Kenny Barnes is a True Hero

Kenny Barnes is an amazing man. He is the President of ROOT, Inc., which stands for Reaching Out to Others Together. This group is dedicated to ending violence in our city and creating peaceful and safe communities. ROOT's mission is to ensure that communities, police, faith- based organizations, media, business and others all need to work together if the violence epidemic is going to be stopped. In a way, this is very similar to Hillary Clinton's "It Takes A Village" theme. His inspiration for ROOT came from a very tragic circumstance.



On September 24th, 2001, his son was brutally murdered in Ward 1. He was shot in cold blood by a 17-year old. While Mr. Barnes was devastated, he was driven to find his son's killer, and worked tirelessly with members of the community to bring the perpetrators to justice. He found witnesses, worked with the police, and followed a trail that ultimately led to an arrest and conviction. None of this would have been possible if Mr. Barnes had not sought out and engaged members from across the community.



This experience led Mr. Barnes to start ROOT. If he could engage the entire community to find a killer, why not engage the same community to prevent violence before it happens? Churches, businesses and others can and should provide mentorship services to youth and offer ways to turn them away from violence. Mr. Barnes has had resounding success with his endeavor and is a true hero to his city.



To improve our lives here in DC, we must all work together. Government must encourage residents to get involved. Residents must hold their government accountable. Non-profit organizations can complement these efforts and help provide services that the government cannot. Teamwork is the only way we will solve our city's ills. Mr. Barnes has proved it.