MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. — East Park Manor in Muskegon Heights is known as "the projects" by the people who live there— but these community members say they're doing everything they can to make it a safe place for children to live and play.
FOX 17, as part of our A Path Forward efforts, talked with children Friday who live in this apartment and condo housing community about the gun violence that surrounds them.
Sunshine and blue skies peaked over East Park Manor on Friday, as more than 30 children gathered for the daily summer programming at the park, sponsored by Taking Back Muskegon.
The kids, most younger than 13, are faced with a very adult set of problems— some of them, including nine-year-old Alex Glenn, say they hear gunshots nightly.
“It feels like the gunshots are going through my window because I can hear it really good,” Alex said “They should stop shooting through the projects.”
FOX 17 had permission to speak with these kids, through a media waiver as part of the summer programming. They say their time being silent is over.
“My cousin, he died from a gun. My uncle, he died from a gun,” Mariah Burks-Davis said. “Now, I can’t even be outside for real because they want to shoot."
Alice Wilde is nervous to play at the park, but like all the kids at East Park Manor, she still finds some fun in playing on the playground.
“Just a couple days ago, we were here at the program and there were a bunch of cops that came into the area telling us to get in the houses because there was a shooting warning..because someone said they were going to be shooting,” Alice said.
Because, amid the reality of violence surrounding them, there's still a ray of hope: a summer program in the projects, run by anti-violence nonprofit "Taking Back Muskegon," which started a few years ago.
“It’s scary. So, my momma always tells me to watch my surroundings, so yeah," Burks-Davis said.
FOX 17 first covered Taking Back Muskegon's summer programming in 2021. You can find that story here.
Check out our list of community resources available to help in West Michigan.