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‘Tree of Hope Christmas’ at Eastminster Church SEE PAGE A6
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www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 114 No. 1 Two Sections
JANUARY 4-10, 2023
Pittsburgh area, nation praying for McKees Rocks’ own Damar Hamlin Central Catholic, Pitt standout seriously injured during Monday Night Football game by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
By now, the entire nation has heard about or seen the devastating event that occurred on the Cincinnati Bengals’ home football field the night of Monday, Jan. 2. But for us in the Pittsburgh area, it affects us differently, because he’s one of ours. Damar Hamlin, the pride and joy of McKees Rocks, whom so many remember playing football around McKees Rocks, around Pittsburgh, and of course at the University of Pittsburgh, is in everyone around here’s prayers, hoping for a recovery. Hamlin, 24, made a tackle for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football against a Cincinnati Bengals player, midway through the first quarter. As Hamlin stood up after the tackle, he suddenly collapsed, sending the country into stunned silence. As football players cried on the field, first responders were seen giving Hamlin CPR and a defibrillator, as other players watched helpless. Eventually, an ambulance was driven onto the field and Hamlin was rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical
Center, about 10 minutes from the Downtown Cincinnati stadium. The NFL postponed the game. For about five hours, the entire country did not know what to think. Just before 2 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3, the Bills released a statement saying that Hamlin had gone into cardiac arrest. However, EMTs were able to restore Hamlin’s heartbeat while on the field, which, to many, signaled positive news. As of Tuesday evening, Jan. 3, Hamlin is still in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati hospital, family by his side. In high school, Hamlin played for Central Catholic, in Oakland. He graduated from Central in 2016. “Central Catholic High School is praying for the well-being and swift recovery of Damar Hamlin,” the school tweeted late Monday night, Jan. 2. “May the Lord be with him and his family during this most difficult time.” Pitt football head coach Pat Narduzzi released a statement Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 3: “Damar Hamlin is far more than SEE HAMLIN A2
DAMAR HAMLIN, shown here as he signed with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills in 2021.
Teens at Youth Enrichment Services leading conversation about solutions to gun violence by Amelia Winger PublicSource
A column of nine cursive names is taped to a pale wall in the Youth Enrichment Services office in East Liberty. These are the teens the organization has lost to gun violence in recent years, including its own members and their friends and relatives. The wall was designed by Matthew Steffy-Ross, a 17-year-old who joined Youth Enrichment Services [YES] in 2015 and, over the years, became a mentor to his peers. He had only just finished the wall when he was fatally shot in April during a party at an Airbnb, where another teen was killed and at least eight others were wounded. “I do not want to go to another one of my kids’ funerals,” said YES Executive Director Dennis Jones. “I don’t. I just don’t. I can’t.” The students at YES are acutely aware of gun violence’s toll on Allegheny
County—they’re grieving the losses of family, friends, classmates and neighbors who were caught in the crosshairs of shootings. This month, the organization released the “Reducing Gun Violence in Our Community: Teen Voices and Visions” report, which includes teens’ ideas for reducing gunfire across the county. The report is a culmination of the organization’s yearlong effort to train teens to heal from the trauma of gun violence and become activists promoting solutions to the crisis. “Nothing will get done if you don’t take action,” said Takara Pack, a 15-yearold YES member. “You can’t just sit back and just watch it all happen. You have to actually step up and do something.” From January through November, there were 23 homicide victims ages 18 or younger in Allegheny County, accounting for about 19 percent of overall victims. SEE TEENS A4
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CANDID CONVERSATION—Takara Pack, left, and Sarah Nervais share their thoughts about the root causes of gun violence and ways to prevent shootings while sitting at Youth Enrichment Services’ Office in East Liberty on Dec. 7, 2022. Behind them: A wall of “Loved Ones Lost,” including the names of nine teens the organization has lost to gun violence in recent years, including its own members and their friends and relatives. (Photo by Benjamin Brady/PublicSource)