When Is It Enough? We Must Stop Protecting Those Who Terrorize Our Own Communities

With heavy hearts, we extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones of Kinu Rochford, the former Fairleigh Dickinson University basketball standout who was tragically killed after being shot during a community basketball tournament in Harlem.

Two other people were also injured in the shooting and are expected to recover. As of this writing, no arrests have been announced, and the investigation remains active.

Every life lost to senseless violence is one too many. Sadly, stories like this have become far too common—not just in Harlem, but in cities across America. The names change. The families change. The pain never does. At some point, we must ask ourselves a difficult question: How many more funerals are we willing to attend before we decide enough is enough?

When someone in our community takes a life without justification, they are not protecting the neighborhood—they are terrorizing it. They leave behind grieving families and communities struggling to heal. There is nothing honorable about protecting those who prey on their own people.

The code of silence has cost too many lives, and in a world where someone often sees something, coming forward is not betrayal—it is courage.

We demand accountability when harm comes from outside our communities; we must demand the same when it comes from within.

Justice should never depend on who committed the crime. Fear, intimidation, and misplaced loyalty have allowed violence to persist, leaving law-abiding families to suffer the consequences—declining neighborhoods, lost opportunities, and children growing up surrounded by instability.

Real strength lies in protecting our children, our elders, and families who simply want to live in peace. If we truly care about our communities, we must reject the culture that excuses or glorifies violence and replace it with one that values life, accountability, and responsibility.

Brother Kinu Rochford’s family deserved to see him come home. Countless others have deserved the same. Let this tragedy remind us that we all have a role to play. If you know something that can help bring justice or prevent further violence, speak up. Protecting innocent lives must always come before protecting those who choose to take them.

The future of our communities depends on our willingness to confront violence from within as well as injustice from outside.

May God comfort the Rochford family, grant healing to the other victims, and give us the courage to build communities where life is valued and our children can grow up without fear.