end-all solution.

If we want our city to be a safer place, we all need to do our part.

Now-Leader

Surrey Now Leader